You can see this by placing a cork on the water in the path of the waves. The cork will bob up and down but will not move in the direction of wave motion. When we speak our vocal chords vibrate and impart energy to the air. Waves are generated and transmitted through the medium. These high and low pressure zones are detected by our eardrums as sound.
Sound waves differ from water waves in that the wavelengths involved are much shorter.
As mentioned earlier, the medium involved has an effect on the propagation of waves. Sound energy can be transmitted through other media and result in different wave speeds. The rigidity of iron seems to aid in the propagation of sound and illustrates that the nature of the medium certainly has an effect on the way waves propagate. Sound cannot be transmitted in the absence of a medium i.e., vacuum. Waves can be reflected off of objects as well.