Categories | Inventors
CORPORA from CSLU: Kids speech v1.1
OHSU # 0681-G
Categories:
Inventors:
- CSLU, SOM CSLU
Overview
The Kids' Speech Corpus was developed to facilitate research about
the characteristics of kids' speech at different ages and to train and evaluate
recognizers for use in language training and other interactive tasks involving
children. For instance, this corpus was used to train recognizers used in
language development with deaf children. In cooperation with the Forest Grove School District
speech was gathered from children in grades K through 10. Approximately 100
children at each grade level have been
recorded.
Methodology
The data collection was performed using
the CSLU Speech Toolkit and two
Pentium Pro computers running Windows NT. The protocol consists of a series of
words and sentences that the child was prompted to repeat by a computer animated
talking head. Each computer was manned by a CSLU staff member who monitored
progress and helped the child with any difficulties. The average time spent by a
child at the computer was 20 minutes, yielding approximately 8-10 minutes of
speech (16 bit, 16khz, mono). The data are recorded through Soundblaster audio
cards, with head-mounted microphones.
Collection Status
The
following table shows the number of kids recorded for each grade at the end of
the collection.
Number Collected
Grade Male Female
10 76 30
9 70 40
8 49 50
7 46 51
6 57 55
5 49 49
4 47 45
3 63 54
2 53 61
1 58 31
K 39 50
Protocol
The development of a protocol for this data
collection was driven by a variety of important principles. We wanted to collect
words, phrases, and fluent speech in a manner that could be repeated for all of
the children, regardless of age. This necessitated words and phrases that were
simple enough to be mimicked by the youngest children (ages 5 or 6). In addition
to this simplicity requirement, we tried to get a sampling of the most common
biphones in as many contexts as possible.
Download a Sample
A small sample of the kids speech
corpora may be downloaded for free: Kids' Speech
The Center for Spoken Language Understanding (CSLU) distributes corpora to commercial entities and academic institutions for a fee. Commercial entities can use these corpora for research but also for creating commercial products such as generating acoustic models for speech recognition.
To place your order:
1. Click on the type of license you wish to order. The Academic or non-profit entity fee is $50; Commercial entity fee is $5,500.
2. Terms of the license agreement can be viewed by clicking on the word "terms".
3. You agree to the terms of the license agreement when you click on "Add to Order" and proceed to the next screen.
4. If information on the "Order Contents" screen is correct, press "Check out".
5. On the next screen, a brief "Intended Use" is required. For "Recipient Scientist Information" enter the appropriate information for yourself or if you are placing the order for another person enter that information. We will use this information should we have questions about the order, payment or shipping address.
6. Once your payment has been received and verified by OHSU, your order will be approved by Technology Transfer & Business Development and then the DVD will be sent out by the Center for Spoken Language Understanding by FedEx within 5-10 business days.
For more information and to listen to demos, visit the CSLU Corpora website at:
http://www.cslu.ogi.edu/corpora/corpCurrent.html
For more information, contact:
Michele Gunness
Senior Technology Development Manager
503-494-4184
