Temporal structures for Fast and Slow Speech Rate

The rhythmic component in speech synthesis often remains rather rudimentary, despite recent major efforts in the modeling of prosodic models. The European COST Action 258 has identified this problem as one of the next challenges for speech synthesis. This paper is a contribution to a new, promising approach that was tested on a French temporal model

Pauses and the temporal structure of speech

Natural-sounding speech synthesis requires close control over the temporal structure of the speech flow. This includes a full predictive scheme for the durational structure and in particuliar the prolongation of final syllables of lexemes as well as for the pausal structure in the utterance. In this chapter, a description of the temporal structure and the summary of the numerous factors that modify it are presented. In the second part, predictive schemes for the temporal structure of speech ("performance structures") are introduced, and their potential for characterising the overall prosodic structure of speech is demonstrated

Fast and Slow Speech Rate: a Characterisation for French

This paper is concerned with the evaluation of speech rate in French. Usually, this dynamic parameter is described as a unidimensional quantitative dimension. It is shown that the slowing down of speech has also major qualitative effects that must be taken into account. The theory on slowing down speech is thus revised

A Timing Model for Fast French

Models of speech timing are of both fundamental and applied interest. At the fundamental level, the prediction of time periods occupied by syllables and segments is required for general models of speech prosody and segmental structure. At the applied level, complete models of timing are an essential component of any speech synthesis system. Previous research has established that a large number of factors influence various levels of speech timing. Statistical analysis and modelling can identify order of importance and mutual influences between such factors. In the present study, a three-tiered model was created by a modified step-wise statistical procedure. It predicts the temporal structure of French, as produced by a single, highly fluent speaker at a fast speech rate (100 phonologically balanced sentences, hand-scored in the acoustic signal). The first tier models segmental influences due to phoneme type and contextual interactions between phoneme types. The second tier models syllable-level influences of lexical vs. grammatical status of the containing word, presence of schwa and the position within the word. The third tier models utterance-final lengthening. The complete segmental-syllabic model correlated with the original corpus of 1204 syllables at an overall r = 0.846. Residuals were normally distributed. An examination of subsets of the data set revealed some variation in the closeness of fit of the model. The results are considered to be useful for an initial timing model, particularly in a speech synthesis context. However, further research is required to extend the model to other speech rates and to examine inter-speaker variability in greater detail

Revisiting the Status of Speech Rhythm

Text-to-Speech synthesis offers an interesting manner of synthesising various knowledge components related to speech production. To a certain extent, it provides a new way of testing the coherence of our understanding of speech production in a highly systematic manner. For example, speech rhythm and temporal organisation of speech have to be well-captured in order to mimic a speaker correctly. The simulation approach used in our laboratory for two languages supports our original hypothesis of multidimensionality and non-linearity in the production of speech rhythm. This paper presents an overview of our approach towards this issue, as it has been developed over the last years. We conceive the production of speech rhythm as a multidimensional task, and the temporal organisation of speech as a key component of this task (i.e., the establishment of temporal boundaries and durations). As a result of this multidimensionality, text-to-speech systems have to accommodate a number of systematic transformations and computations at various levels. Our model of the temporal organisation of read speech in French and German emerges from a combination of quantitative and qualitative parameters, organised according to psycholinguistic and linguistic structures. (An ideal speech synthesiser would also take into account subphonemic as well as pragmatic parameters. However such systems are not yet available)

Structures temporelles et structures prosodiques en français lu

Si la composante prosodique est intégrée dans les systèmes de synthèse de la parole depuis plusieurs années, une dimension temporelle a cependant été peu prise en compte. Il s’agit de la fluidité de la parole. Une parole fluide se caractérise par une gestuelle verbale produite avec aisance, avec des transitions et des attaques douces et un débit rapide et sans heurt. Il sera montré que pour le français, le manque de fluidité dans les paroles de synthèse actuelles s’explique par la génération d’une structuration temporelle trop pauvre car cette structure est supposée être congruente à la structure accentuelle.Une nouvelle approche de l’organisation temporelle de l’énoncé sera ensuite présentée

Prosodic Styles and Personality Styles: are the two interrelated

The “individuation” of oral language - what makes a speaker different from another - is still largely an unknown territory [1], especially with respect to the individual and creative use of speech prosody. This pilot study raises fundamental, methodological and empirical issues concerning the relationship between speakers’ prosodic styles and their personality profiles. Our preliminary results support the hypothesis of a relationship between prosodic styles and "personality style" as perceived by listeners

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Approach for Seniors (MBCAS): Program Development and Implementation

# The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract A number of cognitive interventions have been developed to enhance cognitive functioning in the growing population of the elderly. We describe the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Approach for Seniors (MBCAS), a new training program designed especially for seniors. It was conceived in the context of self-development for seniors who wish to enhance their relationship with their inner and outer selves in order to navigate their aging process more easily and fluently. Physical and psychosocial problems related to aging, as well as some temporal issues, were taken into account in developing this program. Unlike clinically oriented mindfulness-based programs, which are generally delivered during an 8-week period, the MBCAS training program is presented over a period of 8 months. The main objectives of this program are to teach seniors to observe current experi-ences with nonjudgmental awareness, to identify automatic behaviors or reactions to current experiences that are poten-tially nonadaptive, and to enhance and reinforce positive coping with typical difficulties that they face in their daily lives. Details of the program development and initial imple-mentation are presented, with suggestions for evaluating the program's effectiveness

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Approach for Seniors (MBCAS): Program Development and Implementation

A number of cognitive interventions have been developed to enhance cognitive functioning in the growing population of the elderly. We describe the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Approach for Seniors (MBCAS), a new training program designed especially for seniors. It was conceived in the context of self-development for seniors who wish to enhance their relationship with their inner and outer selves in order to navigate their aging process more easily and fluently. Physical and psychosocial problems related to aging, as well as some temporal issues, were taken into account in developing this program. Unlike clinically oriented mindfulness-based programs, which are generally delivered during an 8-week period, the MBCAS training program is presented over a period of 8months. The main objectives of this program are to teach seniors to observe current experiences with nonjudgmental awareness, to identify automatic behaviors or reactions to current experiences that are potentially nonadaptive, and to enhance and reinforce positive coping with typical difficulties that they face in their daily lives. Details of the program development and initial implementation are presented, with suggestions for evaluating the program's effectiveness