There are over 6,000 languages spoken throughout the world. Some of these language groups have fewer than 1,000 people who use the language. This fact is impressive considering the many factors that are part of language development.

Many elements are required for effective speech to take place. When the University of Washington set out to design virtual speech they looked first to the process of human speech to help them find a way to synthesize the process.

Glen Lee of the University of Washington Human Interface Technology Department says, "The most simplistic description of how humans utter sounds in speech can be characterized by the control of air generated by the lungs, flowing through the vocal tract, vibrating over the vocal cord, filtered by facial muscle activity, and released out of the mouth and nose. Although the vocal tract is a tube that roughly measures up to one foot, the sound actually takes shape in the latter six inches of the tube--the oral cavity. In this portion of the vocal tract, many combinations of anatomical activities can alter the passing air flow." [1]

Lee further asserts, "The ears provide a mechanism to simultaneously monitor progression of speech, which serves as an input to alter speech patterns or volume, as necessary. The effects of not having this auditory input can be noticed by comparison of speech produced by the deaf. Without the auditory feedback, a deaf person relies more heavily on the bone vibration feedback received during speech to control their speech.

"In addition, the brain orchestrates the lungs to produce sufficient air exhalation, the contraction of the various muscles in modifying the air, the control over the visual and auditory inputs that affect speech, and provides a guideline for rhythm in speech. The tasks that appear very natural for the brain are very hard to capture algorithmically. For instance, providing rules for synthesizing rhythm is such a natural activity for the brain; yet, it would require an exhaustive set of cases for analysis." [1]

Six thousand language groups all relying on lungs, vocal chords, facial muscles, tongue, mouth, ears and brain to convey the most effective means of communication. It appears the ability to synthesize speech is a rather difficult task to duplicate.

The development of speech is a primary key to helping us more quickly understand where our children hurt or to let us know when they are hungry or thirsty. This same speech allows them to say, "I love you." However, as noted above, the gift of speech did not come through a singular independent system.

Multiple systems work together to allow speech to take place. Our brains are pivotal in understanding what is being said and can even pinpoint humor and sarcasm based entirely on the inflection of the individual speaking while more than a dozen other functions are needed to allow speech to take place.

What are the odds of multiple independent systems evolving to a point of developed speech? What if all the body's systems were developed and functional at one singular time?

Perhaps speech sounds
designed because it is designed.

[1] http://www.hitl.washington.edu/scivw/EVE/I.B.2.VoiceSynthesis.html