Non-mainstream Languages and Speech Recognition
Some Challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v21i2.229-243Keywords:
Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Speech Technology, Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTL), Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL)Abstract
Most languages of the world have not been the focus of a speech recognition development effort, and the choice of technical approaches best suited to a language can be substantially impacted by the cultural context surrounding it. As the technologist and the teacher of or expert in a non-mainstream language and its culture are typically not the same person, issues that are self-evident to one may come as a surprise to the other. The goal of this paper is to add one plank to the bridge between these two areas of expertise by highlighting some aspects of non-mainstream linguistic contexts that pose challenges to the usual model of speech recognition system development and by suggesting alternative ways to meet these challenges.
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