Mechanical Filters in Electronics by Robert A. Johnson

Liberman argues for a "hybrid approach" to the study of speech production, combining phonological classification and phonetic measurements, with special reference to the author's work on intonation.As is appropriate in such a commentary, the style is personal, though at times overly selfconscious.While the points of the chapter are well taken, they are not entirely novel, and the book might have been served better by a full chapter on problems in intonation by this eminently qualified author.F. S. Cooper's concluding chapter, "Some Reflections on Speech Research," was actually the opening address of the Austin conference.In it, the author rapidly traverses the history of speech research from its beginnings to the present, focusing on some important ideas and concepts that have pushed the work along.Cooper's linear and modest style belies the importance of his contributions as one of the pioneers of modern speech research, and his wise comments should be mandatory reading for everyone in the field.In summary, this is a fine volume whose contents, with few exceptions, succeed admirably in conveying the excitement and progress in a burgeoning area of research.Considering the book's moderate size, its coverage of the field is adequate, although topics such as speech physiology, intonation, and speech acquisition would have benefited from a broader treatment.The book is carefully edited, attractively styled, and equipped with good indices.Moreover, it is reasonably priced---congratulations to the knights of Springer-Verlag.