Patent ID: 6240384
Filing Date: 2001-05-29
Classification: G10L

Abstract:
A speech synthesis method for use in a text-to-speech system, said method comprising the steps of:generating a plurality of synthesized speech segments Gij, where i and j are positive integers, by changing at least one of a pitch and a duration of each of a plurality of second speech segments Sj so as to be equal to at least one of a pitch and a duration of each of a plurality of first speech segments Ti, said second speech segments Sj corresponding to input speech segments and said first speech segments Ti corresponding to training speech segments;evaluating a distortion eij of each of the synthesized speech segments Gij based on a distance between each of the synthesized speech segments Gij and each of the first speech segments Ti;selecting a plurality of synthesis units Dk indicating a minimum evaluation from the second speech segments Sj based on the distortion eij;forming a plurality of synthesis context clusters using the information regarding the distance and the synthesis units Dk; andgenerating a synthesis speech by selecting those of the synthesis units, which correspond to at least one of the synthesis context clusters which includes phonetic contexts of input phonemes derived from input text information, and connecting the selected synthesis units.