Abstract: A system and apparatus for teaching prosodic features of speech senses and extracts prosodic or suprasegmental variables of a user's speech segment. Prosodic features of speech include pitch and loudness variations, as opposed to articulatory or sequential features of speech which are the primary determinants of phoneme variations. Once prosodic variables have been extracted from a speech segment, the variables are used to modulate a quasiperiodic waveform such as a sinusoid, a pulse-train, or a synthesized vowel-like waveform, or the parameters can be used to modulate a random-noise-like waveform. A modulated waveform can be played acoustically, and the user can hear the variation of the prosodic parameters without interference from the articulatory parameters of a complete waveform. This auditory feedback can be combined with visual feedback of the speech segment to teach proper prosodic speech formation.

Abstract: A system and apparatus for teaching prosodic features of speech senses and extracts prosodic or suprasegmental variables of a user's speech segment. Prosodic features of speech include pitch and loudness variations, as opposed to articulatory or sequential features of speech which are the primary determinants of phoneme variations. Once prosodic variables have been extracted from a speech segment, the variables are used to modulate a quasiperiodic waveform such as a sinusoid, a pulse-train, or a synthesized vowel-like waveform, or the parameters can be used to modulate a random-noise-like waveform. A modulated waveform can be played acoustically, and the user can hear the variation of the prosodic parameters without interference from the articulatory parameters of a complete waveform. This auditory feedback can be combined with visual feedback of the speech segment to teach proper prosodic speech formation.

Abstract: The invention extends the capability of conventional computer speech recognition programs to reliably recognize and understand large word and phrase vocabularies for teaching written language skills. At each step of a teaching program, information is supplied to the user such that some responses in the language being taught are correct (or appropriate) and some are incorrect (or inappropriate), with these respective sets of responses judiciously selected to teach some language aspect (i.e., vocabulary, sentence structure). A subset of allowable correct; and incorrect responses is selected such that a speech recognition subprogram readily discerns certain allowable responses from other allowable responses, including each incorrect response being discriminable from each correct response. The meanings of at least the correct allowable responses are made clear by aural or visual information, such as graphic images, printed text, or translations into the user's native language.

Abstract: The invention extends the capability of conventional computer speech recognition programs to reliably recognize and understand large word and phrase vocabularies for teaching language comprehension and oral production skills. At each step of a teaching program, information is supplied to the user such that some responses in the language being taught are correct (or appropriate) and some are incorrect (or inappropriate), with these respective sets of responses judiciously selected to teach some language aspect. A subset of allowable correct and incorrect responses is selected such that a speech recognition subprogram readily discerns certain allowable responses from other allowable responses, including each incorrect response being discriminable from each correct response. The meanings of at least the correct allowable responses are made clear by aural or visual information, such as graphic images, printed text, or translations into the user's native language.