Estimating a listener's ability to understand a speaker, based on comparisons of their styles of speech

• US 8,386,252 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2010
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Michaelis, Paul Roller
• Primary Examiner(s): PULLIAS, JESSE SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US12/781,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20110282669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 704/231, 704/246, 704/270, 704/8, 379/265.12
• US Class Current: 704/246
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/04 Speaking with audible presentation of the material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/142 Hidden Markov Models [HMMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1807 using prosody or stress
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/187 Phonemic context, e.g. pronunciation rules, phonotactical constraints or phoneme n-grams
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/00 Speech or voice analysis techniques not restricted to a single one of groups G10L15/00 - G10L21/00 muting semiconductor-based amplifiers when some special characteristics of a signal are sensed by a speech detector, e.g. sensing when no signal is present, H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/90 Pitch determination of speech signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

An automated telecommunication system adjunct is described that “listens” to one or more participants styles of speech, identifies specific characteristics that represent differences in their styles, notably the accent, but also one or more of pronunciation accuracy, speed, pitch, cadence, intonation, co-articulation, syllable emphasis, and syllable duration, and utilizes, for example, a mathematical model in which the independent measurable components of speech that can affect understandability by that specific listener are weighted appropriately and then combined into a single overall score that indicates the estimated ease with which the listener can understand what is being said, and presents real-time feedback to speakers based on the score. In addition, the system can provide recommendations to the speaker as to how improve understandability.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing communication understandability comprising:

one or more of monitoring speech from a first participant in a conversation with a second participant or retrieving from a profile characteristics associated with the first participant;

one or more of monitoring speech from the second participant in the conversation or retrieving from a profile characteristics associated with the second participant;

identifying, by an enhancement understandability system having a processor and memory, characteristics that represent differences in style between the first and second participants; and

utilizing one or more independently measurable components of speech that can affect understandability to provide an indication to each participant who is speaking of an estimated ease with which a participant in the conversation who is listening can understand the participant who is speaking.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising weighing the characteristics that represent differences in style between the participants and combining them into a score.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing the score to the speaking participant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the differences in style are one or more of accent, pronunciation accuracy, speed, pitch, cadency, intonation, co-articulation, syllable emphasis, syllable duration, native language information, grammar, vocabulary and idioms.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising evaluating one or more indicators of engagement.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising evaluating whether signal degradation exists on one or more legs of a communications architecture.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring or retrieving from a profile characteristics associated with additional participants.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining and presenting one or more recommendations on how to improve understandability.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more recommendations are provided via one or more of a whisper channel, a graphical user interface, a display and audibly.

10. One or more means for performing the method of claim 1.

11. A non-transitory computer readable information storage media having stored thereon instructions that, if executed by a processor, cause to be performed the method of claim 1.

12. A system to enhance communication understandability comprising:

an analysis module that one or more of monitors speech from a first participant in a conversation with a second participant or retrieves from a profile characteristics associated with a first participant and further one or more of monitors speech from the second participant in the conversation or retrieves from a profile of characteristics associated with the second participant;

a modeling module that identifies characteristics that represent differences in style between the first and second participants; and

a feedback module that utilizes one or more independently measurable components of speech that can affect understandability to provide an indication to each participant who is speaking of an estimated ease with which a participant in the conversation who is listening can understand the participant who is speaking.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a processor that weighs the characteristics that represent differences in style between the participants, combining them into a score.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a feedback module that provides the score to the speaking participant.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the differences in style are one or more of accent, pronunciation accuracy, speed, pitch, cadency, intonation, co-articulation, syllable emphasis, syllable duration, native language information, grammar, vocabulary and idioms.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising an engagement module that evaluates one or more indicators of engagement.

17. The system of claim 12, further comprising a signal quality module that evaluates whether signal degradation exists on one or more legs of a communications architecture.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the analysis module further monitors or retrieves from a profile characteristics associated with additional participants.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein one or more recommendations on how to improve understandability are provided.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more recommendations are provided via one or more of a whisper channel, a graphical user interface, a display and audibly.