When spoken clearly and accurately, English requires numerous lip configurations associated with unique sounds of the language. Position of teeth, tongue, and jaw are equally important. Producing spoken language requires the cooperation of the whole lower face. During production of the sound, either the mouth parts change or remain constant. Sometimes, all but one stay constant.
People who have a hearing disability can learn to understand spoken English by "reading" lips. Of course, more than just lips are required to shape the unique sounds of English. Enough information is embedded in simply shaping the correct sounds to allow people to understand speech even without hearing. Some people are naturally good at "reading lips," but anyone can be trained. The audible speech and visible mouth shapes mirror the same message. This redundancy of communication channels ensures the meaning is conveyed accurately.
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