Patent ID: 7191132
Filing Date: 2007-03-13
Classification: G10L

Abstract:
1. Speech synthesis apparatus comprising: a dialog-style selection arrangement responsive to at least one factor affecting intelligibility of speech output as heard by a user, to select a dialog style intended to provide at least a minimum level of intelligibility; a speech-application text provider arranged to provide text-form utterances for a current speech application in the dialog style selected by the selection arrangement; a text-to-speech converter arranged to convert text-form utterances received from the speech-application text provider into speech form and arranged to generate the said at least one factor; and wherein the selection arrangement is operative to select a dialog style intended to balance intelligibility and naturalness whilst maintaining said minimum level of intelligibility whereby changes in said at least one factor indicating improved intelligibility of speech output lead to changes in dialog style in favor of naturalness whilst changes in said at least one factor indicating reduced intelligibility of speech output lead to changes in dialog style in favor of intelligibility.