Course details
Speech processing is the science concerned with how speech communication works: how speech is produced by the speaker and understood by the listener. It is also concerned with how these processes can be analysed and modelled, and with how these models can be used to develop technologies that also produce and understand speech (synthetic voices, speech recognisers). The science and technology involved are fundamental to the understanding and remediation of disordered speech. The science of speech is thus at the intersection of many disciplines, particularly linguistics, psychology, acoustics, and engineering.
Language processing, in parallel, deals with computational theories of grammar and meaning, and provides access to fundamentals of linguistics as a science and as an engineering discipline. As a science, it is concerned with the fact that language is used as a medium for thought as well as for communication. As an engineering discipline, it is concerned with tools that work: predictive text in telephones, automated personal assistants, web search, and so on. The fact that you are reading this sentence entails that you have taken advantage of one or more language technologies; it would not be visible to you otherwise. The fact that you understand this sentence (or any sentence) begs all of the questions of cognitive science such as what “meanings” are and how people reason with them.
Our students come from many backgrounds. Some have a background in language study, some have an interest in clinical speech and language analysis, some have a background in psychology, computer science or engineering. In general, they are people who have an analytical bent (they may be interested in how dialects differ, they may love crossword puzzles or find legal reasoning entertaining) and wish to know more about what makes human language work.
Our alumni have followed various career paths, with many opting to pursue research at a higher level through the Ph.D., in CLCS (e.g., becoming involved in research projects in the Phonetics and Speech Lab), with the computational linguists in TCD's School of Computer Science and Statistics, and in other leading institutions, internationally. Some have also used this course as a foundation to enter Speech Therapy programmes in Ireland and abroad.
Updated on 08 November, 2015Course Location
About Trinity College Dublin
Trinity is recognised as one of the world's leading research-intensive universities and its research continues to address issues of global societal and economic importance. The University's research strategy is based on developing multidisciplinary areas in which the College has the critical mass of world-class researchers needed to deliver research of global consequence.
Among the priority research themes being addressed by Trinity researchers are ageing, nanoscience and materials, telecommunications, neuroscience, human identity, cancer, international integration, arts practice, and the inclusive society. These are topics that not only address issues of immediate and long-term concern to society but offer opportunities for future economic development. The University's commitment to a research-led education means that our students are exposed to leaders in their discipline, to the latest knowledge and ideas, and to an education that emphasises analytical skills and creative thinking, and gives students an opportunity to develop a broad range of skills by engaging in personal research.
This excellence in research underpins Trinity's Innovation and Entrepreneurship strategy. Research is central to the generation of the new disruptive ideas that will underpin future sustainable businesses. The knowledge created by Trinity is critical for the economic development of Ireland as it is for the education on offer to our students.
Trinity's research themes are supported by a set of research institutes that provide the infrastructure needed to support multi-disciplinary research as well as engagement with enterprise and social partners working in partnership with Trinity's twenty-four schools.
See all Trinity College Dublin courses- EUR 9Duration: Upto 3 Days
- Learn German Language A2.2 Course DriveEUR 22
EUR 149Duration: Upto 5 Hours
