On The Use of Phonological Features for Pronunciation Scoring

Abstract

It is acknowledged that in many medical and educational applications there is a great need for good objective assessments of the pronunciation proficiency of a speaker, either a non-native speaker of the language or a native speaker with a certain speech handicap (e.g. a deaf or dysarthric speaker). Most pronunciation scoring software developed thus far just measures an over-all proficiency. The system proposed here envisages the computation of more detailed information on the nature of the pronunciation deficiencies. To that end, it works with a phonological representation of the speech. Described is the development of the system as well as its first encouraging assessments of non-native speakers of American English