Abstract:
The present invention discloses a solution that automatically informs a speaker to decrease his or her speaking rate, when that rate likely exceeds a rate that a listener can understand. This can be accomplished by determining a speaking rate for the speaker, which is compared against a speaking rate threshold. The speaking rate threshold can be based upon a listening rate, estimated or known, of the listener. The listening rate can be a variable value based in part upon a proficiency that the listener has with a language being spoken. The speaker can be informed to slow down by an activation of a sensory mechanism of a wearable computing device designed to vibrate, beep, blink, speak a message, display a message, and the like, whenever a speaking rate of the speaker exceeds the speaking rate threshold.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    the present invention relates to automated speech technologies and, more particularly, to automatically providing an indication to a speaker when that speaker&#39;s rate of speech is likely to be greater than a rate that a listener is able to comprehend 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Understanding a person speaking their native language can be difficult when that language is not a primary language of a listener since the native speaker often speaks too rapidly for the listener to digest the spoken words. For example, a person from Japan, who is moderately proficient in English, can have trouble understanding a native English speaking person, who is speaking at a pace that would be typically used when talking to another native English speaker. 
         [0005]    One simple solution to improve understanding is for a speaker to slow down their speaking rate when speaking to a non-native speaker. Unfortunately, a speaker often fails to recognize the listener&#39;s difficulty in understanding a conversation and fails to decrease their speaking rate. The non-native listener is often embarrassed or reticent to ask the speaker to slow down. This can be especially true if the listener has already asked the speaker to slow down once or twice during a conversation, which the speaker has done only to inadvertently increase his or her speaking rate as the conversation endures or as the emotional pitch of the conversation escalates. 
         [0006]    Acoustic an semantic clarity of a speaker is also a factor for determining a speaking rate, which a listener can comprehend. For example, when a speaker uses colloquialisms, which can be very difficult for a non-native speaker to process, a speaking rate should be even slower than normal. In another example, strong accents and/or dialects can increase listener difficulty, even when a listener is a native speaker of the language being spoken. This increased listener difficulty can be compensated for by a corresponding speaking rate decrease. Additionally, when a speaker mumbles or has speech idiosyncrasies, he or she can be harder than normal to understand, unless the speaking ate of the speaker is decreased to a slower than normal rate. In still another example, a clarity problem can occur for communications over a voice network connection due to the quality of the voice network being low or inconsistent. As a result, the speech received by a listener can be difficult to comprehend. Network clarity problems can be compensated for by having a speaker decrease their rate of speech. No known device or solution exists that detects situations in which a speaking rate is too rapid for a listener and that automatically informs a speaker to reduce his or her speaking rate accordingly. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention discloses a solution that automatically informs a speaker to decrease his or her speaking rate, when that rate likely exceeds a rate that a listener can understand. This can be accomplished by determining a speaking rate for the speaker, which is compared against a speaking rate threshold. The speaking rate threshold can be based upon a listening rate, estimated or known, of the listener. The listening rate can be a variable value based in part upon a proficiency that the listener has with a language being spoken. The speaker can be informed to slow down by an activation of a sensory mechanism of a wearable computing device that is designed to vibrate, beep, blink, speak a message, display a message, and the like, whenever a speaking rate of the speaker exceeds the speaking rate threshold. 
         [0008]    The present invention can be implemented in accordance with numerous aspects consistent with the material presented herein. For example, one aspect of the present invention can include an automated method to facilitate understanding between discourse participants. The method can include a step of automatically ascertaining a speaking rate threshold for a listener. The speaking rate threshold can be a threshold over which the listener is likely to have difficulty comprehending speech. A speaking rate of a speaker can then be automatically determined. The speaker can be automatically notified that his or her speaking rate should be decreased, whenever the speaking rate exceeds the speaking rate threshold. 
         [0009]    Another aspect of the present invention can include a method for facilitating comprehension during a discourse bed in part upon a discourse language. The method can begin in a situation wherein a speaker is engaged in a discourse with a listener. A language of the discourse can be determined. A listener&#39;s proficiency with the language can be ascertained and used to establish a speaking rate threshold. A speaking rate of the speaker can then be determined. When the speaking rate exceeds the speaking rate threshold, the speaker can be automatically notified to decrease his or her speaking rate. 
