Phonetics: The Science of Speech

A comprehensive introduction to phonetics that unifies traditional linguistic phonetics and applied speech science.

In Phonetics: The Science of Speech, Veno Volenec unifies traditional linguistic phonetics and applied speech science. His in-depth survey of the production, perception, and acoustics of speech covers concepts not only from phonetics but also from linguistics, biology, physics, and cognitive science. He draws empirical data and examples from a diverse array of spoken languages, including those of marginalized and underrepresent communities. Because phonetics is so deeply grounded in anatomy and acoustics, the book includes many original graphs, diagrams, illustrations, photographs, and spectrograms.

Written in a clear, accessible style, this summary of the cutting edge in current phonetics requires no prior background in linguistics or phonetics. Topics covered include the articulation of speech sounds, phonation, airstream mechanisms, and prosody. Also included are several underrepresented areas, such as the historical development of phonetics and its relation to other sciences, the phonological basis of phonetics, coarticulation, and speech in relation to other human and nonhuman forms of communication.