The Need for a Speech Corpus
| Autor: | Dermot Campbell, Ciaran McDonnell, Marti Meinardi, Bunny Richardson |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | EU FP6 |
| Rok vydání: | 2007 |
| Předmět: |
Linguistics and Language
Computer science authentic language Teaching method Pronunciation computer.software_genre Language and Linguistics Education Active listening speech corpus speech flow listening skills business.industry Educational technology Applied linguistics Speech corpus Language acquisition Linguistics Computer Science Applications technology slow-down Artificial intelligence Computational linguistics business computer Natural language processing |
| Zdroj: | Articles |
| Popis: | This paper outlines the ongoing construction of a speech corpus for use by applied linguists and advanced EFL/ESL students. In the first part, sections 1–4, the need for improvements in the teaching of listening skills and pronunciation practice for EFL/ESL students is noted. It is argued that the use of authentic native-to-native speech is imperative in the teaching/learning process so as to promote social inclusion. The arguments for authentic language learning material and the use of a speech corpus are contextualised within the literature, based mainly on the work of Swan, Brown and McCarthy. The second part, section 5, addresses features of native speech flow which cause difficulties for EFL/ESL students (Brown, Cauldwell) and establishes the need for improvements in the teaching of listening skills. Examples are given of reduced forms characteristic of relaxed native speech, and how these can be made accessible for study using the Dublin Institute of Technology’s slow-down technology, which gives students more time to study native speech features, without tonal distortion. The final part, sections 6–8, introduces a novel Speech Corpus being developed at DIT. It shows the limits of traditional corpora and outlines the general requirements of a Speech Corpus. This tool – which will satisfy the needs of teachers, learners and researchers – will link digitally recorded, natural, native-to-native speech so that each transcript segment will give access to its associated sound file. Users will be able to locate desired speech strings, play, compare and contrast them – and slow them down for more detailed study. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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