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Voice Communication Between Humans and Machines (1994) / Chapter Skim
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Speech Recognition Technology: A Critique
Pages 159-164

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 159...
... The two papers comprising this session argue that current technology yields a performance that is only an order of magnitude in error rate away from human performance and that incremental improvements will bring us to that desired level. I argue that, to the contrary, present performance is far removed from human performance and a revolution in our thinking is required to achieve the goal.
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From page 160...
... Also included in the paper are discussions of extracting features from the speech waveform, measuring the performance of the system and the possibility of using the newer methods based on artificial neural networks. Makhoul and Schwartz conclude that, as a result of the advances made in model accuracy, algorithms, and the power of computers, a "paradigm shift" has occurred in the sense that high-accuracy, realtime, speaker-independent, continuous speech recognition for mediumsized vocabularies can be implemented in software running on commercially available workstations.
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From page 161...
... Although it is counterintuitive to the naive observer, it does not, by itself, constitute a paradigm shift. The revolutionary concept arises from the consideration of another aspect of the solar system besides planetary position.
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From page 162...
... In short, the incremental improvements in phonetic modeling accuracy and search methods summarized by Makhoul and Telinek in this session do not constitute a paradigm shift. The fact that these improved techniques can run in near real time on cheap, readily available hardware is merely a result of the huge advances in microelectronics that came about nearly independent of work in speech technology.
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From page 163...
... That is, incremental technical advances will, in the near term, result in a fragile technology of relatively small commercial value in very special markets, whereas major technological advances resulting from a true paradigm shift in the underlying science will enable machines to display human levels of competence in spoken language commu
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From page 164...
... This, in turn, will result in a vast market of incalculable commercial value. It is, of course, entirely possible that the majority opinion is correct, that a diligent effort resulting in a long sequence of rapid incremental improvements will yield the desired perfected speech recognition technology.
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Key Terms

  • paradigm shift
  • human performance
  • incremental improvements
  • recognition technology
  • technological forecasting

  • speech technology
  • spoken language
  • technical improvements
  • commercially viable
  • continuous speech

  • newtonian mechanics
  • error rate
  • fundamental science
  • majority opinion
  • admittedly minority

  • extracting features
  • brief account
  • information service
  • available workstations
  • current euphoria

  • sometimes contradictory
  • symbolic transcription
  • markov model
  • art requires
  • software running

  • celestial mechanics
  • highly accurate
  • session argue
  • mathematical object
  • representing words


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