HOW TO READ THE BOOK: SOME COMMENTS This book is the lasting result of the first NATO Advanced Study Institute on Speech, held at the Centre Culturel du Chateau de Bonas, from June 26 to July 7, 1979. The intent of a NATO ASI is primarily to provide high level tutorial coverage of a field in WhlCh research is active; undoubtedly speech generation and understanding is one at the present time. Thus 12 surveys are offered by some of the best specia- lists in the field. As a consequence the book may be consldered as a reference book on speech. The surveys are marked by a * in the Table of Contents. However, half of the meeting was devoted to dlSCuSSlons and presentations of research. A reviewing Committee decided to ask a number of participants to submit a contribution which would complete the tutorials or would present original work. A beginner in the subject should start by readlng the reVlews of Hill, Wolf, Bridle, Haton, Woods, Al~en, Lienard; preferably in the above order. He would then be familiar with the terms, the problems and the techniques of speech understanding (analysis) and generation (synthesis).