The listening talker

old_uid11310
titleThe listening talker
start_date2012/04/26
schedule13h30
onlineno
location_infoAmpère, salle B314
summarySpeech is efficient and robust, and remains the method of choice for human communication. Consequently, speech output is used increasingly to deliver information in automated systems such as talking GPS and live-but-remote forms such as public address systems. However, these systems are essentially one-way, output-oriented technologies that lack an essential ingredient of human interaction: communication. When people speak, they also listen. When machines speak, they do not listen. As a result, there is no guarantee that the intended message is intelligible, appropriate or well-timed, key considerations in safety-critical environments. Starting with a review of recent behavioural findings on speech modifications in the face of a range of maskers, including competing speakers, this talk will examine how knowledge about human talkers' response to noise can be applied to improve the intelligibility of synthetic, recorded or live speech under constraints on overall level and duration. I'll conclude with results from a recent large-scale listener evaluation  of the intelligibility of modified natural and synthetic speech in stationary and  non-stationary maskers.
responsiblesLoevenbruck, Welby