5. An encoder for encoding an analog speech signal, said encoder comprising: means for transforming said analog speech signal into a sequence of digital samples; a register for storing said digital samples in sequence; means for summing said digital samples stored in said register to provide a cumulative sum sequence wherein each cumulative sum is the sum of a corresponding digital sample plus all preceding digital samples in said data sequence; a logarithm circuit for determining the logarithm of each sum in said sum sequence to obtain a logarithm sequence; an adder for summing said logarithm to provide a cumulative logarithm sum sequence, wherein each cumulative logarithm sum in said cumulative logarithm sum sequence is the sum of a corresponding logarithm plus all preceding logarithms in said logarithm sequence; and a divider for dividing the cumulative logarithm sums in said logarithm sequence by a predetermined factor to obtain an indicator representing said analog signal.
5. An encoder for encoding an analog speech signal, said encoder comprising: means for transforming said analog speech signal into a sequence of digital samples; a register for storing said digital samples in sequence; means for summing said digital samples stored in said register to provide a cumulative sum sequence wherein each cumulative sum is the sum of a corresponding digital sample plus all preceding digital samples in said data sequence; a logarithm circuit for determining the logarithm of each sum in said sum sequence to obtain a logarithm sequence; an adder for summing said logarithm to provide a cumulative logarithm sum sequence, wherein each cumulative logarithm sum in said cumulative logarithm sum sequence is the sum of a corresponding logarithm plus all preceding logarithms in said logarithm sequence; and a divider for dividing the cumulative logarithm sums in said logarithm sequence by a predetermined factor to obtain an indicator representing said analog signal. 6. The encoder of claim 5 wherein said digital samples are times of amplitude waveform events in said analog speech signal, said events corresponding to peaks in said analog speech signal.