An algorithm for the assignment of lexical stress in converting text to speech
Date
1989
Authors
Urbanczyk, Suzanne C.
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Abstract
This thesis describes the development and testing of an algorithm to assign main stress to English words. It has been developed for inclusion in a text- to- speech conversion system. Within the field of speech technology, the correct assignment of lexical stress is important in ensuring that the correct rules of prosody are applied to the speech output. Some of the problems associated with word stress in English have been addressed, including aspects of the morphological structure of English and a quantity- sensitive stress rule. The algorithm developed is as accurate or more accurate than other stress- assigning algorithms reported on in the literature.
During the evaluation of the algorithm, some observations have been made that may have future implications for theories of lexical stress assignment for English.