• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.656-664
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• 2002

We present a statistical analysis of Korean phonological variations using a Grapheme-to-Phoneme (GPT) system. The GTP system used for experiments generates pronunciation variants by applying rules modeling obligatory and optional phonemic changes and allophonic changes. These rules are derived form morphophonological analysis and government standard pronunciation rules. The GTP system is optimized for continuous speech recognition by generating phonetic transcriptions for training and constructing a pronunciation dictionary for recognition. In this paper, we describe Korean phonological variations by analyzing the statistics of phonemic change rule applications for the 60,000 sentences in the Samsung PBS Speech DB. Our results show that the most frequently happening obligatory phonemic variations are in the order of liaison, tensification, aspirationalization, and nasalization of obstruent, and that the most frequently happening optional phonemic variations are in the order of initial consonant h-deletion, insertion of final consonant with the same place of articulation as the next consonants, and deletion of final consonant with the same place of articulation as the next consonant's, These statistics can be used for improving the performance of speech recognition systems.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.268-278
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze phonetic items such as the phonemic system, phonological rules, and pronunciation descriptions and notations incorporated in the textbooks. Based on our analysis results, we point out the problems related to pronunciation education, and suggest directions for improvement. First, the presentation order of consonants and vowels in the phonological systems sections of each textbook was different. We recommend that a standard for consonant and vowel presentation order should be prepared, but that this standard should take into consideration the specific purpose of the textbook; the learning strategies and goals, as well as the possibility of teaching and learning. Second, similar to phonemic systems, the presentation order of phonological rules was different for each textbook. To create a standard order for phonological rules, we have to standardize the order of presentation of rules and determine which rules should be presented. Furthermore, when describing phonological rules, the content should be described in common and essential terms as much as possible without the use of jargon. Third, in other matters of pronunciation, there were problems such as examples for pronunciation and lack of exercises. Regarding this, we propose to provide sentences or dialogues as examples for pronunciation, and to link these to various activities and other language functions for pronunciation practice.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.231-237
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to examine the correlation between the preferred sensation type and speech sounds, especially on $F_0$ and the speech rates. Data for the sensation types and speech sounds were collected from 36 undergraduate and graduate students (17 male, 19 female). Subjects were asked to read a given text (400 syllables), describe a drawing, and give answers to some questions. We measured speakers' $F_0$ and speech rates. The results show that type V (Visual) has the correlation with the speech rates when type D (Digital) was ruled out, and type A (Auditory) has the correlation with the speech rates when type D was included. Furthermore, the analysis of the mean values of V, A, K (Visual, Auditory, Kinethetic) indicates that type V is characterized with faster speech rates and higher $F_0$ in all parts except for interview and the same is true for that of V, A, K, D (Visual, Auditory, Kinethetic, Digital) in all parts. In conclusion, this study proved that the preferred sensation type has the correlation with $F_0$ and speech rates. Based on the results of this study, $F_0$ and speech rates can be used to analyze the sensation types for individualized education as well as consultation. In addition, this study has great significance in that it lays a foundation for the study on the correlation between a preferred sensation type and speech sounds.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
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• v.10B no.4
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• pp.381-388
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• 2003

This paper presents a method of giving weights to garbage class clustering and Filler model to improve performance of keyword spotting system and a time-saving method of dialogue speech processing system for keyword spotting by calculating keyword transition probability through speech analysis of task domain users. The point of the method is grouping phonemes with phonetic similarities, which is effective in sensing similar phoneme groups rather than individual phonemes, and the paper aims to suggest five groups of phonemes obtained from the analysis of speech sentences in use in Korean morphology and in stock-trading speech processing system. Besides, task-subject Filler model weights are added to the phoneme groups, and keyword transition probability included in consecutive speech sentences is calculated and applied to the system in order to save time for system processing. To evaluate performance of the suggested system, corpus of 4,970 sentences was built to be used in task domains and a test was conducted with subjects of five people in their twenties and thirties. As a result, FOM with the weights on proposed five phoneme groups accounts for 85%, which has better performance than seven phoneme groups of Yapanel [1] with 88.5% and a little bit poorer performance than LVCSR with 89.8%. Even in calculation time, FOM reaches 0.70 seconds than 0.72 of seven phoneme groups. Lastly, it is also confirmed in a time-saving test that time is saved by 0.04 to 0.07 seconds when keyword transition probability is applied.

