Computer prosody user interface
First Claim
1. In a system for converting text to voiced speech, an interface means operable to permit a user to alter a prosody characteristic of a synthesized voice for particular words of said text, said interface means comprising:
- means for selecting one or more words and punctuation in text input to said system;
display means operable to provide a visual display of said selected one or more words including an indicia of change in at least one prosody characteristic for said displayed words;
means, operating in conjunction with said display means, for enabling a user to dynamically effect a change in said at least one prosody characteristic for at least one of said displayed words; and
means for applying said changed prosody characteristic to a voiced output of said at least one of said displayed words as to which said changed prosody characteristic is effected.
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Abstract
The present invention discloses a computer prosody user interface operable to visually tailor the prosody of a text to be uttered by a text-to-speech system. The prosody user interface, permits users to alter a synthesized voice along one or more dimensions on a word-by-word basis. In one embodiment of the present invention, the prosody user interface is operable to alter the speaking rate relative word duration and the word prominence of a synthesized voice. Specifically, one or more words are selected using presentation means, and speech parameters corresponding to the speaking rate relative word duration and the word prominence are manipulated using speech parameter manipulation means. Modifications to the speech parameters are accompanied by visual changes to the presentation means, thereby providing a visual feel to the computer prosody user interface. To hear the modifications to the speech parameters, the present invention transmits a text string to a text-to-speech synthesizer program, wherein the text string comprises the text and escape sequences corresponding to the speech parameters set using the speech parameter manipulation means.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. In a system for converting text to voiced speech, an interface means operable to permit a user to alter a prosody characteristic of a synthesized voice for particular words of said text, said interface means comprising:
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means for selecting one or more words and punctuation in text input to said system; display means operable to provide a visual display of said selected one or more words including an indicia of change in at least one prosody characteristic for said displayed words; means, operating in conjunction with said display means, for enabling a user to dynamically effect a change in said at least one prosody characteristic for at least one of said displayed words; and means for applying said changed prosody characteristic to a voiced output of said at least one of said displayed words as to which said changed prosody characteristic is effected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for altering a prosody characteristic of a synthesized voice in a text to speech system comprising the steps of:
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selecting one or more words and punctuation in text input to said text-to-speech system; providing a visual display to a user of said selected one or more words, said display including an indicia of change in at least one prosody characteristic for said displayed words; providing a user interface to said display, whereby a user to able to dynamically alter said at least one prosody characteristic for at least one of said displayed words; and applying said altered prosody characteristic to a voiced output of said at least one of said displayed words. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification