• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.3E
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• pp.124-132
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• 2003

We propose a new method for speech/non-speech classifiers based on concepts of the adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) algorithm in order to detect speech for robust speech recognition. The method uses a combination of simple base classifiers through the AdaBoost algorithm and a set of optimized speech features combined with spectral subtraction. The key benefits of this method are the simple implementation, low computational complexity and the avoidance of the over-fitting problem. We checked the validity of the method by comparing its performance with the speech/non-speech classifier used in a standard voice activity detector. For speech recognition purpose, additional performance improvements were achieved by the adoption of new features including speech band energies and MFCC-based spectral distortion. For the same false alarm rate, the method reduced 20-50% of miss errors.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.1E
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• pp.10-13
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• 1998

We propose a robust non-speech rejection algorithm using the three types of pitch-related parameters. The robust non-speech rejection algorithm utilizes three kinds of pitch parameters : (1) pitch range, (2) difference of the successive pitch range, and (3) the number of successive pitches satisfying constraints related with the previous two parameters. The acceptance rate of the speech commands was 95% for -2.8dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) speech database that consisted of 2440 utterances. The rejection rate of the non-speech sounds was 100% while the acceptance rate of the speech commands was 97% in an office environment.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.10 no.7
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• pp.470-480
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• 2010

Although e-Learning contents contain audio materials as well as visual materials, research on the design of audio materials has been focused on visual design. If it is considered that non-speech sounds which are a type of audio materials can promptly provide feedbacks of learners' responses and guide learners' learning process, the systemic design of non-speech sounds is needed. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the learners' perceptions toward non-speech sounds contained the e-Learning contents with multidimensional scaling method. For this purpose, the eleven non-speech sounds were selected among non-speech sounds designed Korea Open Courseware. The 66 juniors in A university responded the degree of similarity among 11 non-speech sounds and the learners' perceptions towards non-speech sounds were represented in the multidimensional space. The result shows that learners perceive separately non-speech sounds by the length of non-speech sounds and the atmosphere which is positive or negative.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.111-135
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• 2002

An annotation model of a non-native speech database has been devised, wherein English is the target language and Korean is the native language. The proposed annotation model features overt transcription of predictable linguistic information in native speech by the dictionary entry and several predefined types of error specification found in native language transfer. The proposed model is, in that sense, different from other previously explored annotation models in the literature, most of which are based on native speech. The validity of the newly proposed model is revealed in its consistent annotation of 1) salient linguistic features of English, 2) contrastive linguistic features of English and Korean, 3) actual errors reported in the literature, and 4) the newly collected data in this study. The annotation method in this model adopts the widely accepted conventions, Speech Assessment Methods Phonetic Alphabet (SAMPA) and the TOnes and Break Indices (ToBI). In the proposed annotation model, SAMPA is exclusively employed for segmental transcription and ToBI for prosodic transcription. The annotation of non-native speech is used to assess speaking ability for English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.115-121
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• 2011

This paper examines how L2 speech production varies according to learner's L2 proficiency level. L2 speech production variations are analyzed by quantitative measures at word and phone levels using Korean learners' English corpus. Word-level variations are analyzed using correctness to explain how speech realizations are different from the canonical forms, while accuracy is used for analysis at phone level to reflect phone insertions and deletions together with substitutions. The results show that speech production of learners with different L2 proficiency levels are considerably different in terms of performance and individual realizations at word and phone levels. These results confirm that speech production of non-native speakers varies according to their L2 proficiency levels, even though they share the same L1 background. Furthermore, they will contribute to improve non-native speech recognition performance of ASR-based English language educational system for Korean learners of English.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.130-141
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• 2022

Voice and speech therapy can be performed in various ways depending on the situation, although it is generally performed in a face-to-face manner. Telepractice refers to the provision of specialized voice and speech therapy by speech-language pathologists for assessment, therapy, and counseling by applying telecommunication technology from a remote location. Recently, due to the pandemic situation and the active use of non-face-to-face platforms, interest in telepractice of voice and speech therapy has increased. Moreover, a growing body of literature has been advocating its clinical usefulness and non-inferiority to traditional face-to-face intervention. In this review, the existing discussions, guidelines, and preliminary studies on non-face-toface voice and speech therapy were summarized, and recommendations on the tools for telepractice were provided.

