Speech Pattern Processing

The study of ‘speech’ is a fragmented multi-disciplinary area of science which sits somewhere between acoustics, linguistics, engineering and psychology. The one unifying force, which links all of the practitioners in the field, is the study and exploitation of speech patterning. The ability to process speech patterns is thus central to the capabilities of all forms of speech communication, whether performed by a human or by a machine. To create a truly unified ‘theory of speech pattern processing’ it is necessary to focus on the positive contributions that can be made by both speech science and speech technology. Great strides have already been made using a paradigm based on stochastic modelling, and the prospects for further significant developments are good - as long as communications between all sectors of the R&D community are suitably encouraged.