SPEECH SAMPLES LIBRARY FOR TEXT-TO-SPEECH AND METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND USING SAME

• US 20100131267A1
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OSR Enterprises AG
• Original Assignee: VIVO Text Ltd.
• Inventors: Silbert, Gershon, Hakim, Andres
• Granted Patent: US 8,340,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/10
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/06 Elementary speech units used in speech synthesisers; Concatenation rules
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/07 Concatenation rules
• 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 recording speech for use in a speech samples library. In an exemplary embodiment, the method comprises recording a speaker pronouncing a phoneme with musical parameters characterizing pronunciation of another phoneme by the same or another speaker. For example, in one embodiment the method comprises: providing a recording of a first speaker pronouncing a first phoneme in a phonemic context. The pronunciation is characterized by some musical parameters. A second reader, who may be the same as the first reader, is then recorded pronouncing a second phoneme (different from the first phoneme) with the musical parameters that characterizes pronunciation of the first phoneme by the first speaker. The recordings made by the second reader are used for compiling a speech samples library.

Claims

1. A method of recording speech for use in a speech samples library, the method comprising:

recording a speaker pronouncing a phoneme or a sequence of phonemes with musical parameters characterizing pronunciation of non identical phoneme or sequence of phonemes, thereby recording speech for use in the speech samples library.

2. A method according to claim 1 comprising:

(a1) providing a recording of a first speaker pronouncing a sequence of phonemes, each in a phonemic context, a pronunciation of each of said phonemes being characterized by at least one musical parameter; and

(b1) recording a second speaker pronouncing a first phoneme in a phonemic context, the first phoneme pronounced with the at least one musical parameter characterizing a pronunciation of a second phoneme by the first speaker, wherein said second phoneme is different from said first phoneme and/or the phonemic context of said second phoneme is different from the phonemic context of said first phoneme.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the first speaker and the second speaker are the same.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein pronouncing a first phoneme in a phonemic context comprises pronouncing a sequence of phonemes, said sequence comprising the first phoneme.

5. A method of generating a speech samples library comprising:

(a2) recording speech using a method according to claim 1;

(b2) dissecting recordings of words made in (a2) into recordings of speech segments, each having a central phoneme;

(c2) associating each speech segment recording with at least one indicator indicative of a musical parameter of the central phoneme; and

(d2) arranging the speech samples recordings to be each retrievable in accordance with the at least one indicator associated therewith.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein one or more of said sequence of phonemes is meaningless.

7. A method according to claim 1, comprising:

(a3) recording a speaker naturally reading a text, the text comprising a first collection of words in context;

(b3) providing a second collection of words;

(c3) recording a speaker pronouncing words of the second collection with musical parameters, with which words of the first collection were read in (a3).

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the second collection has more words than the first collection.

9. A method according to claim 5,

wherein associating a speech segment recording with an indicator indicative of a musical parameter of the central phoneme comprises:

(a4) defining a physical range of a musical parameter to be of a certain level;

(b4) analyzing the musical parameter defined in (a1) to be of the certain level; and

(c4) associating the speech segment recording with an index indicative of said certain level.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein defining a physical range of a musical parameter to be of a certain level comprises analyzing the recording of text that was read in context at (a3) to determine ranges of physical parameters, which are of a certain level in said recording.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one musical parameter comprises one or more of pitch perception and pitch curve.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein musical parameters comprise duration.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein musical parameters comprise volume.

21. A speech samples library generated in a method according to claim 5.

14. A speech samples library comprising a plurality of recordings, each of a central phoneme pronounced with at least one musical parameter and in a phonemic context, and being retrievable from the library in accordance with the central phoneme, the phonemic context, and the at least one musical parameter.

15. A speech samples library according to claim 14, wherein the at least one musical parameter comprises pitch perception.

16. A speech samples library according to claim 14, wherein the at least one musical parameter comprises pitch curve.

17. A speech samples library according to claim 14, wherein the at least one musical parameter comprises duration.

18. A speech samples library according to claim 14, wherein at least one index indicative of the at least one musical parameter is associated with each recording, and said index has a value selected from 5 or less possible values.

19. A speech samples library according to claim 18, wherein each of said values corresponds to a range of physical values of the musical parameter, and the musical parameter of the central phoneme in the recording is within said range.

20. A speech samples library according to claim 14, generated in a method according to claim 5.

22. An apparatus for producing speech from text, comprising:

(a) an input for inputting the text;

(b) a parser, for translating the text into a sequence of speech segments, each having a central phoneme;

(c) a prosody predictor, for associating with each central phoneme in said speech segments musical parameters predicted to it by said prosody predictor based on the text;

(d) a speech samples library,

(e) a concatenator for concatenating speech segments copied from the library and

(f) an output unit, for playing the concatenated speech,

wherein the speech samples library is according to claim 14.

23. An apparatus according to claim 22, comprising a DSP unit for adjusting musical parameters of speech segments copied from the speech samples library to target musical parameters defined by the prosody predictor.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the speech segments copied from the speech samples library are characterized with musical parameters close enough to the musical parameters associated with the central phoneme of the speech segment by the prosody predictor, such that the DSP unit is capable of adjusting all musical parameters of the speech segment to target musical parameters defined by the prosody predictor without causing degradation of voice quality.