ERIC Number: EJ954159
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 28
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0958-8221
EISSN: N/A
Analysis of and Feedback on Phonetic Features in Pronunciation Training with a Virtual Teacher
Engwall, Olov
Computer Assisted Language Learning, v25 n1 p37-64 2012
Pronunciation errors may be caused by several different deviations from the target, such as voicing, intonation, insertions or deletions of segments, or that the articulators are placed incorrectly. Computer-animated pronunciation teachers could potentially provide important assistance on correcting all these types of deviations, but they have an additional benefit for articulatory errors. By making parts of the face transparent, they can show the correct position and shape of the tongue and provide audiovisual feedback on how to change erroneous articulations. Such a scenario however requires firstly that the learner's current articulation can be estimated with precision and secondly that the learner is able to imitate the articulatory changes suggested in the audiovisual feedback. This article discusses both these aspects, with one experiment on estimating the important articulatory features from a speaker through acoustic-to-articulatory inversion and one user test with a virtual pronunciation teacher, in which the articulatory changes made by seven learners who receive audiovisual feedback are monitored using ultrasound imaging. (Contains 7 figures and 1 table.)
Descriptors: Feedback (Response), Phonetics, Pronunciation, Computer Assisted Instruction, Intonation, Error Correction, Articulation (Speech), Audiovisual Aids, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Pronunciation Instruction, Diagnostic Tests, Swedish, Acoustics, Foreign Countries, Computer Simulation, Language Teachers
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A