Speaker Adaptation in a Limited Speech Recognition System

This study examines the feasibility and limitations of speaker adaptation in improving the performance of a fixed (speaker-independent) automatic speech recognition system. A fixed vocabulary of 55 [ƏCVd] syllables is used in the recognition system, where C is 1 of 11 stops and fricatives, and V is 1 of 5 tense vowels. The results of the experiment on speaker adaptation, performed with 6 male and 6 female adult speakers, show that speakers can learn to change their articulations to appreciably improve recognition scores. The preliminary results obtained also indicate that most of the necessary adaptation can be achieved in a relatively short time, provided that the speakers are instructed in how to change their articulations to produce the desired effects.