24-03-2011, 09:50 AM
PRESENTED BY
TYSON SUNNY
[attachment=10881]
INTRODUCTION
Speaking and listening is so fundamental that people take it for granted. Everyday people ask questions. They give instructions. Speaking and listening are necessary for learning and training, for selling and buying, for persuading and agreeing, and for most social interactions. For the majority of people, speaking and understanding spoken speech is simply the most convenient and natural way of interacting with other people.
So, is it possible to speak and listen to a computer?
Yes.
Emerging technology enables users to speak and listen to the computer now. Speech recognition converts spoken words and phrases into text, and speech synthesis converts text o human-like spoken words and phrases.
While speech recognition and synthesis have long been in the research stage, three recent advances have enabled speech recognition and synthesis technologies to be used in real products and services:
(1) faster, more powerful computer technology, (2) improved algorithms using speech data captured from the real world, and (3) improved strategies for using speech recognition and speech synthesis in conversational dialogs enabling users to speak and listen to the computer.
NEED FOR SPEAKING AND LISTENING TO A COMPUTER
Speech applications enable users to speak and listen to a computer despite physical impairments such as blindness or poor physical dexterity. Speaking enables impaired callers to access computers. Callers with poor physical dexterity (who cannot type) can use speech to enter requests to the computer. The sight-impaired can listen to the computer as it speaks.
When visual and/or mechanical interfaces are not an option, callers can perform transactions by saying what they want done and supplying the appropriate information. If a person with impairments can speak and listen, that person can use a computer to bypass the limitations of small keyboards and screens. As devices become smaller, our fingers do not. Keys on the keypad shrink often to the point where people with thick fingers press two or more keys with one finger stroke. The small screens on some cell phones may be difficult to see, especially in extreme lighting conditions. Even PDAs with QWERTY keyboards are awkward. (QWERTY is a sequence of six keys found on traditional keyboards used by most English and Western-European language speakers.)
Users hold the device with one hand and “hunt and peck” with the forefinger of the other hand. It is impossible to use both hands to touch-type and hold the device at the same time. By speaking, callers can bypass the keypad (except possibly for entering private data in crowded or noisy environments). By speaking and listening, callers can bypass the small screen of many handheld electronic devices.
SPEECH APPLICATIONS
IF THE DEVICE HAS NO KEYBOARD:
Many devices have no keypad or keyboard. For example, stoves, refrigerators, and heating and air conditioning thermostats have no keyboards. These appliances may have a small control panel with a couple of buttons and a dial. The physical controls are good for turning the appliance on and off and adjusting its temperature and time.
Without speech, a user cannot specify complex instructions such as, “turn the temperature in the oven to 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then change the temperature to 250 degrees for 15 minutes, and finally leave the oven on warm.” Without speech, the appliance cannot ask questions such as, “When on Saturday morning do you turn the heat on?” Any sophisticated dialog with these appliances will require speech input. And speech can be used with rotary phones, which do not have a keypad.
WHILE CALLERS WORK WITH THEIR HANDS AND EYES:
Speaking and listening are especially usefusituations where the caller’s eyes and/or hands are busy. Drivers need to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the steering wheel. If they must use a computer when driving, the interface should be speech only.
When driving machines requiring their hands to operate controls and their eyes to focus on the machine activities, machine operators can also use speech to communicate with a computer. (Although is it not recommended that you hold and use a cell phone while driving a car.)
Mothers and caregivers with children in their arms may also appreciate speaking and listening to a doctor’s Web page or medical service. If a person can speak and listen to others while they work, they can speak and listen to a computer while they work.
AT ANYTIME DURING THE DAY:
Many telephone help lines and receptionists are available only during working hours. Computers can automate much of this activity, such as accepting messages, providing information, and answering callers’ questions. Callers can access these automated services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via a telephone by speaking and listening to a computer. If a person can speak and listen, they can interact with a computer anytime during the day or night.
WITH INSTANT CONNECTION WITHOUT BEING ON “HOLD
Callers become frustrated when they hear “your call is very important to us” because this message means they must wait. “Thanks for waiting, all of our operators are busy” means more waiting. When using speech to interact with an application, there are no hold times.
The computer responds quickly. (However, computers can become saturated which results in delays; but these occur less frequently than callers waiting for a human operator.) Because many callers can be serviced by voice-enabled applications, the human operators are freed to resolve more difficult caller problems.
USING LANGUAGES THAT DO NOT LEND TO KEYBOARDING:
Some languages do not lend themselves to data entry using the traditional QWERTY keyboard. Rather than force Asian language users to mentally translate their words and phrases to phonetic sounds and then press the corresponding keys on the QWERTY keyboard, (QWERTY is a sequence of six keys found on traditional keyboards used by most English and Western-European language speakers.) a much better solution is to speak and listen.
Speech and handwriting recognition will be the key to enabling Asian language speakers to gain full use of computers. If a person can speak and listen to an Asian language, they can interact with a computer using that language.
TO CONVEY EMOTION:
In an effort to enhance written text to convey emotions, callers frequently use emoticons — keyboard symbols to convey emotions to enhance their text messages. Example emoticons include
for happy or a joke and 
for sad. With speech, these emotions can be conveyed naturally by changing the inflection, speed, and volume of the speaking voice.This tells the importance of speech in conveying emotions. Thus we can say that it is an important application for one who have to express his feelings naturally. Speech applications have excellent scope today.