         [0010]    Yet another aspect of the present invention can include a device for facilitating understanding between discourse participants that includes a microphone and a sensory mechanism. The microphone can receive speech of a speaker. The sensory mechanism can automatically inform the speaker when tat speaker&#39;s rate of speech is too rapid for a listener to easily comprehend spoken dialog. The determination that the speaking rate is too rapid can be based upon automatically comparing the speaking rate of the speaker against a previously established speaking rate threshold. 
         [0011]    In one embodiment, the device can also include a speaking rate processor and a comprehension comparator. The speaking rate processor can determine the speaking rate for speech, which is obtained via the microphone. The comprehension comparator can compare the determined speaking rate against the speaking rate threshold. In a different embodiment, the device can include a transceiver that communicatively connects the device to a network element, which performs the functions ascribed to the speaking rate processor and the comprehension comparator. 
         [0012]    It should be noted that various aspects of the invention can be implemented as a program for controlling computing equipment to implement the functions described herein, or a program for enabling computing equipment to perform processes corresponding to the steps disclosed herein. This program may be provided by sorting the program in a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or any other recording medium. The program can also be provided as a digitally encoded signal conveyed via a carrier wave. The described program can be a single program or can be implemented as multiple subprograms, each of which interact within a single computing device or interact in a distributed fashion across a network space. 
         [0013]    The method detailed herein can also be a method performed at least in part by a service agent and/or a machine manipulated by a service agent in response to a service request. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0014]    There are shown in the drawings, embodiments which are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing a solution for increasing comprehension by detecting a speaker&#39;s rate of speech, comparing the speaking rate to a listening rate, and warning the speaker to slow down when the speaking rate exceeds the listening rate. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart of a method for automatically notifying a speaker to decrease their speaking rate in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements disclosed herein. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing a solution for increasing comprehension by detecting a speaker&#39;s rate of speech, comparing the speaking rate to a listening rate, and warning the speaker to slow down when the speaking rate exceeds the listening rate. System  100  shows a speaker  102  engaged in a discourse  108  with one or more listeners  110 . A device  130  can monitor the rate of speech during the discourse  108 . When the rate of speech is too rapid for listener  110  comprehension, an indicator  106  warning the speaker  102  to slow down can be provided. 
         [0018]    In one embodiment, the discourse  108  can be in a language other than a primary language of listener  110 . The listener  110  may be able to comprehend the spoken language, but not at a rate which a native speaker could understand it. A number of techniques can be used to automatically determine that a current language is not a primary language of the listener  110 . 
         [0019]    Further, various ones of the techniques may detect that an alternative language to that the discourse  108  language exists, which both the speaker  102  and the listener  110  are proficient in. When this is the case, the indicator  106  can include an option to shift the discourse  108  to the alternative language. 
         [0020]    The discourse  108  can include any conversation involving the speaker  102  and the listener  110 . The discourse  108  can include a face-to-face conversation, a telephone conversation, a Web-based interaction having a voice modality, a speaking engagement involving a group of attendees (listeners  110 ) and the speaker  102 , and other communications. 
         [0021]    In situations where a voice communication occurs using telephony devices that are linked via a network, a quality of the voice network connection can also be an important factor in determining a listener&#39;s  110  ability to comprehend the discourse  108 . To account for network clarity, the device  130  can monitor a quality of a voice connection during a call and can prompt  106  the speaker  102  to decrease his or her speaking rate to a rate more comprehensible to listener  110 , considering an overall quality, nature, and language of received speech. 
         [0022]    The device  130  can be a wearable device, such as a smart phone, which can vibrate, blink, produce speech, and/or provide another indicator  106  that notifies speaker  102  to decease a speaking rate or to adjust a speaking language. In such an embodiment, the device  130  can be operable during mobile telephony calls where the listener  110  is a call participant as well as when no calls are being made where the listener  110  is a bystander. Thus, device  130  can add an entirely new function to a mobile telephone or other portable device, which is able to leverage computing capabilities of the portable device to provide this new speaking rate detection and notification ability. 
         [0023]    The device  130  can also be integrated into a teleprompter or other mechanism or set of mechanisms that are present in an environment in which speeches are routinely given. Additionally, the device  130  can be a portable device worn by the listener  110  that includes a sensory mechanism noticeable by the speaker  102 , which is selectively activated to notify the speaker  102  that a current rat of speech is too rapid for the listener  110 . The device  130  can be implemented as a stand-alone computing device, as a networked computing device that utilizes processing capabilities of a remotely located networked device  150 , and/or as a series of communicatively linked distributed mechanisms that together cooperatively perform the operations disclosed herein. 
