Customer Reviews

The Speech Chain: The Physics and Biology of Spoken Language

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... and teachers of the deaf.

Both Peter Denes and Elliot Pinson were communications scientists at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey. Dr. Denes was Head of the Speech and Communication Research Department; Dr. Pinson was Head of the Computer Systems Research Department.

Very useful material: In its own words, this book is "an explanation of processes involved in spoken communication, from the speaker's production of words, through transmission of sound, to the listener's perception of what has been said. The mechanism of hearing is also described."

Highly recommended for teachers, researchers, students, and workers in this field.

This book is fascinating. If you've ever had an interest in the way the body creates speech, on a physiological level, this book is for you. It's short and sweet, but chock full of cool information. You'll learn about the building blocks of speech (phonemes), how the body creates them, and the neurological processes involved in creating and decoding speech patterns. This book is seriously interesting if you're into highly technical reads.

A word of warning: This is not a casual reader for most people. I bought it because a college class required it as the primary reading material. If you're not somewhat familiar with the way sound works, or are unable or unwilling to research sound using some outside sources, you may be frustrated with this book. But if you're willing to do the extra bit of work, this book is really, really cool.

I am doing research on the Wiener Filter, and this book is a great introduction. Go get it!