Which of the following terms refers generally to the components of speech?

The term that refers generally to the components of speech is "paralanguage." Paralanguage encompasses the non-verbal elements of communication that accompany speech, such as tone of voice, pitch, volume, and speech rate. It enhances the meaning of spoken words and conveys emotions and attitudes, playing a critical role in how messages are interpreted.

When considering the other options, prosody relates specifically to the rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech, which are important but fall under a subset of the broader concept of paralanguage. Inflection refers to variations in the pitch or tone of voice that can change the meaning of a word, and phonetics is the study of the sounds of human speech, which focuses on the physical properties of sounds rather than the broader context of how they are used in communication. Thus, paralanguage is the most inclusive term relating to the various components that contribute to how speech is delivered and understood.