Discovering Speech, Words, and Mind

Discovering Speech, Words, and Mind examines language as a cognitive science, applying scientific tools to the study of various aspects of speech. Written in a lively and highly accessible style for students with no background in linguistics or psychology, readers are guided through the fundamentals of speech production, speech perception, word–formation, language acquisition and speech disorders. Focusing on speech production and recognition at the word–level and below, the book examines morphological, phonological, and phonetic perspectives. It explicitly connects three avenues of exploration – speech, words, and mind – through an examination of how the informational content of the speech signal relates to phonological units; it goes on to describe how these units combine in the morphological structuring of words and are accessed as the speech signal is processed by the listener. Featuring numerous illustrations and exercises, and accompanied by further online exercises and data, this is an ideal introduction to the science of language.

1 Human Language as a Scientific Phenomenon. The specialness of language. The study of language as a cognitive science. 2 Speaking, Sound, and Hearing. Speaking and transcribing. The sound of speech. Hearing. 3 Phonetic Diversity in the World′s Languages and Diversity Among Dialects of English. The sounds of the world′s languages. English in the United States and around the world. 4 Introduction to Experimental Design. 5 Speech Perception. The lack of invariance and the use of cues in speech perception. Ways in which speech perception might be special. Discovering words. 6 Word Recognition. 7 Phonological Units and Phonological Patterning. 8 Word Form and Function. 9 Sign Languages. 10 Language and the Brain. 11 Language, Speech, and Hearing Disorders. 12 Reading and Dyslexia. Appendix: IPA Chart. Index.

Dani Byrd is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Southern California and a Research Affiliate of Haskins Laboratories. She is a member of the Editorial Board on both the Journal of Phonetics and the Journal of the International Phonetic Association , and has published widely on articulation, vocal tract imaging and prosody. Toben H. Mintz is Associate Professor of Psychology and Linguistics at the University of Southern California, where his research involves studies with infants, toddlers, and adults, as well as computer modelling. He is on the Editorial Board of Cognition.

“Captivating a broader audience with the wonder and importance of speech for understanding language is a difficult undertaking. In this beautifully written and illustrated book, Byrd and Mintz do just that … In this engaging and highly readable book, the reader learns to appreciate the complexity and beauty of language, and to think scientifically about it. A daunting amount of information is presented, but in such a coherent and engaging fashion that the facts support one another, creating a well–woven tapestry that hangs together … Given the writing quality, it is a book I would recommend even for those who are not enrolled in a formal class.”   Language (March 2012) "I recommend this textbook for its cogent exposition of important and foundational findings in psycholinguistics and for connecting theoretical and empirical aspects in the study of language in a compelling discussion."  Linguist  (February 2011)