A Platform for Rapid Development of Speech Recognition & Speech Synthesis Software for Under-Resourced Languages

“本计划提出一个大规模的自动语音识别（AVR）和文本转语音（TTS）平台，用于资源不足的语言，即建立语音统计模型所需数据有限且难以获取的语言。”AVR应用数学模型将语音转换为计算机可以理解和操作的信息。TTS将统计模型应用到数字文本中来合成可理解语音。商业AVR和TTS可用于欧洲，美洲，亚洲发达国家和中国的资源丰富的语言。在全球范围内，语音产品代表着一个价值170亿英镑的产业，存在于Siri和Alexa等语音设备中，以及金融服务、医疗保健和电信公司的呼叫中心。许多新兴市场语言资源不足。不断增长的区域经济，以及产品与不断扩大的消费阶层和农村社区的相关性，创造了一个重要的市场机会。该项目侧重于资源匮乏的非洲语言。为非洲语言开发AVR和TTS的主要挑战包括调性建模、口语中的结合力和独特的音位模式。该项目致力于为资源不足的语言开发AVR和TTS声学模型的创新。”

"This project proposes a large-scale platform of automatic voice recognition (AVR) and text-to-speech (TTS) for under-resourced languages, i.e. languages for which data required to build statistical models of speech are limited, and difficult to acquire. AVR applies a mathematical model to convert speech into information a computer can understand and manipulate. TTS applies a statistical model to digital text to synthesize intelligible speech. Commercial AVR and TTS are available for highly-resourced languages of Europe, the Americas, developed Asia and China. Globally, speech products represent a £17b industry, and are found in voice-enabled devices such as Siri and Alexa, and in call centres for financial services, health care and telecoms companies. Many emerging market languages are under-resourced. Growing regional economies, along with product relevance to an expanding consumer class and rural communities establish a significant market opportunity.This project focuses on under-resourced African languages. Key challenges associated with developing AVR and TTS for African languages include modelling tonality, ligatures in colloquial speech, and unique phonemic patterns. This project addresses innovations related to the development of acoustic models for AVR & TTS for under-resourced languages."