Abstract
Formal parameters of speech prosody are investigated concerning their ability to estimate the perceptual quality of text-to-speech (TTS) signals. The study is carried out for the German language using a broad databasis comprising a wide range of TTS systems and text materials. 18 purely acoustic markers, derived from F <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">o</sub> and vocalic/consonantal durations, are analysed individually and in conjunction via cross-validated regression models. The F <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">o</sub> slope within voiced segments proves particularly useful when integrated in a nonlinear fashion, whereas measures of durational variation perform comparably weak. The results highlight a strong potential for instrumental estimation techniques of TTS quality.
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