Computer program recognises any language
Source: Norunn K. Torheim/Else Lie

In future, it may be possible to simply ask for what you are looking for. Photo: Shutterstock


If computers are rendered capable of recognising speech it will one day be the norm to give commands by voice rather than via a keyboard. “Speaking” with a mobile phone is already commonplace for many people. The technology can also be used for searching through an audio archive for files or films on the Internet.

But achieving good speech recognition is a difficult task. Spoken language differs widely from written language and there is wide variation in spoken language between individuals, such as differences in dialects.

Everyone sounds alike

With funding from the Large-scale Programme on Core Competence and Value Creation in ICT (VERDIKT) under the Research Council of Norway, Professor Torbjørn Svendsen of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and fellow research colleagues have been testing an innovative approach to creating next-generation speech recognition technology.

The Norwegian researchers have demonstrated that the production of human speech is fundamentally the same across languages. As such, the technology being developed will be applicable to any language without being reliant on speech data for each individual language to train a machine.

The researchers based their approach on phonetics �C that is, the study of the sounds of human speech. They have also incorporated additional speech and language knowledge into the system, for example the correspondence between sound frequency and words and how words are put together in forming sentences.

The method developed by Dr Svendsen and colleagues involves training a computer to determine which parts of the speech organs are in activity based on analysis of the pressure of sound waves captured by the microphone.

One language at a time
Up to now, two different approaches to speech recognition systems have been most prevalent. Both are based on the use of speech data and source texts in training a computer to recognise different languages on an individual basis.





“Speaking” with a mobile phone is already commonplace for many people. Photo: Shutterstock
The one approach involves individuals observing words and sounds and deducing rules which are then entered into the computer. For instance, whether or not a sound is voiced depends on whether the vocal cords vibrate during the production of the sound.



The method developed involves training a computer to determine which parts of the speech organs are in activity based on analysis of the pressure of sound waves captured by the microphone. Photo: Shutterstock

“We are currently developing a computer program which determines the probability of various distinctive characteristics being present or absent during sound production �C for example, if there is vocal cord vibration, this indicates the occurrence of a voiced sound. This is our method of classifying sounds,” Professor Svendsen relates.

Identifying a language in a matter of seconds
The next step for the Norwegian researchers is to develop a language-independent module for use in designing competitive speech recognition products.

“The solutions will result in savings both in terms of time and money. It is an important technology, not only for people who are part of a minor language group such as Norwegian. There are a staggering number of languages with only a few million speakers that would benefit greatly from such tools,” concludes Dr Svendsen.

A by-product is that this type of technology can be useful in contexts where several different languages are being used at once. It takes only in 30 to 60 seconds to identify a given spoken language. This can be helpful in instances where, for example, a person giving a presentation in one language cites a quote in another. It can also be significant in investigative work to determine quickly which language an individual is speaking.