the book will try to be as complete as possible in its account of the theory of speech. publication will be topical because of a general increased awareness of the need to understand the processes involved in producing and perceiving spoken language among those engaged in research toward improved understanding. with the authors expertise in phonetic theory it will bring together the different aspects of the study of speech production and perception into a single text. there is no single unifying theory of speech at present, but there are common goals and methods across the whole field bringing these together in a single publication should help lead the way toward a comprehensive view of the processes involved in human speech. applications in speech technology and speech synthesis will be included. much of the material will derive from many years experience teaching and research which both authors have been involved in at all levels.