Drawing widely on decades of research-in lexicography, conversation analysis, computational linguistics, and psychology-social writer Randy Allen Harris outlines the principles of how people use language interactively, and illustrates every aspect of design work. In the first part of this book, Harris provides a thorough conceptual basis of language in all relevant aspects, from speech sounds to conversational principles. The second part takes you patiently through the entire process of designing an interactive speech system: from team building to user profiles, to design agents, scripting, and evaluation. * An ideal combination of conceptual base, practical illustrations, and "how-to" advice for the design and overall design process. * Will bring novice voice designers fully up to speed, and gives designers have a new understanding of the principles underlying human speech interaction, principles from which to improve voice interaction design.