Temporal dynamics provide a fruitful framework with which to examine the relation between information and spoken language. This paper serves as an introduction to the special Eurospeech session on "Time is of the Essence - Dynamic Approaches to Spoken Language," providing historical and conceptual background germane to timing, as well as a discussion of its scientific and technological prospects. Dynamics is examined from the perspectives of perception, production, neurology, synthesis, recognition and coding, in an effort to define a prospective course for speech technology and research.