TYSON SUNNY
[attachment=10881]
INTRODUCTION
Speaking and listening is so fundamental that people take it for granted. Everyday people ask questions. They give instructions. Speaking and listening are necessary for learning and training, for selling and buying, for persuading and agreeing, and for most social interactions. For the majority of people, speaking and understanding spoken speech is simply the most convenient and natural way of interacting with other people.
So, is it possible to speak and listen to a computer?
Yes.
Emerging technology enables users to speak and listen to the computer now. Speech recognition converts spoken words and phrases into text, and speech synthesis converts text o human-like spoken words and phrases.
While speech recognition and synthesis have long been in the research stage, three recent advances have enabled speech recognition and synthesis technologies to be used in real products and services:
(1) faster, more powerful computer technology, (2) improved algorithms using speech data captured from the real world, and (3) improved strategies for using speech recognition and speech synthesis in conversational dialogs enabling users to speak and listen to the computer.
NEED FOR SPEAKING AND LISTENING TO A COMPUTER
Speech applications enable users to speak and listen to a computer despite physical impairments such as blindness or poor physical dexterity. Speaking enables impaired callers to access computers. Callers with poor physical dexterity (who cannot type) can use speech to enter requests to the computer. The sight-impaired can listen to the computer as it speaks.
When visual and/or mechanical interfaces are not an option, callers can perform transactions by saying what they want done and supplying the appropriate information. If a person with impairments can speak and listen, that person can use a computer to bypass the limitations of small keyboards and screens. As devices become smaller, our fingers do not. Keys on the keypad shrink often to the point where people with thick fingers press two or more keys with one finger stroke. The small screens on some cell phones may be difficult to see, especially in extreme lighting conditions. Even PDAs with QWERTY keyboards are awkward. (QWERTY is a sequence of six keys found on traditional keyboards used by most English and Western-European language speakers.)
Users hold the device with one hand and “hunt and peck” with the forefinger of the other hand. It is impossible to use both hands to touch-type and hold the device at the same time. By speaking, callers can bypass the keypad (except possibly for entering private data in crowded or noisy environments). By speaking and listening, callers can bypass the small screen of many handheld electronic devices.
SPEECH APPLICATIONS
IF THE DEVICE HAS NO KEYBOARD:
Many devices have no keypad or keyboard. For example, stoves, refrigerators, and heating and air conditioning thermostats have no keyboards. These appliances may have a small control panel with a couple of buttons and a dial. The physical controls are good for turning the appliance on and off and adjusting its temperature and time.
Without speech, a user cannot specify complex instructions such as, “turn the temperature in the oven to 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then change the temperature to 250 degrees for 15 minutes, and finally leave the oven on warm.” Without speech, the appliance cannot ask questions such as, “When on Saturday morning do you turn the heat on?” Any sophisticated dialog with these appliances will require speech input. And speech can be used with rotary phones, which do not have a keypad.
WHILE CALLERS WORK WITH THEIR HANDS AND EYES:
Speaking and listening are especially usefusituations where the caller’s eyes and/or hands are busy. Drivers need to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the steering wheel. If they must use a computer when driving, the interface should be speech only.
When driving machines requiring their hands to operate controls and their eyes to focus on the machine activities, machine operators can also use speech to communicate with a computer. (Although is it not recommended that you hold and use a cell phone while driving a car.)
Mothers and caregivers with children in their arms may also appreciate speaking and listening to a doctor’s Web page or medical service. If a person can speak and listen to others while they work, they can speak and listen to a computer while they work.
AT ANYTIME DURING THE DAY:
Many telephone help lines and receptionists are available only during working hours. Computers can automate much of this activity, such as accepting messages, providing information, and answering callers’ questions. Callers can access these automated services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via a telephone by speaking and listening to a computer. If a person can speak and listen, they can interact with a computer anytime during the day or night.
WITH INSTANT CONNECTION WITHOUT BEING ON “HOLD
Callers become frustrated when they hear “your call is very important to us” because this message means they must wait. “Thanks for waiting, all of our operators are busy” means more waiting. When using speech to interact with an application, there are no hold times.
The computer responds quickly. (However, computers can become saturated which results in delays; but these occur less frequently than callers waiting for a human operator.) Because many callers can be serviced by voice-enabled applications, the human operators are freed to resolve more difficult caller problems.
USING LANGUAGES THAT DO NOT LEND TO KEYBOARDING:
Some languages do not lend themselves to data entry using the traditional QWERTY keyboard. Rather than force Asian language users to mentally translate their words and phrases to phonetic sounds and then press the corresponding keys on the QWERTY keyboard, (QWERTY is a sequence of six keys found on traditional keyboards used by most English and Western-European language speakers.) a much better solution is to speak and listen.
Speech and handwriting recognition will be the key to enabling Asian language speakers to gain full use of computers. If a person can speak and listen to an Asian language, they can interact with a computer using that language.
TO CONVEY EMOTION:
In an effort to enhance written text to convey emotions, callers frequently use emoticons — keyboard symbols to convey emotions to enhance their text messages. Example emoticons include
for happy or a joke and for sad. With speech, these emotions can be conveyed naturally by changing the inflection, speed, and volume of the speaking voice.This tells the importance of speech in conveying emotions. Thus we can say that it is an important application for one who have to express his feelings naturally. Speech applications have excellent scope today.