25/05/2007

Dermot F. CampbellWang Yi

EdTech200725/05/2007

DITCall

25/05/2007

Structure of Presentation

• Introduction – (Dermot)

• Speech … what’s the problem? (Dermot)

• Samples (Dermot)

• The Chinese connection (Yi)

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Enterprise Ireland Funding

Informatics Programme

• R&D 2002-2005

• Commercialisation 2006

• PhD 2007

• Speech Technology Platform 2008 → ?

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The

Speed

Trap

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Djaseetha?

… Djaheartha?

Quicker than the ear can hear

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SPEECH Concordancer

Marcaverage

388 syll/min

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Face-to-Face Communication

• 7% of communication in words spoken

• 38% of communication in way words spoken

• 55% of communication in facial expression and gestures

Source: Mehrabian, A. (1981)

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Face-to-Face Communication

• 7% of communication in words spoken

• 38% of communication in way words spoken

• 55% of communication in facial expression and gestures

Source: Mehrabian, A. (1981)

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Speech is like writing

NS = Native Speaker

NNS = Non-Native Speaker

Rapid NS-NS — Favours Speaker

Second Pass — Favours Listener

Dermot F. Campbell Slow NNS — Idealised Form

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What’s in a word?

As with fluent writing, speech forms a continuum; and it is difficult – if not impossible – to distinguish individual ‘words’.

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Listen for Meaning or Intonation?

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English Examples of Slowdown

100%

80%

60%

40%

Target speed

Helpful and natural

Exposes difficulties

Native intonation

User Perception

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Select, copy and paste

Same acoustic features ... but more time in which to hear them.

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JIHGFEDCBA

100%

40%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

100%

80%

60%

40%

Speed Preference for NSs

Source: Meinardi, M. (2006)

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• At school we learned:

La – plume – de – ma – tante

100% -

• What is said is: laplumedmatante

100% -

40% -

La plume de ma tante

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Consonants and Vowels

Consonants have a clearly defined point of articulation

Vowels are more subtle.

It is harder to master the vowel system of L2 if this has a larger number of vowels than L1

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Vowels are Fluid – hard to place

u+

e

i+

F

w�

f+c

�

] +

Z

Y+

Vowels are a relatively free flow Of air in the oral cavity. They do not have a clear point of articulation (like consonants) and vary very quickly. They benefit more from slow-down and afford a better chance for the listener to hear and imitate.

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Speech Technology Platform

--Slowdown

Articulate+ SCARS

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Student’s Perspective(Integrated Speech Technology Platform)

•Use search string to find different instantiations

•Play and contrast

•Extract vowels in phonetic context

•Practise target vowel

•Retrieve dialogic context of timed unit, and play

•Slow-down NS sequence for enhanced intelligibility

SpeechCorpus

DITCallSearch

DITCallPronounce

Articulate!

DITCallPlayer

Duologues

Slow-down

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Why China?

• Government policy that all children from grade 4 learn English

– almost 320 million in educational system

– 3 million large classes (56-65)

• Chinese have (correct) perception that speech is a key barrier to communication

• Non-judgemental methodology – avoids culturally unacceptable loss of face

• DIT has good connections in China (Irish Times, weekend review 16/Sept/’06, Harbin University)

.

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hemp

mother

horse

scold

ma-

mav

ma-

ma-

100%

40%

DITCall and Tonal Languages?

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Tones Central to Chinese Pronunciation

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Maintaining the Tone

Normal speed175 syll/min

≈ Twice the speed336 syll/min

Despite increased speed, tones are maintained in order to retain the meaning to be communicated

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The ‘Blur’ of rapid EnglishEnglish words ‘come here’ run together to form a blur.

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Maybe not perfect – but close!

Before slow-down:

After slow-down:

Target sample: ‘Mirror’ Image