Package of computer programs for articulatory modeling of the speech process

Abstract

At the poster session we will describe a package of FORTRAN. programs which accomplish articulatory synthesis of speech from phonetic input. The package of subroutines will include the following: (1) a coarticulation program which, knowing featurelike descriptions of speech segments, performs the staggered sequencing of “motor commands” necessary for proper overlapping of articulatory movements; (2) a dynamics program that converts stepwise motor commands into smooth articulatory movements; (3) an instantaneous model of the vocal tract; (4) a parametric-speed model of the pneumatic system, of vocal-cord activity and fricative noise sources; and (5) a routine for converting the above articulatory details into formants and other controls for parametric synthesis. (Of course, the package of programs can also be used with a direct time-domain acoustic tube model, as well.) The formal presentation will contain a brief description of the package of programs, and comments on several aspects of speech synthesis by articulatory modeling.