Abstract: A speech analyzer is provided for determining the emotional state of a person by analyzing pitch or frequency perturbations in the speech pattern. The analzyer determines null points or "flat" spots in an FM demodulated speech signal and produces a first output indicative of the nulls and a second output indicative of the presence of a "word." A pitch frequency processor receives the FM demodulated speech signal and the first output of the detector means and produces an output having an amplitude proportional to the frequency of the speech signal at the null. A pitch null duration processor receives the first output of the detector means and produces an output having an amplitude proportional to the duration of the nulls. A ratio processor receives the first and second outputs of the detector means and produces an output proportional to the ratio of the total duration of all the nulls within a word to the total duration of the word.