Two documents signed by the creators of DECtalk, the speech synthesizer utilized and made famous by Stephen Hawking, each one page, 8.5 x 11, September 28-29, 1985. Klatt and Tetscher consent to the release of their lecture, 'DECtalk: Principles and Uses of Computer Synthesized Speech,' given at The Computer Museum in Boston on September 29, 1985, as part of Charles Mann's "educational series of audiotapes relating generally to computers…tentatively titled 'The Powersharing Series.'" Individually signed at the conclusion in ink by Dennis H. Klatt and Walter Tetschner, both printing their names and writing the dates below. Both releases are countersigned in ink by Mann. In overall fine condition.
Klatt (1938-1988) was a pioneer of computerized text-to-speech whose work was widely adopted by those with disabilities. Stephen Hawking used a version of the DECtalk speech synthesizer based on Klatt's own voice, which Hawking long chose to keep even after more advanced products became available.
Tetschner (1936-2020) was a pioneer in the advancement of voice/speech recognition technology who served as the project director for Digital’s DECtalk product.
From the Charles Mann Powersharing Collection.