         [0024]    As shown in system  120 , the computing device  130  can include a microphone  132 , a sensory mechanism  133 , a speaking rate processor  134 , a language detector  135 , a speech clarity processor  136 , a comprehension comparator  137 , a wireless transceiver  138 , and the like. The microphone  132  can be any device that converts acoustic sound waves into an electrical representation. Microphone  132  can be used to capture the speech of speaker  102  and listener  110  to determine a language being spoken, a speaking rate, and/or a language proficiency level. 
         [0025]    Sensory mechanism  133  can be any mechanism for informing speaker  102  that his/her speaking rate should be decreased. For example, a vibration, a tone, a flashing LED, a displayed message, a speech message, a haptic or tactile indicator, and the like can be indications provided by mechanism  133 . In an embodiment having multiple sensory mechanisms  133  available, an active mechanism can be user configurable. 
         [0026]    The speaking rate processor  134  can be used to process speech of the speaker  102  and to dynamically determine a speaking rate. The language detector  135  can process speech to determine a language being spoken. The comprehension comparator  137  can compare a speaking rate against a speaking rate threshold and can trigger mechanisms  133  to indicate a speaker  102  needs to slow down, when appropriate. 
         [0027]    The speech clarity processor  136  can analyze speech to determine a clarity value, which can be used to adjust a speaking rate and/or a speaking rate threshold. The clarity value can be based upon a clarity with which a communicating party  102  speaks and also based on a quality of a voice network connection, if any is present, over which speech is conveyed to a listener  110 . 
         [0028]    In one contemplated implementation, a speaker table  164  can be constructed and stored in a memory accessible by device  130 . The speaking table  164  can enumerate languages spoken by a speaker  102  and can relate a clarity value to each spoken language. The information about speaker languages contained in table  164  can be useful in embodiments that suggest an alternative language, such as Spanish, as shown in indicator  106 , which is shared by both the speaker  102  and the listener  110 . 
         [0029]    Wireless transceiver  138  can be used to exchange digital content between device  130  and one or more eternal systems communicatively linked to the network  145 . For example, wireless transceiver  138  can be used to exchange digital content between computing device  130  and network device  150 . Network device  150  can include speech processing components  152  configured to perform one or more of the operations associated with processor  134 , detector  135 , processor  136 , and/or comparator  137 . Remote speech processing by components  152  can be particularly advantageous in situations where device  130  is a resource constrained device that is unable to locally perform speech processing operations. 
         [0030]    Device  150  can also include one or more listener profiling and/or identification components  154 . In one embodiment, the listener profiling components  154  can cooperatively interact with listener identifying mechanisms  140 . For example, mechanism  140  can be a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag worn by a listener, which is readable by components  154 . The tag can provide a listener identification that can be a key value of listener table  162 , which can relate to listener languages and listening rates. The listening rates can correspond to a language proficiency and can be used to establish a listener-specific speaking rate threshold. Listening rate thresholds and additional information can also be directly stored upon the RFID tag, worn by the listener  110 . 
         [0031]    In another embodiment, the listener profiling components  154  can use speech analysis, video analysis, and other technologies to identify the listener  110 , so that table  162  values can be utilized. In yet another embodiment, the listener profiling components  154  can be configured to determine characteristics of a listener  110 , as opposed to actual listener identity, which are indicative of a language proficiency. For example, components  154  can determine a speaking rate of the listener in the discourse  108  language and can base the speaking rate threshold on the listener&#39;s speaking rate. In another example, listener speech can be examined for semantic and acoustic queues that are indicative of the listener&#39;s proficiency with a particular language. In still another example, a listener&#39;s appearance can be analyzed for region specific characteristics, such as Asian characteristics, Arabic characteristics, and the like, and assumptions relating to language proficiency can be made based upon these characteristics. Preferably, imprecise indicators, such as appearance based markers, can be combined with other indicators to increase an accuracy of language proficiency estimations. 
