STORAGE MEDIUM STORING PRONUNCIATION EVALUATING PROGRAM, PRONUNCIATION EVALUATING APPARATUS AND PRONUNCIATION EVALUATING METHOD

• US 20100299137A1
• Filed: 01/21/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: ABE, Tomokazu
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use

Abstract

A game apparatus includes a CPU, and the CPU evaluates a pronunciation of a user with respect to an original sentence (ES). First, envelops as to a volume of a voice of the original sentence (ES) and a volume of a voice of the user are taken, and the average values of the volumes are made uniform. When the volumes are made uniform to each other, a degree of similarity (scoreA) of distributions of local solutions when the volumes are equal to or more than the average values, a degree of similarity (scoreB) of distributions (timing of concaves/convexes of the waveform) of values of the high or low level indicating whether or not the volume is equal to or more than a value multiplying the average value by a predetermined value, and a degree of similarity (scoreC) of dispersion values (dispersion of concaves/convexes of the waveform) of the envelopes are evaluated by utilizing the respective envelopes. On the basis of these degree of similarities (scoreA, scoreB, scoreC), the rhythm of the pronunciation by the user is evaluate.

Claims

1. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program, wherein

said pronunciation evaluating program causes a computer of an information processing apparatus to function as:

a voice input means for inputting a voice to be pronounced by a user;

a first evaluation value calculating means for calculating a first evaluation value on the basis of a first timing when a volume of the voice input by said voice input means is larger than a first predetermined value and a second timing set in advance;

a second evaluation value calculating means for calculating a second evaluation value on the basis of a first dispersion value of a change of the volume of the voice input by said voice input means and a second dispersion value set in advance; and

a pronunciation evaluating means for evaluating a degree of similarity of a pronunciation of said user with respect to a model voice on the basis of said first evaluation value calculated by said first evaluation value calculating means and said second evaluation value calculated by said second evaluation value calculating means.

2. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 1, wherein

said second timing is a timing when the volume of said model voice is larger than a second predetermined value in association with said first predetermined value.

3. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 1, wherein

said second dispersion value is a dispersion value of a change of the volume of said model voice.

4. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 1, wherein

said pronunciation evaluating means evaluates said degree of similarity on the basis of said first evaluation value by which a first coefficient is multiplied and said second evaluation value by which a second coefficient is multiplied.

5. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 4, wherein

when a length of said model voice is equal to or more than a certain period of time, said first coefficient is set to a value larger than when the length of said model voice is less than the certain period of time.

6. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 4, wherein

when the length of said model voice is equal to or more than a certain period of time, said first coefficient is set to a value larger than said second coefficient, and when the length of said model voice is less than the certain period of time, said first coefficient and said second coefficient are set to a same value.

7. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 1, wherein

said pronunciation evaluating program causes said computer to further function as a third evaluation value calculating means for calculating a third evaluation value on the basis of a user voice level judging list indicating the volume of the voice input by said voice input means is equal to or more than a third predetermined value or less than the third predetermined value and a model voice level judging list set in advance, and

said pronunciation evaluating means evaluates the degree of similarity of said pronunciation of said user with respect to said model voice on the basis of the first evaluation value calculated by said first evaluation value calculating means, the second evaluation value calculated by said second evaluation value calculating means and the third evaluation value calculated by said third evaluation value calculation means.

8. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 7, wherein

said model voice level list indicates whether the volume of said model voice is equal to or more than a fourth predetermine value in association with said third predetermined value or less than said fourth predetermine value.

9. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 7, wherein

said pronunciation evaluating means evaluates said degree of similarity on the basis of said first evaluation value by which a first coefficient is multiplied, said second evaluation value by which a second coefficient is multiplied and said third evaluation value by which a third coefficient is multiplied.

10. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 9, wherein

when a length of said model voice is less than a certain period of time, said third coefficient is set to a value larger than when the length of said model voice is equal to or more than the certain period of time.

11. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 9, wherein

when the length of said model voice is less than a certain period of time, said third coefficient is set to a value larger than said first coefficient and said second coefficient.

12. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 1, wherein

said pronunciation evaluating program causes said computer to further function as an evaluation correcting means for performing a correction such that the evaluation by said pronunciation evaluating means is lowered when the volume of the voice input by said voice input means does not satisfy a predetermined condition.

13. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 1, wherein,

said first evaluation value calculating means calculates, in a case that a period during which the volume of the voice input by said voice input means is larger than said first predetermined value is equal to or more than a fixed period of time, a first evaluation value on the basis of the first timing when the volume of said voice is larger than said first predetermined value and said second timing.

14. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 1, wherein

said first evaluation value calculating means calculates said first evaluation value on the basis of said first timing for which a time displacement is not performed and said second timing, and calculates, on the basis of each first timing displaced for each predetermined time interval and said second timing, said first evaluation value for each first timing, and selects one first evaluation value indicating a maximum evaluation result out of said first evaluation values.

15. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program according to claim 1, wherein

said first evaluation value calculating means, when the first number of first timings and the second number of second timings are different, calculates said first evaluation value by making uniform to fewer one out of the first number of first timings and the second number of second timings.

16. A storage medium storing a pronunciation evaluating program,

said pronunciation evaluating program causes a computer of an information processing apparatus to function as:

a voice input means for inputting a voice to be pronounced by a user;

a first evaluation value calculating means for calculating a first evaluation value on the basis of a first timing when a volume of the voice input by said voice input means is larger than a first predetermined value and a second timing set in advance;

a second evaluation value calculating means for calculating a second evaluation value on the basis of a user voice level judging list indicating whether the volume of the voice input by said voice input means is equal to or more than a third predetermined value or is less than said third predetermined value and a model voice level judging list set in advance; and

a pronunciation evaluating means for evaluating a degree of similarity of a pronunciation of said user with respect to a model voice on the basis of said first evaluation value calculated by said first evaluation value calculating means and said second evaluation value calculated by said second evaluation value calculating means.

17. A pronunciation evaluating apparatus, comprising:

a voice input means for inputting a voice to be pronounced by a user;

a first evaluation value calculating means for calculating a first evaluation value on the basis of a first timing when a volume of the voice input by said voice input means is larger than a first predetermined value and a second timing set in advance;

a second evaluation value calculating means for calculating a second evaluation value on the basis of a first dispersion value of a change of the volume of the voice input by said voice input means and a second dispersion value set in advance; and

a pronunciation evaluating means for evaluating a degree of similarity of a pronunciation of said user with respect to a model voice on the basis of said first evaluation value calculated by said first evaluation value calculating means and said second evaluation value calculated by said second evaluation value calculating means.

18. A pronunciation evaluating apparatus comprising:

a voice input means for inputting a voice to be pronounced by a user;

a first evaluation value calculating means for calculating a first evaluation value on the basis of a first timing when a volume of the voice input by said voice input means is larger than a first predetermined value and a second timing set in advance;

a second evaluation value calculating means for calculating a second evaluation value on the basis of a user voice level judging list indicating whether the volume of the voice input by said voice input means is equal to or more than a third predetermined value or is less than said third predetermined value and a model voice level judging list set in advance; and

a pronunciation evaluating means for evaluating a degree of similarity of a pronunciation of said user with respect to a model voice on the basis of said first evaluation value calculated by said first evaluation value calculating means and said second evaluation value calculated by said second evaluation value calculating means.

19. A pronunciation evaluating method including following steps of:

(a) inputting a voice to be pronounced by a user,

(b) calculating a first evaluation value on the basis of a first timing when a volume of the voice input by said step (a) is larger than a first predetermined value and a second timing set in advance,

(c) calculating a second evaluation value on the basis of a first dispersion value of a change of the volume of the voice input by said step (a) and a second dispersion value set in advance, and

(d) evaluating a degree of similarity of a pronunciation of said user with respect to a model voice on the basis of said first evaluation value calculated by said step (b) and said second evaluation value calculated by said step (c).

20. A pronunciation evaluating method including following steps of:

(a) inputting a voice to be pronounced by a user,

(b) calculating a first evaluation value on the basis of a first timing when a volume of the voice input by said step (a) is larger than a first predetermined value and a second timing set in advance,

(c) calculating a second evaluation value on the basis of a user voice level judging list indicating whether the volume of the voice input by said step (a) is equal to or more than a third predetermined value or is less than said third predetermined value and a model voice level judging list set in advance, and

(d) evaluating a degree of similarity of a pronunciation of said user with respect to a model voice on the basis of said first evaluation value calculated by said step (b) and said second evaluation value calculated by said step (e).