Text language detection

• US 20020095288A1
• Filed: 09/05/2001
• Published: 07/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Feltstrom, Alberto Jimenez, Sparre, Erik
• Granted Patent: US 7,035,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/240
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/263 Language identification
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination

Abstract

A method of determining the language of a text message received by a mobile telecommunications device comprises receiving an input text message at a mobile telecommunications device; analysing the input text message using language information stored in the mobile telecommunications device; selecting, from a group of languages defined by the language information, a most likely language for the input text message; and outputting, from the mobile telecommunications device, speech signals corresponding to the input text message, in the selected language.

Claims

1. A method of determining the language of a text message received by a mobile telecommunications device, the method comprising:

receiving an input text message at a mobile telecommunications device;

analysing the input text message using language information stored in the mobile telecommunications device;

selecting, from a group of languages defined by the language information, a most likely language for the input text message; and

outputting, from the mobile telecommunications device, speech signals corresponding to the input text message, in the selected language.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input text message comprises a plurality of characters and wherein the step of analysing the input text message comprises:

for each character, except the last in the message, determining respective probability values for selected languages, each probability value being indicative of the probability that the character concerned is followed by the next character in the message in the language concerned; and

for each language, accumulating the probability values determined for each character in the message.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input text message comprises a plurality of words and wherein the step of analysing the input text message comprises:

comparing each word of the message with each of a plurality of language models relating to respective languages;

for each such language, determining the number of words that match words stored in the respective language models.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the language having the highest number of word matches is selected.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the language models are provided in the mobile telecommunications device for the purpose of predicting text message input.

6. A method of determining the language of a text message, the method comprising:

receiving an input text message comprising a plurality of characters;

for each character, except the last in the message, determining respective probability values for selected languages, each probability value being indicative of the probability that the character concerned is followed by the next character in the message in the language concerned;

for each language, accumulating the probability values determined for each character in the message; and

determining the language of the text message on the basis of the accumulated probability values.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein probability values are pre-stored in storage means and are retrieved therefrom.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the probability values are determined by transition probability values of a discrete Markov model of each language.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, for each language, the probability values are accumulated according to the equation:

10. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein for each language, the probability values are stored as logarithm of probability values.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein, for each language, the probability values are accumulated according to the equation:

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein probability values are pre-stored in storage means and are retrieved therefrom.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the probability values are determined by transition probability values of a discrete Markov model of each language.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein, for each language, the probability values are accumulated according to the equation:

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein for each language, the probability values are stored as logarithm of probability values.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein, for each language, the probability values are accumulated according to the equation:

18. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the number, n, of characters in each group is 2.

19. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the number, n, of characters in each group is 3.

12. A method of determining the language of a text message, the method comprising:

receiving an input text message comprising a plurality of characters;

defining a plurality of groups of n characters in the message;

for each character group, except the last in the message, determining respective probability values for selected languages, each probability value being indicative of the probability that the character group concerned is followed by the next character group in the message in the language concerned;

for each language, accumulating the probability values determined for each character group in the message; and

determining the language of the text message on the basis of the accumulated probability values.

20. A method of determining the language of an incoming text message, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming text message which comprises a plurality of words;

comparing each word with each of a plurality of language models relating to respective languages;

for each language, recording the number of words that match words stored in the language models;

selecting the language of the text message on the basis of the language model having the highest number of word matches.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the language having the highest number of word matches is selected.

22. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the language models are provided in the mobile telecommunications device for the purpose of predicting text message input.

24. A device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the storage unit is operable to store language information for use in text message input prediction.

25. A device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the text message analyzer is operable to analyze each character or groups of characters in the text message.

23. A mobile telecommunications device comprising:

a receiver for receiving input text message;

a storage unit for storing language information;

a text message analyzer for analyzing received input text messages using language information stored in the storage unit; and

a speech output unit for outputting speech signals relating to a received input text message, in a language determined by the text message analyzer.