         [0032]    As shown in system  120 , network  145  can include any hardware/software/and firmware necessary to convey digital content encoded within carrier waves. Content can be contained within analog or digital signals and conveyed through data or voice channels. The network  145  can include local components and data pathways necessary for communications to be exchanged among computing device components and between integrated device components and peripheral devices. The network  145  can also include network equipment, such as routers, data lines, hubs, and intermediary servers which together form a packet-based network, such as the Internet or an intranet. The network  145  can further include circuit-based communication components and mobile communication components, such as telephony switches, modems, cellular communication towers, and the like. The network  145  can include line based and/or wireless communication pathways. 
         [0033]    Additionally, data store  160  can be a physical or virtual storage space configured to store digital content. Data store  160  can be physically implemented within any type of hardware including, but not limited to, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, a digitally encoded plastic memory, a holographic memory, or any other recording medium. Further, data store  160  can be a stand-alone storage unit as well as a storage unit formed from a plurality of physical devices. Additionally, content can be stored within data store  160  in a variety of manners. For example, content can be stored within a relational database structure or can be stored within one or more files of a file storage system, where each file may or may not be indexed for information searching purposes. Further, data store  160  can optionally utilize one or more encryption mechanisms to protect stored content from unauthorized access. 
         [0034]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart of a method  200  for automatically notifying a speaker to decrease their speaking rate in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements disclosed herein. The method  200  can be performed in the context of system  120 . 
         [0035]    Method  200  can begin in step  205 , where a discourse involving a speaker and one or more listeners can be identified. In step  210 , a language being spoken can be detected. In step  215 , a determination can be made regarding whether the spoken language is a primary language of the listener. If so, the method can progress from step  215  to step  220 , where a speaking threshold can be set to that of a native speaker. The method can then skip from step  220  to step  250 . 
         [0036]    When the spoken language is not a primary language of the listener, the method can progress from step  215  to step  225 , where an attempt can be made to determine the listener&#39;s identity. If the attempt of step  225  is successful, step  230  can be performed, where a listening rate associated with the listener can be determined. In step  235 , a speaking rate threshold can be set to the listener specific rate. The method can skip from step  235  to step  250 . 
         [0037]    When in step  225 , a listener identify cannot be determined, the method can progress to step  240 , where the listener can be profiled to estimate a listening rate. For example, speech processing of listener provided speech can be performed to detect whether the listener has a heavy accent, which can be indicative of the listener not being a native speaker of that language. In step  245 , the speaking rate threshold can be set to the estimated listening rate. 
         [0038]    In step  250 , a speaking rate for the speaker can be determined. In optional step  255 , a speaking clarity value can be determined for the speaker. The speaker rate can be adjusted in accordance with the speaking clarity. That is, a faster speaking rate can be comprehensible when speech clarity is high than when speech clarity is low. In one contemplated embodiment, speaking clarity can be affected by the emotional content or emotional pitch of a discourse. Thus, one actor in determining a clarity value can be ascertained by analyzing the discourse for emotional content. Generally, discourses with high emotional content have a lower clarity level than discourses with minimal emotional content. 
         [0039]    In step  260 , a determination can be made as to whether the speaking rate is less than or equal to the speaking threshold. This comparison can indicate whether the listener is able to comprehend the conversation. When the speaking rate does not exceed the threshold, the method can loop from step  260  back to step  250 , where a speaking rate for the speaker can again be determined. The loop can continue for a duration of a discourse. 
         [0040]    When the speaking rate exceeds the speaking threshold, the method can progress from step  260  to step  265 , where the speaker can be notified to reduce their speaking rate. In optional step  270 , a determination can be made as to whether the speaker and listener share a language other than the language being spoken. For example, the speaker, who was originally speaking in English, can also speak Spanish, which can be a primary language of the listener. Moreover, the speaker&#39;s proficiency with Spanish can be greater than the listener&#39;s proficiency with English, which would make changing the language of the discourse beneficial from an overall comprehension standpoint. In step  275 , the speaker can be notified of the shared alternative language, and be thereby provided an option to shift the conversation language to the alternative language. When a language change occurs, different values for the speaking rate threshold and speaker clarity can be determined (not shown). The method can loop from step  275  to step  250 , where a speaking rate of the speaker can continue to be determined. 
         [0041]    The present invention may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in one computer system or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software may be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the compute system such that it carries out the methods described herein. 
         [0042]    The present invention also may be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form. 
         [0043]    This invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.