Patent Document ID: 8972259
Application ID: 12878402

Base Claim:
1. A method, comprising: delexicalizing a speech segment to generate a first prosodic speech signal; encoding the first prosodic speech signal to generate a musically encoded prosodic speech signal; storing data indicative of the musically encoded prosodic speech signal in a computer memory; audibly playing the musically encoded prosodic speech signal to a language student; prompting, in response to the audibly playing, the student to recite the speech segment from which the musically encoded prosodic speech signal originated; recording audible speech uttered by the student in response to the prompt; delexicalizing the audible speech to generate a second prosodic speech signal; calculating at least one error signal based on a difference between: a difference between a duration of a first syllable in the first prosodic speech signal and a duration of a second syllable in the first prosodic speech signal, the first syllable in the first prosodic speech signal being non-adjacent to the second syllable in the first prosodic speech signal; and a difference between a duration of a first syllable in the second prosodic speech signal and a duration of a second syllable in the second prosodic speech signal, the first syllable in the second prosodic speech signal being non-adjacent to the second syllable in the second prosodic speech signal.

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Claim 3:
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: determining prosodic characteristics of the first prosodic speech signal and the second prosodic speech signal, the calculating the at least one error signal being based on the prosodic characteristics of the first prosodic speech signal and the second prosodic speech signal, the prosodic characteristics including rhythm, the prosodic characteristics further including at least one of prosody; duration in time; a total number of syllables; or a pitch level of at least one syllable.