Vocoder

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A technological instrument that manipulates audio to reproduce human vocal sounds via signal modification and synthesis
2. A device employed in music and sound engineering to change spoken voice into a digitally processed version through various audio effects
3. A specialized electronic tool used in sound production to alter and synthesize human vocal signals into musical tones and effects

Etymology: The vocoder was built to make machines sound like people, and its name is a blend of two ordinary words: "voice" and "coder." The device works by analysing a voice's spectrum and using that analysis to shape a separate sound source, so the result carries the rhythm of speech in an unfamiliar timbre. The "coder" half refers to its role in encoding speech into a compact set of signal parameters that can be transmitted and then reassembled at the other end. The blending of "voice" and "coder" is a straightforward compound of this kind, one that reflects the technology's dual purpose: capturing vocal information and then recoding it. The word therefore describes the function of the machine itself rather than borrowing from any older vocabulary, so its history is essentially the history of the device it names.