Computer-based pronunciation checking

[dwblair]

Background

Non-native speakers of a given language are assisted in their pronunciation by having a computer system check whether the word that they are saying matches a "standard" pronunciation.

• A basic first test of this idea: using an online audio-based search tool like this one, the user attempts to search for a given word by saying the word out loud. If the computer recognizes the word, then the pronunciation is sufficiently close to "standard pronunciation" that the pronunciation was relatively accurate.
• A next step would be a machine learning system that was expressly dedicated for this purpose, with, e.g., a user-tuned "closeness to standard pronunciation" parameter, different regional accents, and an ability to assess what word the user intended, given their native language's phonemes.