Title :
Using pitch accenting to improve Japanese text-to-speech understanding
Author :
Yu, Wenwei ; Yokoi, Hiroshi ; Kakazu, Yukinori ; Tamura, Toshiyo
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Medical Syst. Eng., Chiba Univ., Japan
Abstract :
In order to develop an assistive technology that can increase computer accessibility for visually impaired people, we investigated the effect of pitch accenting on Japanese text-to-speech understanding. The effect was confirmed when a training procedure was introduced. Besides, we proposed an individual-adaptive pitching accenting method to explore the optimal pitch accents for individual users. The exploration process of one subject in a verification experiment was analyzed.
Keywords :
handicapped aids; speech processing; text analysis; vision defects; Japanese text-to-speech understanding; assistive technology; computer accessibility; individual-adaptive pitch accenting; optimal pitch accents; visually impaired people; Biomedical engineering; Blindness; Engines; Headphones; Loudspeakers; Natural languages; Space technology; Speech synthesis; Systems engineering and theory; Testing; Assistive Technology; Pitch accenting; Text-to-Speech; Visually Impaired People;
Conference_Titel :
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2004. IEMBS '04. 26th Annual International Conference of the IEEE
Conference_Location :
San Francisco, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-8439-3
DOI :
10.1109/IEMBS.2004.1404264
