Speech Communications: Human and Machine
"Today the wireless communications industry is heavily dependent upon advanced speech coding techniques, while the integration of personal computers and voice technology is poised for growth. In this revised and updated second edition, a timely overview of the science of speech processing helps you keep pace with these rapidly developing advances. Students of electrical engineering, along with computer scientists, systems engineers, linguists, audiologists, and psychologists, will find in this one concise volume an interdisciplinary introduction to speech communication. This reference book addresses how humans generate and interpret speech and how machines simulate human speech performance and code speech for efficient transmission. With a skillful blending of the basic principles and technical detail underlying speech communication, this broad--based book offers you essential insights into the field. You will learn state--of--the--art techniques to analyze, code, recognize, and synthesize speech. In addition, you will gain a better understanding of the limits of todaya s technology and an informed view of future trends for speech research. SPEECH COMMUNICATIONS brings you an integrated approach to human and machine speech production and perception that is unmatched in the field. This book is complete with up--to--date references and Web addresses that will lead you to a wealth of resources for your own research into speech communication."
Why Read This Book
You should read this book if you want a compact, engineering-oriented bridge between how humans produce and perceive speech and the classical DSP methods machines use to analyze, code, synthesize, and recognize it. It gives clear explanations of source–filter models, LPC, cepstral and spectral analysis, and practical speech coding and synthesis techniques that remain foundational for engineers.
Who Will Benefit
Graduate students and practicing engineers working on speech coding, synthesis, recognition, or audio processing who need a solid foundation in speech science and classical signal-processing algorithms.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Basic signals-and-systems (Fourier and filter theory), linear algebra/calculus, and elementary probability/statistics. Familiarity with MATLAB is helpful but not required.
Key Takeaways
- Explain the anatomy and acoustic theory of speech production and the source–filter model.
- Perform spectral and cepstral analyses to extract formants and other speech features.
- Implement and interpret linear predictive coding (analysis and synthesis) for speech modeling and compression.
- Design and evaluate classical speech coding algorithms and understand perceptual tradeoffs.
- Describe basic speech synthesis techniques and vocoder architectures.
- Relate human auditory perception and psychoacoustics to practical signal-processing choices.
Topics Covered
- Introduction to Speech Communication and Overview
- Anatomy and Physiology of Speech Production
- Acoustic Phonetics and Speech Sounds
- Acoustic Theory of Speech Production; Source–Filter Model
- Time–Frequency Analysis and Spectrograms
- Formant Analysis and Resonances
- Linear Predictive Coding (LPC): Theory and Algorithms
- Cepstral Analysis and Feature Extraction
- Speech Coding and Vocoders (including perceptual aspects)
- Speech Synthesis Methods
- Speech Recognition Fundamentals and Feature Processing
- Auditory Perception and Psychoacoustics
- Applications: Telephony, Wireless, and PC-Based Voice Systems
- Appendices: Mathematical Tools and Practical Measurement Techniques
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
Covers more of the physiological and perceptual background than Rabiner & Juang's recognition-focused text and is more speech-science oriented than Gold & Morgan's 'Speech and Audio Signal Processing', which emphasizes DSP implementations and modern coding.
