The book "Preliminaries to Speech Analysis" by Robert F. Francher, Roman Jakobson, C. Gunnar M. Fant, and Morris Halle explores the concept of distinctive features in speech analysis. It discusses the ultimate discrete components of language, their structure, and how they are identified on the acoustic and perceptual levels. The text outlines the various types of distinctive features, including source, resonance, and suprasegmental features, and their relationships to other sound features. It also addresses the importance of these features in distinguishing between different phonemes and their role in the phonemic pattern of a language. The book emphasizes the need for coordinated research across multiple disciplines to better understand the nature of speech and its components. It also highlights the importance of experimental verification and further elaboration of the proposed concepts. The text includes examples from various languages and discusses the implications of these features in speech perception and production. The book concludes with a discussion on the redundancy and invariance of certain features and their role in speech communication. The text is accompanied by appendices, figures, references, and a supplement on "Tenseness and Laxness." The book is a foundational work in the field of speech analysis and has been influential in shaping the study of phonetics and phonology.The book "Preliminaries to Speech Analysis" by Robert F. Francher, Roman Jakobson, C. Gunnar M. Fant, and Morris Halle explores the concept of distinctive features in speech analysis. It discusses the ultimate discrete components of language, their structure, and how they are identified on the acoustic and perceptual levels. The text outlines the various types of distinctive features, including source, resonance, and suprasegmental features, and their relationships to other sound features. It also addresses the importance of these features in distinguishing between different phonemes and their role in the phonemic pattern of a language. The book emphasizes the need for coordinated research across multiple disciplines to better understand the nature of speech and its components. It also highlights the importance of experimental verification and further elaboration of the proposed concepts. The text includes examples from various languages and discusses the implications of these features in speech perception and production. The book concludes with a discussion on the redundancy and invariance of certain features and their role in speech communication. The text is accompanied by appendices, figures, references, and a supplement on "Tenseness and Laxness." The book is a foundational work in the field of speech analysis and has been influential in shaping the study of phonetics and phonology.