• Journal of Korean language education
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-23
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• 2018

This paper investigates how adult Mandarin- and English- speaking learners of Korean perceive Korean vowels, with focus on the effect of the first language (L1) and the second language (L2) acoustic relationship, as well as the influence of Korean language experience. For this study, native Mandarin and Canadian English speakers who have learned Korean as a foreign language, as well as a control group of native Korean speakers, participated in two experiments. Experiment 1 was designed to examine acoustic similarities between Korean and English vowels, as well as Korean and Mandarin vowels to predict which Korean vowels are relatively easy, or difficult for L2 learners to perceive. The linear discriminant analysis (Klecka, 1980) based on their L1-L2 acoustic similarity predicted that L2 Mandarin learners would have perceptual difficulty rankings for Korean vowels as follows: (the easiest) /i, a, e/ >> /ɨ, ʌ, o, u/ (most difficult), whereas L2 English learners would have perceptual difficulty rankings for Korean vowels as follows: (the easiest) /i, a, e, ɨ, ʌ/ >> /o, u/ (most difficult). The goal of Experiment 2 was to test how accurately L2 Mandarin and English learners perceive Korean vowels /ɨ, ʌ, o, u/ which are considered to be difficult for L2 learners. The results of a mixed-effects logistic model revealed that English listeners showed higher identification accuracy for Korean vowels than Mandarin listeners, indicating that having a larger L1 vowel inventory than the L2 facilitates L2 vowel perception. However, both groups have the same ranking of Korean vowel perceptual difficulty: ɨ > ʌ > u > o. This finding indicates that adult learners of Korean can perceive the new vowel /ɨ/, which does not exist in their L1, more accurately than the vowel /o/, which is acoustically similar to vowels in their L1, suggesting that L2 learners are more likely to establish additional phonetic categories for new vowels. In terms of the influence of experience with L2, it was found that identification accuracy increases as Korean language experience rises. In other words, the more experienced English and Mandarin learners of Korean are, the more likely they are to have better identification accuracy in Korean vowels than less experienced learners of Korean. Moreover, there is no interaction between L1 background and L2 experience, showing that identification accuracy of Korean vowels is higher as Korean language experience increases regardless of their L1 background. Overall, these findings of the two experiments demonstrated that acoustic similarity between L1 and L2 sounds using the LDA model can partially predict perceptual difficulty in L2 acquisition, indicating that other factors such as perceptual similarity between L1 and L2, the merge of Korean /o/ and /u/ may also influence their Korean vowel perception.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.35-46
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• 2021

In this study, we examined the interactive aspects between pitch reduction phenomena considered a universal language phenomenon and native language interference in the production of L2 intonation performed by Chinese learners of Korean. To investigate their interaction, we conducted an acoustic analysis using acoustic measures such as pitch span, pitch level, pitch dynamic quotient, skewness, and kurtosis. In addition, the correlation between text comprehension and pitch was examined. The analyzed material consisted of four Korean discourses containing five and seven sentences of varying difficulty. Seven Korean native speakers and thirty Chinese learners who differed in their Korean proficiency participated in the production test. The results, for differences by language, showed that Chinese had a more expanded pitch span, and a higher pitch level than Korean. The analysis between groups showed that at the beginner and intermediate levels, pitch reduction was prominent, i.e., their Korean was characterized by a compressed pitch span, low pitch level, and less sentence internal pitch variation. Contrariwise, the pitch use of advanced speakers was most similar to Korean native speakers. There was no significant correlation between text difficulty and pitch use. Through this study, we observed that pitch reduction was more pronounced than native language interference in the phonetic layer.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.510-524
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• 2009

Objective : This study was designed to find the correlation between Sasang Constitution and heart rate variability(HRV). Method : There were 665 subjects (280 men and 385 women), between 39 and 72 years old. in a rural community. Sasang Constitution was diagnosed by a Sasang constitutional specialist using PSSC (Phonetic System for Sasang Constitution), face and tongue photo and checkup-list. A structured-questionnaire was used to assess the general characteristics. HRV was recorded using SA-2000 (medi-core). HRV was assessed by time domain and by frequency domain analysis. Metabolic syndrome was defined on the basis of clustering of risk factors, when three or more of the following cardiovascular risk factors were included : blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, triglyceride HDL-cholesterol, and abdominal obesity (waist). Because of the skewness of the data, logarithmic transformation was performed on the absolute units of the spectral components of HRV, and the resulting logarithmic values and normalized units were compared between the groups by a logistic regression. The 95% confidence interval (CI) of the odds ratio was used and calculated from the data laid out for a cross sectional study. Results : 1. Odds ratios of Taeeumin and Soeumin in female adults below 60 years old were significantly lower than that of Soyangin in LF norm and LF/HF ratio. Odds ratios of Taeeumin and Soeumin in female adults below 60 years old were significantly higher than that of Soyangin in HF norm. 2. There was no significant correlation between HRV and Sasang Constitution in female adults from 60 years old and over. 3. There was no significant correlation between HRV and Sasang Constitution in male adults. Conclusion : There is a statistically significant correlation between the HRV and Sasang Constitution. There is a tendency of increase in the sympathetic activity in Soyangin. There is a tendency of decrease in the parasympathetic activity in Taeeumin and Soeumin.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.313-320
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• 2001

An ecological study was conducted to determine the geographic distribution, community structure, and habitat characteristics of eelgrass, Zostera marina L. beds along the southern coast of Korea. Plants and sediment samples were collected during June 2000 and December 2000 on twenty-eight locations, including two Cheju Island stations, which were used to compare morphological characteristics with habitat types. Z. marina populations existed from the intertidal to subtidal zone, mainly in the bays along the coast and the island, the barrier reef, and the estuary where the water depth was 0.5${\sim}$8.0m. Salinity range in Z. marina beds ranged 18.2 to 34.5%$_o$. Sediments of Z. marina beds contained 49.7${\sim}$99.1% of sand and were classified into sand, muddy sand, and sandy mud. Mean grain size varied from 1.5 to 4.4 phi. Height of vegetation shoots varied from 54.7 to 171.4 cm, depending on water depth, location, substrata and habitat types. quantitative morphological features that enabled recognition of the two phonetic groups were short-narrow leaf type and long-broad leaf type. Statistical analysis indicated that biomass of individual plants and their quantitative morphological characteristics were significantly correlated.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.75-88
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• 2007

1. Objectives The purpose of this study was to objectively diagnose American male and female's production of two vowels /a, i/ by Sasang Constitution. 2. Methods It was analyzed the constitutional characteristics of the American adults voices with PSSC-2004. of 134 cases of vowels /a, i/ with a duration of $2.5{\sim}3$ seconds were inputted in PSSC-2004 and analyzed into 40 factors. 3. Results and Conclusions 1) APQ In the male group's production of vowel /a/, the Soyangin's APQ(l), APQ(3) and APQ(4) were significantly high compared with those of Taeumin and Soeumin. 2) Shimmer In the male group's production of vowel /a/, Soeumin's Octave1 Shimmer was significantly low compared with that of Taeumin and Soeumin. In the male group's production of vowel /i/, Soeumin's D-Shimmer was significantly low compared with that of Taeumin and Soeumin. In the female group's production of vowel /a/, the Soyangin's C-Shimmer was significantly high compared with that of Taeumin and Soeumin. 3) Octave In the male group's production of vowel /a/, the Soyangin's Octave3, Octave4, Octave5, Octave6 and Octave1 Ratio were significantly high compared with those of Taeumin and Soeumin. In the male group's production of vowels /a, i/, the Soyangin's Octave4 was significantly high compared with that of Taeumin and Soeumin. 4) Energy In the male group's production of vowel /a/, the Soyangin's Time Domain Total Sum /Time Domain Count, Freq Domain Total Sum /cnt(0), 0k-4k Total Sum, Dev., A(A#, C, E, D#, E, F#) tot E, and A(C,, D#, F#) Dev. were significantly high compared with those of Taeumin and Soeumin. In the male group's production of vowel /i/, the Soyangin's Time Domain Total Sum /Time Domain Count, Freq Domain Total Sum /cnt(0) and 0k-4k Total Sum, Dev. were significantly high compared with those of Taeumin and Soeumin. 5) Peak In the male group's production of vowels /a/ and /i/,, the Soyangin's Peak1 Ratio was significantly low compared with that of Taeumin and Soeumin. In the male group's production of vowels /a/ and /i/,, the Soyangin's Peak10 Ratio, Time Domain Peak Total/Total Energy Sum, Time Domain Peak Dev. and Total/Total Dev. Sum were significantly high compared with those of Taeumin and Soeumin. 6) It is necessary to expand the research of the acoustic analysis of American and Korean to other countries in the diagnosis of the Sasang Constitution by using the voice characteristics.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.330-338
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• 2002

Spontaneous speech is ungrammatical as well as serious phonological variations, which make recognition extremely difficult, compared with read speech. In this paper, for conversational speech recognition, we analyze the transcriptions of the real conversational speech, and then classify the characteristics of conversational speech in the speech recognition aspect. Reflecting these features, we obtain the baseline system for conversational speech recognition. The classification consists of long duration of silence, disfluencies and phonological variations; each of them is classified with similar features. To deal with these characteristics, first, we update silence model and append a filled pause model, a garbage model; second, we append multiple phonetic transcriptions to lexicon for most frequent phonological variations. In our experiments, our baseline morpheme error rate (WER) is 31.65%; we obtain MER reductions such as 2.08% for silence and garbage model, 0.73% for filled pause model, and 0.73% for phonological variations. Finally, we obtain 27.92% MER for conversational speech recognition, which will be used as a baseline for further study.