Methods and systems for language learning based on a series of pitch patterns

• US 10,019,995 B1
• Filed: 09/01/2011
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alice J. Stiebel
• Original Assignee: Alice J. Stiebel
• Inventors: Abramovitz, Norman, Stiebel, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Azad, Abul
• Application Number:
  US13/223,492
• Time in Patent Office: 2,504 Days
• Field of Search: 434178-185, 704231-257
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/04 with audible presentation of the material to be studied sound recording or reproducing G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/06 Decision making techniques; Pattern matching strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2013/083 Special characters, e.g. punctuation marks
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/51 for comparison or discrimination

Abstract

A method for teaching a language, comprising: accessing, using a processor of a computer, an audio recording corresponding to a series of pitch patterns; accessing a cantillation representation of said series of pitch patterns, said cantillation representation comprising a plurality of cantillations; processing said audio recording to match the pitch patterns to the cantillations in said cantillation representation; calculating, using said processor, a start time and an end time for each of the series of cantillations as compared to said audio recording; outputting, using said processor, an aligned output representation comprising an identification of each of the cantillations, an identification of the start time for each of the cantillations, and an identification of the end time for each of the cantillations; receiving a request to play a requested pitch pattern; looking up said requested pitch pattern in said aligned output representation to retrieve one or more requested start times and one or more requested end times for said requested pitch pattern; and outputting said requested pitch pattern, said outputting comprising: playing said audio recording at the one or more requested start times until the one or more requested end times to output one or more instances of said requested pitch pattern from said audio recording, and displaying a textual representation of said audio recording, said displaying comprising: visually distinguishing a word of the textual representation to the audio recording, said visually distinguishing being performed based at least in part on said aligned output representation.

Claims

1. A method for teaching a language, comprising:

accessing, using a processor of a computer, an audio recording corresponding to a series of pitch patterns;

accessing a cantillation representation of said series of pitch patterns, said cantillation representation comprising a plurality of cantillations;

processing said audio recording to match the pitch patterns to the cantillations in said cantillation representation;

calculating, using said processor, a start time and an end time for each of the series of cantillations as compared to said audio recording;

outputting, using said processor, an aligned output representation comprising an identification of each of the cantillations, an identification of the start time for each of the cantillations, and an identification of the end time for each of the cantillations;

receiving a request to play a requested pitch pattern;

looking up said requested pitch pattern in said aligned output representation to retrieve one or more requested start times and one or more requested end times for said requested pitch pattern; and

outputting said requested pitch pattern, said outputting comprising;

playing said audio recording at the one or more requested start times until the one or more requested end times to output one or more instances of said requested pitch pattern from said audio recording, and

displaying a textual representation of said audio recording, said displaying comprising;

visually distinguishing a word of the textual representation to the audio recording, said visually distinguishing being performed based at least in part on said aligned output representation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein looking up said requested pitch pattern and playing said audio recording are performed sequentially such that said requested pitch pattern is played as each instance of said requested pitch pattern is located in said aligned output representation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein looking up said requested pitch pattern and playing said audio recording are performed in series such that each instance of said requested pitch pattern is located before said audio recording is played.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected pitch pattern represents a group of individual cantillations organized into a cantillation family.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein looking up said requested pitch pattern comprises searching for said cantillation family.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said pitch patterns relate to symbolic units of expression organized into verses and displayed on a display, and looking up said requested pitch pattern and playing said audio recording are performed sequentially by verse such that each instance of said requested pitch pattern in a given verse is located before said audio recording is played for the given verse, and then the requested pitch pattern is searched and said audio recording is played for a next verse.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said pitch patterns relate to symbolic units of expression in a client web browser, and wherein looking up said requested pitch pattern comprises searching only portions of an alignment file corresponding to the symbolic units of expression currently available through a file displayed by said web browser.

8. A system for teaching a language, comprising:

a processor of a computer;

an audio recording corresponding to a series of pitch patterns;

a cantillation representation of said series of pitch patterns, said cantillation representation comprising a plurality of cantillations;

a processor-produced matching of said audio recording pitch patterns to the cantillations in said cantillation representation;

a processor-calculated start time and end time for each of the series of cantillations as compared to said audio recording;

a processor-output aligned output representation comprising an identification of each of the cantillations, an identification of the start time for each of the cantillations, and an identification of the end time for each of the cantillations;

a request to play a requested pitch pattern;

a look-up of said requested pitch pattern in said aligned output representation to retrieve one or more requested start times and one or more requested end times for said requested pitch pattern;

an output of said requested pitch pattern, said output comprising;

a playing of said audio recording at the one or more requested start times until the one or more requested end times to output one or more instances of said requested pitch pattern from said audio recording; and

a display of a textual representation of said audio recording, said display comprising;

visually distinguishing a word of the textual representation to the audio recording, said visually distinguishing being performed based at least in part on said aligned output representation.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said pitch patterns relate to symbolic units of expression displayed on a display, and wherein said look-up of said requested pitch pattern comprises searching only portions of an alignment file corresponding to the symbolic units of expression currently displayed.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said pitch patterns relate to symbolic units of expression in a client web browser, and wherein said look-up of said requested pitch pattern comprises searching only portions of an alignment file corresponding to the symbolic units of expression currently available through a file displayed by said web browser.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said look-up of said requested pitch pattern comprises searching an entire alignment file.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said requested pitch pattern represents a group of individual cantillations organized into a cantillation family.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said look-up of said requested pitch pattern comprises searching for a cantillation family.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein said pitch patterns relate to symbolic units of expression organized into verses and displayed on a display, and said look-up of said requested pitch pattern and said playing of said audio recording are performed sequentially by verse such that each instance of said requested pitch pattern in a given verse is located before said audio recording is played for the given verse, and then the requested pitch pattern is searched and said audio recording is played for a next verse.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

access, using a processor of a computer, an audio recording corresponding to a series of pitch patterns;

access a cantillation representation of said series of pitch patterns, said cantillation representation comprising a plurality of cantillations;

process said audio recording to match the pitch patterns to the cantillations in said cantillation representation;

calculate, using said processor, a start time and an end time for each of the series of cantillations as compared to said audio recording;

output, using said processor, an aligned output representation comprising an identification of each of the cantillations, an identification of the start time for each of the cantillations, and an identification of the end time for each of the cantillations;

receive a request to play a requested pitch pattern;

look up said requested pitch pattern in said aligned output representation to retrieve one or more requested start times and one or more requested end times for said requested pitch pattern;

output said requested pitch pattern, said output comprising;

playing said audio recording at the one or more requested start times until the one or more requested end times to output one or more instances of said requested pitch pattern from said audio recording; and

display a textual representation of said audio recording, said display comprising;

visually distinguishing a word of the textual representation to the audio recording, said visually distinguishing being performed based at least in part on said aligned output representation.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein looking up said requested pitch pattern and playing said audio recording are performed sequentially such that said requested pitch pattern is played as each instance of said requested pitch pattern is located in said aligned output representation.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein looking up said requested pitch pattern and playing said audio recording are performed in series such that each instance of said requested pitch pattern is located before said audio recording is played.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein said pitch patterns relate to symbolic units of expression displayed on a display, and wherein looking up said requested pitch pattern comprises searching only portions of an alignment file corresponding to the symbolic units of expression currently displayed.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein said pitch patterns relate to symbolic units of expression in a client web browser, and wherein looking up said requested pitch pattern comprises searching only portions of an alignment file corresponding to the symbolic units of expression currently available through a file displayed by said web browser.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein looking up said requested pitch pattern comprises searching an entire alignment file.