Speaking is a unique and defining human behavior. Over the past decade, we have focused on deciphering the basic neural code that underlies our ability to speak fluently.  During speech production, vocal tract movement gestures for all speech sounds are encoded by highly specialized neural activity, organized as a map, in the human speech motor cortex.  A major effort is now underway to translate these findings towards building an articulatory-based speech neuroprosthetic device for people who cannot communicate.