WO2013172707A4

WO2013172707A4 - Automated system for training oral language proficiency

Info

Publication number: WO2013172707A4
Application number: PCT/NL2013/050356
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wilhelmus Albertus Johannes STRIK; Catia CUCCHIARINI
Original assignee: Stichting Katholieke Universiteit
Priority date: 2012-05-14
Filing date: 2013-05-14
Publication date: 2014-03-13
Also published as: NL2008809C2; WO2013172707A3; WO2013172707A2

Abstract

The present invention is in the field of automated systems and methods for improving of oral language proficiency. As a result of increasing internationalization there is a growing demand from education and business community for people who speak foreign languages well. An intelligible pronunciation is regarded as important for e.g. successful inter- action and social acceptance. However, an important problem is that oral proficiency training requires so much time, feedback and practice, that very often it cannot be sufficiently provided in traditional language classes. Thereto an automated system is provided.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 27 January 2014 (27.01.2014)

1. Automated system for assisting real time training oral language proficiency of a user in a non-native language, comprising:

a) at least one. means for receiving target audio input, such as a microphone,

c) a processor for capturing and processing input and providing output, such as a computer,

d) at least One means for providing output to the user, such as a speaker for providing audio feedback and a monitor for providing visual feedback,

characterised in that

b) stored on the system

i) first phase speech recognition software for determining audio input in a tolerant mode, wherein the input is in the form of a word,, a sentence, and the like, wherein a typical length of the present input is

preferably 10-250 phonemes, such as 50-100 phonemes, the first phase speech recognition software providing input to second phase speech recognition software, and

ii) second phase speech recognition software for determining audio input in a strict mode, comprising a

pronunciation quality evaluation unit for processing input to determine potential difference between stored target

pronunciation and actual audio input pronunciation, and for generating feedback output,

wherein the pronunciation quality evaluation unit is adapted for one or more varieties and/or dialects, such as British English, American English, Australian English, Canadian

English, New Zealandian English, Indian English, Limburgs,^■ Brabants, Gronings, and Drents, and

further comprising stored on the system

iii) a pronunciation error detector.

2. System according to claim 1, further comprising stored on the system one or more of b)

iv) a word stress error detector,

v) a morphology error detector, vi) a syntax error detector,

vii) an interaction error detector,

viii) an intonation error detector,

ix) a respiration error detector,

x) a formant error detector, and

xi) a selector for selecting a first phase speech . recognition software version and/or a second phase speech recognition software version, the version (s) being optimized for a group of users,

and/or wherein

■input and/or output are in a second language and the user being native in a first language,

wherein the first and second language are selected from Indo-European^' languages, such as Spanish, English, Hindi, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, German, Marathi, French, Italian, Punjabi, Urdu, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian,

Sino-Tibetan languages, such as Chinese,

Austro-Asiatic languages,

Austronesian languages,

Altaic languages,

such as wherein the first and second language are ^■ Dutch and English, Dutch and German, Dutch and Spanish, Dutch and Chinese, German and English, French and English, Chinese and English,

preferably wherein the second language is English, and vice versa,

wherein the first and second language are optionally the same, such as Dutch and Dutch.

3. System according to any of claims 1-2, wherein the pronunciation quality evaluation unit comprises software, wherein the software is preferably being stored on a computer.

4. System according to any of claims 1-3, further comprising one or more of a- language model, a lexicon/ a phoneme model, one or more thresholds, one or more probability criteria, one or more random number generators, a level adjustment set-up, and a decoder.

5. System according to any of claims 1-4, further comprising one or more of a reference set of parameters, a fine-tuning^' mechanism, a self-learning algorithm^, a self-improvement, algorithm, a selection means for selecting criteria,

a data base, wherein data is stored for one or more of

pronunciation, word stress, intonation, and phoneme

segmentation.

6. System according, to any of claims 1-5, further comprising one or more decision trees, such as a decision tree being adapted to provide questions and responses thereto, and a decision tree being adapted to provide purposive training in view of second phase- speech recognition.

7. Method for assisting automatic real time improvement of oral language proficiency using a system according to any of claims 1-6, comprising the steps of:

a) providing target audio^' input to a microphone,

b) processing input with speech recognition software, c) wherein a computer is used for processing input and output,

d) providing feed-back, such as audio feed-back by a speaker, visual feedback by a monitor, and

e) providing automatic real time feed-back aimed at pronunciation improvement by a pronunciation quality evaluation unit.

8.. Method according to claim 7, further providing a

standardized score of oral language proficiency.

9. Method according to ₍ahy of■ claims 7-8, further monitoring scores of users and relation between one or more users in a

^' sequence of users.

10. System according to any of claims 1-6 and/or a method according to any of claims 8-10 for improving a non-mother language.

11. System according to any of claims 1-6 and 10 and/or a method according to any of claims 8-10 for use in medicine, such as in clinical or pre-clinical care.

12. System or method according to claim 11 for treating dysarthria, e.g. caused by CVA, a brain tumor, an accident, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) , a neurological disease, such as Parkinson's Disease, a disorder associated with the motoric nerve system, such as in logopedia, for improving eating performance, improving control of organs, such as tongue, for improving intelligibility, audibility, naturalness, and/or efficiency of vocal communication.