• International Journal of Fuzzy Logic and Intelligent Systems
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.300-304
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• 2015

A low bit rate speech coder based on the non-uniform sampling technique is proposed. The non-uniform sampling technique is based on the detection of inflection points (IP). A speech block is processed by the IP detector, and the detected IP pattern is compared with entries of the IP database. The address of the closest member of the database is transmitted with the energy of the speech block. In the receiver, the decoder reconstructs the speech block using the received address and the energy information of the block. As results, the coder shows fixed data rate contrary to the existing speech coders based on the non-uniform sampling. Through computer simulation, the usefulness of the proposed technique is shown. The SNR performance of the proposed method is approximately 5.27 dB with the data rate of 1.5 kbps.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.49-56
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• 2017

Much research attention has been directed to identify how native speakers perceive non-native speakers' oral proficiency. To investigate the generalizability of previous findings, this study examined segmental, phonological, accentual, and temporal correlates of native speakers' evaluation of L2 Korean proficiency produced by learners with various levels and nationalities. Our experiment results show that proficiency ratings by native speakers significantly correlate not only with rate of speech, but also with the segmental accuracies. The influence of segmental errors has the highest correlation with the proficiency of L2 Korean speech. We further verified this finding within substitution, deletion, insertion error rates. Although phonological accuracy was expected to be highly correlated with the proficiency score, it was the least influential measure. Another new finding in this study is that the role of pitch and accent has been underemphasized so far in the non-native Korean speech perception studies. This work will serve as the groundwork for the development of automatic assessment module in Korean CAPT system.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.140-148
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• 2020

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of music training on the characteristics of auditory perception of speech and music. The perception of speech and music stimuli was assessed across their respective stimulus continuum and the resultant plots were compared between musicians and non-musicians. Subjects and Methods: Thirty musicians with formal music training and twenty-seven non-musicians participated in the study (age: 20 to 30 years). They were assessed for identification of consonant-vowel syllables (/da/ to /ga/), vowels (/u/ to /a/), vocal music note (/ri/ to /ga/), and instrumental music note (/ri/ to /ga/) across their respective stimulus continuum. The continua contained 15 tokens with equal step size between any adjacent tokens. The resultant identification scores were plotted against each token and were analyzed for presence of categorical boundary. If the categorical boundary was found, the plots were analyzed by six parameters of categorical perception; for the point of 50% crossover, lower edge of categorical boundary, upper edge of categorical boundary, phoneme boundary width, slope, and intercepts. Results: Overall, the results showed that both speech and music are perceived differently in musicians and non-musicians. In musicians, both speech and music are categorically perceived, while in non-musicians, only speech is perceived categorically. Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate that music is perceived categorically by musicians, even if the stimulus is devoid of vocal tract features. The findings support that the categorical perception is strongly influenced by training and results are discussed in light of notions of motor theory of speech perception.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.140-148
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• 2020

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of music training on the characteristics of auditory perception of speech and music. The perception of speech and music stimuli was assessed across their respective stimulus continuum and the resultant plots were compared between musicians and non-musicians. Subjects and Methods: Thirty musicians with formal music training and twenty-seven non-musicians participated in the study (age: 20 to 30 years). They were assessed for identification of consonant-vowel syllables (/da/ to /ga/), vowels (/u/ to /a/), vocal music note (/ri/ to /ga/), and instrumental music note (/ri/ to /ga/) across their respective stimulus continuum. The continua contained 15 tokens with equal step size between any adjacent tokens. The resultant identification scores were plotted against each token and were analyzed for presence of categorical boundary. If the categorical boundary was found, the plots were analyzed by six parameters of categorical perception; for the point of 50% crossover, lower edge of categorical boundary, upper edge of categorical boundary, phoneme boundary width, slope, and intercepts. Results: Overall, the results showed that both speech and music are perceived differently in musicians and non-musicians. In musicians, both speech and music are categorically perceived, while in non-musicians, only speech is perceived categorically. Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate that music is perceived categorically by musicians, even if the stimulus is devoid of vocal tract features. The findings support that the categorical perception is strongly influenced by training and results are discussed in light of notions of motor theory of speech perception.