Homo Loquens
Man as a Talking Animal

From Spoonerism to the stammer, Dennis Fry provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of human speech.

Dennis Fry (Author)

9780521292399, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 20 October 1977

188 pages
20.3 x 12.7 x 1.1 cm, 0.21 kg

Our communication by speech can be seen as a remarkable series of transformations involving the brain, the muscles, sound-waves, the ear and finally the brain again. In this 1977 text, Dennis Fry describes and explains these processes in this fascinating and comprehensive introduction to the study of human speech. He considers too our remarkable ability to interpret speech, even in adverse circumstances, and the feat of its acquisition by the child. He finally describes the functions of the two halves of the brain in speech communication, speech disorders and pathology and the relation between mental processes and speech. Dennis Fry writes for the non-specialist and the beginning student, and both intrigues and informs. We learn what lies behind such familiar curiosities as the tongue-twister, Spoonerism and the stammer, and we get a general grasp of the physical and psychological background to all our speech functions and malfunctions.

Preface
1. Homo sapinens?
2. Speech as brain-work
3. Speech as tongue-work
4. Speech as sound-waves
5. Speech as ear-work
6. Speech as a guessing game
7. Speech servo-mechamisms
8. How did we learn to do it?
9. Are you right or left brained?
10. When speech goes wrong
11. Thinking, feeling and speaking
Index.

Subject Areas: Linguistics [CF]