Books

The Speech Chain (Peter Denes, Elliot Pinson, 2nd edition 1993). This is the classic introduction to speech communication, and while dated in parts, it still provides the essential information you need in a fairly easy-to-read style. The recent addition of chapters on digital technology don't help much - they don't match in style to the rest of the book. You'll get a more thorough grounding in physical acoustics from Rosen & Howell. Really you should read this before you start the course. [W H Freeman, ISBN: 0716723441]. Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

New Elements of Acoustic Phonetics (Peter Ladefoged, 2nd edition 1995). A very gentle walk through the basics without any of the discouragements that come from mathematics or rigour. Written by an academic phonetician for linguists it is rather too elementary by itself, but is good enough to get you started with some of the concepts. Only buy this if you're having trouble with Hewlett & Beck, or with Rosen & Howell. [University of Chicago Press; ISBN: 0226467643] Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

An introduction to the Science of Phonetics (Nigel Hewlett & Janet Beck, 2006). If you are only going to buy one book for the course, choose this one. It is not as detailed as Rosen & Howell in terms of signals and systems, and it is rather limited in its description of the acoustic-phonetics of consonants compared to Johnson. But it does have a general introduction to articulation, sound, hearing and perception that meshes well with the material that we cover in the course. If you can understand this book, then you'll have a good understanding of the majority of our course. [Lawrence Erlbaum, ISBN: 0805856722]. Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Signals and Systems for Speech and Hearing (Stuart Rosen, Peter Howell, 2nd edition 2010). This book is perhaps the only non-mathematical text about signals and systems theory. There is a close match between the approach of this book and the approach we take on the acoustics course. You will find much in this book to back-up the material in term 1; you will find the concepts explained more thoroughly and more rigorously than in the lecture notes. Highly recommended. [Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISBN: 1848552262]. Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics (Keith Johnson, 3rd edition 2011). This covers the acoustic-phonetic material of term 2 very well, and is a possible alternative to Hewlett & Beck. Its early acoustics chapters are not so good - better to stick to Rosen & Howell for these topics. [Wiley-Blackwell, ISBN: 1405194669] Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Introduction to Sound (Charles Speaks, 3rd edition 1999). A good general introduction to the physics of sound that is accessible to those without a Physics 'A' level. If you ignore all the formulae and mathematics it serves as good background reading for term 1 of Acoustics. Unfortunately it sells at an absurd price (about £70), so we don't recommend buying it new. [Singular Press; ISBN: 1565939794] Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Speech Science Primer : Physiology, Acoustics, and Perception of Speech (Lawrence Raphael, Gloria Borden, Katherine Harris, 5th edition 2006). This is a very widely used text in Speech Science courses. Good things are that it covers Speech Production and Speech Perception at about the same level as we do on the Acoustic and Hearing Science courses; also it does seem to be regularly updated. On the other hand its Physical acoustics section is rather terse, old-fashioned, and with horrible diagrams. Also it is very expensive (about £45 in the U.K.) for what it contains. Students report that they find the book very useful in revising for the Acoustics exam. If you are thinking of buying a book to help with term 2 material, you might also consider Johnson, above. Alternatively you can probably find older editions (just as good) second-hand; and there are many copies in UCL libraries. [Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, ISBN: 078177117X]. Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Clinical Measurement of Speech and Voice (R.Baken & R.Orlikoff, 3rd edition 1998) An excellent reference work on techniques for quantitative measurement of speech, which covers tape recording, spectrography and laryngography. Completely mad pricing (about £90) means don't buy new. Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Fundamentals of Hearing : An Introduction (William Yost, 5th edition 2006). An excellent and thorough introduction to hearing that is accessible to speech scientists. It goes into much more depth than we do on Acoustics, but may help you with Hearing Sciences too. Pretty good value at £30. [Academic Press Inc, ISBN: 0123704731]. Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Introduction to Psychology of Hearing (Brian Moore, 5th edition 2003). A more modern, more scientific and more thorough text on hearing than Yost. But somewhat less easy to read than Yost and more expensive too. The end-of-chapter summaries make good revision. [Academic Press; ISBN: 0125056281] Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Instrumental Clinical Phonetics (Martin Ball & Chris Code, 1st edition, 1997). This book reviews measurement techniques currently in use in clinics and speech science laboratories. It's not as comprehensive as Baken & Orlikoff, but it covers tape recording, spectrography and laryngography at a suitable level for Acoustics (and is a lot cheaper). [Whurr Publishers; ISBN: 1897635184] Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Experimental Phonetics (Katrina Hayward, 1st edition, 2000). This is a general introduction to the instrumental analysis of speech that overlaps with much of the material we cover on Acoustics. Because it covers so much, it doesn't always deal with the material in the depth we do on the course. It does however take a much broader phonetic perspective, with examples from many different languages. A good book for those interested in extending their phonetics skills with experimental techniques. [Longman; ISBN: 0582291372] Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Vowels and Consonants (Peter Ladefoged, 1st edition 2001). An interesting approach to learning phonetics that also considers the acoustic characteristics of the speech signal. Would make a useful revision aid that consolidates your knowledge of phonetics from year 1 with the acoustics of year 2. Like Hayward, though, it doesn't cover the material in the same depth as we do. Worth a read. [Blackwell Publishers; ISBN: 0631214127] Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk