Function of intonation in task-oriented dialogue

This thesis addresses the question of how intonation functions in conversation. It examines the intonation and discourse function of single-word utterances in spontaneous and read-aloud task-oriented dialogue (HCRC Map Task Corpus containing Scottish English; see Anderson et al., 1991). To avoid some of the pitfalls of previous studies in which such comparisons of intonation and discourse structure tend to lack balance and focus more heavily on one analysis at the expense of the other, it employs independently developed analyses. They are the Conversational Games Analysis (as introduced in Kowtko, Isard and Doherty, 1992) and a simple target level representation of intonation. Correlations between categories of intonation and of discourse function in spontaneous dialogue suggest that intonation reflects the function of an utterance. Contrary to what one might expect from reading the literature, these categories are in some cases categories of exclusion rather than inclusion. Similar patterns result from the study of read-aloud dialogue. Discourse function and intonation categories show a measure of correlation. One difference that does appear between patterns across speech modes is that in many instances of discourse function intonation categories shift toward tunes ending low in the speaker's pitch range (e. g. a falling tune) for the read-aloud version. This result is in accord with other contemporary studies (e. g. Blaauw, 1995). The difference between spontaneous and read results suggests that read-aloud dialogue - even that based on scripts which include hesitations and false starts - is not a substitute for eliciting the same intonation strategies that are found in spontaneous dialogue

Applying Mobile Application Development to Help Dementia and Alzheimer Patients

Caregiver anecdotes attest that music and photographs play an important role for family members diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), even those with severe AD. Tablets and iPads, which are prevalent, can be utilized with dementia patients in portraying favorite music and family photographs via apps developed in close partnership with geriatric facilities. This study addresses cognitive functioning and quality of life for people diagnosed with dementia via technology. Research has shown that technology instruments such as iPods, help stimulate those with dementia. This study focuses on innovative devices such as iPads and tablets, which are mainstream and easy to use, cannot only help determine stage of dementia, but also provide stimulation to improve cognitive functioning. It is hoped that this research will analyze that specially created apps and existing assistive software can be used to decrease the symptoms and improve cognition of older adults suffering from AD or other dementia related diseases. Via service-learning courses, students developed an easy-to-use application for tablets to help older adults with disabilities more readily use the technology. This research will discuss student developed mobile applications in the scope of helping improve the quality of life of patients with AD or dementia

Using Prosodic Information to Constrain Language Models for Spoken Dialogue

We present work intended to improve speech recognition performance for computer dialogue by taking into account the way that dialogue context and intonational tune interact to limit the possibilities for what an utterance might be. We report on the extra constraint achieved in a bigram language model, expressed in terms of entropy, by using separate submodels for different sorts of dialogue acts, and trying to predict which submodel to apply by analysis of the intonation of the sentence being recognise

On the Function of Intonation in Wee Utterances

Introduction It is only recently that serious attempts have been made to study intonation as it relates to discourse function. Researchers such as Hirschberg and Litman (1987, 1990), Hockey (1991, 1992) and McLemore (1991) have sought links between the two analyses. However, one finds in their work a preference either for a discourse-rich or intonation-rich analysis, with the partner analysis left arbitrary, circular or narrow. The present work brings together a robust method of intonation analysis and an independent analysis of discourse to describe how intonation functions in single word utterances within dialogue. Some previous approaches to the analysis of intonation function focus on discourse. They take one of two opposite approaches, either describing very general discourse functions or identifying very specific discourse contexts, with regard to a few intonation categories. The former approach is taken by McLemore (1991), in a study of phrase-final tunes in monologue

Passive energy transfer and dissipation for isolation from transcient broadband disturbances

We discuss passive nonlinear energy pumping from a linear (main) mechanical structure to a weakly coupled, local, passive nonlinear energy sink (NES). We show that the NES can be designed to effectively absorb vibrational energy from the main structure in a one-way, irreversible fashion. We demonstrate the occurrence of pumping cascades, where an appropriately designed NES passively extracts energy sequentially from a number of modes of the main (linear) structure, interacting individually with each mode before moving to the next. Experimental results confirm our theoretical findings. The applications of the nonlinear energy pumping phenomenon to the problem of vibration and shock isolation will be discusse

Nonlinear energy pumpin: A new paradigm for vibration isolation

We discuss passive nonlinear energy pumping from a linear (main) mechanical structure to a weakly coupled, local, passive nonlinear energy sink (NES). We show that the NES can be designed to effectively absorb vibrational energy from the main structure in a one-way, irreversible fashion. We demonstrate the occurrence of pumping cascades, where an appropriately designed NES passively extracts energy sequentially from a number of modes of the main (linear) structure, interacting individually with each mode before moving to the next. Experimental results confirm our theoretical findings. The applications of the nonlinear energy pumping phenomenon to the problem of vibration and shock isolation will be discussed

Data Collection and Analysis in the Air Travel Planning Domain

We have collected, transcribed and analyzed over 8 hours of human-human interactive problem solving dialogue in the air travel planning domain, including traveler-agent dialogues and the more constrained agent-airline dialogues. We have used this data to define and test an initial vocabulary, and to design an appropriate interface for the air travel planning domain. The initial interface design was tested via simulation, using 44 subjects solving air travel problems. Our data analysis reveals great differences between the traveler-agent interactions and the agent-airline interactions, with the traveler-simulation interactions falling somewhat in between