Intonation in a text-to-speech conversion system
This thesis presents the development and implementation of a set of rules to generate intonational specifications for unrestricted text. The theoretical assumptions which motivate this work are outlined, and the performance of the rules is discussed with reference to various test corpora and formal evaluation experiments. The development of our rules is seen as a cycle involving the implementation of theoretical ideas about intonation in a text-to-speech conversion system, the testing of that implementation against some relevant body of data, and the refinement of the theory on the basis of the results. The first chapter introduces the problem of intonation in text-to-speech conversion, discusses previous practical and theoretical approaches to the problem, and sets out the general approach which is followed in subsequent chapters. We restrict the scope of our rules to generating <i>acceptable neutral</i> intonation, an approximation to <i>broad focus</i> (Ladd 1980), and we present a rule-development strategy based on the idea of a <i>default specification</i>) which can be successively refined) and on the principle of making maximum use of all the information available from text. The second chapter presents
Monaghan, Alexander Ian Campbell
Intonation in a text-to-speech conversion system. This thesis presents the development and implementation of a set of rules to generate intonational specifications for unrestricted text. The theoretical assumptions which motivate this work are outlined, and the performance of the rules is discussed with reference to various test corpora and formal evaluation experiments. The development of our rules is seen as a cycle involving the implementation of theoretical ideas about intonation in a text-to-speech conversion system, the testing of that implementation against some relevant body of data, and the refinement of the theory on the basis of the results. The first chapter introduces the problem of intonation in text-to-speech conversion, discusses previous practical and theoretical approaches to the problem, and sets out the general approach which is followed in subsequent chapters. We restrict the scope of our rules to generating <i>acceptable neutral</i> intonation, an approximation to <i>broad focus</i> (Ladd 1980), and we present a rule-development strategy based on the idea of a <i>default specification</i>) which can be successively refined) and on the principle of making maximum use of all the information available from text. The second chapter presents
intonation text speech conversion system present development implementation set_rule generate intonational specification unrestricted text theoretical_assumption motivate work outline performance rule discuss_reference various test corpus formal evaluation experiment development rule see cycle involve implementation theoretical idea intonation text speech conversion system test implementation relevant body data refinement theory basis result first introduces problem intonation text speech conversion discuss previous practical theoretical_approach problem set general follow subsequent chapter restrict scope rule generate acceptable neutral intonation approximation broad focus present rule development strategy base_idea default specification successively refine principle make maximum use information_available text second present