Method and apparatus for voice-interactive language instruction
US5634086A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 18, 1995 |
| Grant date | May 27, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 18, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG10L15/183
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Spoken-language instruction method and apparatus employ context-based speech recognition for instruction and evaluation, particularly language instruction and language fluency evaluation. A system can administer a lesson, and particularly a language lesson, and evaluate performance in a natural interactive manner while tolerating strong foreign accents, and produce as an output a reading quality score. A finite state grammar set corresponding to the range of word sequence patterns in the lesson is employed as a constraint on a hidden Markov model (HMM) search apparatus in an HMM speech recognizer which includes a set of hidden Markov models of target-language narrations produced by native speakers of the target language. The invention is preferably based on use of a linguistic context-sensitive speech recognizer. The invention includes a system with an interactive decision mechanism which employs at least three levels of error tolerance to simulate a natural level of patience in human-based interactive instruction. A system for a reading phase is implemented through a finite state machine having at least four states which recognizes reading error at any position in a script and whi…
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