A class of pipelined recurrent fuzzy neural networks (PRFNNs) is proposed in this paper for nonlinear adaptive speech prediction. The PRFNNs are modular structures comprising a number of modules that are interconnected in a chained form. Each module is implemented by a small-scale recurrent fuzzy neural network (RFNN) with internal dynamics. Due to module nesting, the PRFNNs offer a number of desirable attributes, including decomposition of the modeling task, enhanced temporal processing capabilities, and multistage dynamic fuzzy inference. Tuning of the PRFNN adaptable parameters is accomplished by a series of gradient descent methods with different weighting of the modules and the decoupled extended Kalman filter (DEKF) algorithm, based on weight grouping. Extensive experimentation is carried out to evaluate the performance of the PRFNNs on the speech prediction platform. Comparative analysis shows that the PRFNNs outperform the single-RFNN models in terms of the prediction gains that are obtained and computational efficiency. Furthermore, PRFNNs provide considerably better performance compared to pipelined recurrent neural networks, for models with similar model complexity.