Correlation normalization of syllables and comparative evaluation of pronunciation quality in speech rehabilitation

Abstract

The paper considers the solution of aligning syllables in time problem. This kind of normalization allows to compare different implementations of the same syllable. This allows us to talk about a comparative evaluation of the syllables pronunciation quality in the event that one of the syllables is a reference implementation. If a patient’s record before the operative treatment of oral cancer is used as such a syllable, a comparative assessment of the quality of pronunciation of syllables in the process of speech rehabilitation can be made. In the process of normalization, an approach aimed at maximizing the correlation between individual fragments of the syllable is applied. Then, as a measure of similarity between the reference and the estimated syllable, the correlation coefficient is used. The work demonstrates the validity of such a decision based on the processing of records from healthy people and patients before and after surgical treatment. The results of this work allow us to approach the implementation of an automated software system for assessing the quality of pronunciation of syllables and proceed to implement its working prototype.