Speech is entirely a motor function—one of the most complex motor tasks the human body performs. It requires the precise coordination of hundreds of muscles and multiple cranial nerves, all operating in exact timing within fractions of a second. Language is entirely cognitive. The brain systems responsible for understanding, reasoning, and forming ideas are separate from the motor systems that produce speech and are primarily located in the left hemisphere. As a result, nonspeaking individuals can have fully intact comprehension, thought, and intelligence, even when their bodies cannot consistently produce speech.