Pronunciation training system
First Claim
1. A system for helping a user to notice pronunciation organs and their muscle movements in producing a sound, to examine a pronunciation process associated with said sound, and to pronounce said sound correctly, said system containing relations between pronunciation features and corresponding muscle movements, wherein each of said pronunciation features consist of components for distinguishing different pronunciations, wherein said relations reveal connection between said pronunciation features and corresponding muscle movements, said system comprises:
- means for collecting pronunciation samples of said sound from said user;
means for extracting pronunciation features from said pronunciation samples to generate extracted pronunciation features;
means for linking said extracted pronunciation features with corresponding muscle movements of said pronunciation organs according to said relations;
means for reconstructing and displaying said pronunciation process associated with said sound by a sequence of muscle movements of various pronunciation organs according to said extracted pronunciation features; and
whereby said system can identify various pronunciation features of said user on said sound, identify various muscle movements of said user on said sound, tie said pronunciation movements to corresponding said pronunciation features, and reproduce said pronunciation process.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A pronunciation training system extracts pronunciation features from various pronunciation samples, links pronunciation features with corresponding muscle movements and diagram representations, displays related waveforms and pronunciation processes, and mark the differences between different waveforms and different pronunciation processes for helping a user to distinguish different sounds. First, the system collects pronunciation samples from people, categorizes these samples, analyzes them in time domain and in frequency domain, identifies the positions and movements of pronunciation organs, provides interfaces for experts to define pronunciation features, extracts and compares pronunciation features, and build links between pronunciation features and pronunciation processes. Then, the system collects pronunciation samples from a user, analyzes the pronunciation samples, extracts pronunciation features from the pronunciation samples, regenerates the pronunciation process, and displays related waveforms for helping a user to enhance the user'"'"'s awareness on different sounds. The system can further increase the user'"'"'s awareness on how a sound relates to a pronunciation feature and the muscle movements of a pronunciation organ by providing interfaces for a user to create different sounds by modifying the existing sounds on its loudness, tone, duration, and pace, by modifying the features in time domain or frequency domain, and by modifying the muscle movements of related pronunciation organs.
67 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A system for helping a user to notice pronunciation organs and their muscle movements in producing a sound, to examine a pronunciation process associated with said sound, and to pronounce said sound correctly, said system containing relations between pronunciation features and corresponding muscle movements, wherein each of said pronunciation features consist of components for distinguishing different pronunciations, wherein said relations reveal connection between said pronunciation features and corresponding muscle movements, said system comprises:
-
means for collecting pronunciation samples of said sound from said user;
means for extracting pronunciation features from said pronunciation samples to generate extracted pronunciation features;
means for linking said extracted pronunciation features with corresponding muscle movements of said pronunciation organs according to said relations;
means for reconstructing and displaying said pronunciation process associated with said sound by a sequence of muscle movements of various pronunciation organs according to said extracted pronunciation features; and
whereby said system can identify various pronunciation features of said user on said sound, identify various muscle movements of said user on said sound, tie said pronunciation movements to corresponding said pronunciation features, and reproduce said pronunciation process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A system for building correlation between pronunciation features and muscle movements of various pronunciation organs, comprising:
-
means for collecting pronunciation samples from a performer;
means for extracting pronunciation features from said pronunciation samples, wherein said pronunciation features consist of components for distinguishing different pronunciations;
means for identifying muscle movements; and
means for linking said muscle movements with said pronunciation features. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A system for helping a user to make pronunciation practice according to a document, said system having contained exemplary pronunciation features, exemplary pronunciation problems, exemplary pronunciation feature deviations, exemplary pronunciation problems, pronunciation feature identification procedures, and first type of relations between said exemplary pronunciation feature deviation and corresponding exemplary pronunciation problems, said system comprising:
-
means for preprocessing said document to recognize items selected from a group consisting of sounds, stresses, and pitches;
means for identifying important pronunciation issues associated with said user;
means for displaying said document with said important pronunciation issues emphasized;
means for taking pronunciation samples from said user while said user is reading said document;
means for extracting pronunciation features from said pronunciation samples according to said pronunciation feature identification procedures;
means for comparing said user pronunciation features with said exemplary pronunciation features and generating instance pronunciation deviations;
means for identifying instance exemplary pronunciation deviations that are close to said instance pronunciation deviations;
means for identifying instance exemplary pronunciation problems according to said instance exemplary pronunciation deviations and said first type of relations; and
means for providing feedback according to said instance exemplary pronunciation problems. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification