History of Speech and Language Technology

Hiroya Fujisaki is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and a Professor in the Department of Applied Electronics at the Science University of Tokyo. He earned his BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Tokyo, joined the faculty there in 1962, and became a Professor of Electrical Engineering in 1973. In 1991, he retired from this position and took on his current appointments. His research in speech and language processing covers a broad range of topics, including production, perception, acquisition, impairment, analysis, synthesis, coding, and recognition. His work on mathematical and physical modeling has led to the development of models of language use, models for perceptual processes in speech identification and discrimination and models for the process of fundamental frequency control in speech. He also developed a model of road traffic flow which has been applied to road traffic control since the 1970s. Among his many honors, Professor Fujisaki is an Honorary Member of the Acoustical Society of Japan (ASJ) and a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) and of the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE). He has been honored by the Mayor of Tokyo as a "Person of Merit in Science and Technology", and has received The Third Millennium Medal from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

An interview was conducted with Professor Fujisaki at Interspeech 2005, the 9th European Conference on Speech Communication and Technology in Lisbon, Portugal, September 4-8, 2005, by Dr. Janet Baker. The text of this interview has not yet been transcribed, but a brief excerpt of the recorded interview is available.

Brief excerpt of recorded interview.