Speech synthesis development and phonetic research - a personal introduction

We are now in the process of creating, educating and indoctrinating a third generation of speech synthesis researchers. We are also in the process of developing a third generation of synthesis systems. These generations go hand in hand and some unique researchers span all these generations as can be seen in this issue. The first generation made a breakthrough by creating systems that produced human like sounds. The output created surprise, applause and enthusiasm among the general public. However, the development work had a deeper meaning than the art of a magician. The research was heading for a deeper understanding of articulation and perception and a description of the speech code. Thus, the driving force was not primarily to make the machine talk but to study phonetics in a broader sense. However, in grant applications the practical importance was emphasised and a bright future was painted. What happened with the future?