The Prosody of Pet Robot Directed Speech: Evidence from Children

Batliner A, Steidl S, Biersack S (2006)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Conference contribution, Conference Contribution

Publication year: 2006

Original Authors: Batliner Anton, Biersack Sonja, Steidl Stefan

Publisher: TUDpress

City/Town: Dresden

Pages Range: 1-4

Conference Proceedings Title: Proc. Speech Prosody, 3rd International Conference

Event location: Dresden DE

URI: http://www5.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/Forschung/Publikationen/2006/Batliner06-TPO.pdf

Abstract

In this paper, we present a database with emotional children’s speech in a human-robot scenario: the children were giving instructions to Sony’s pet robot dog AIBO, with AIBO showing both obedient and disobedient behaviour. In such a scenario, a specific type of partner-centered interaction can be observed. We aimed at finding prosodic correlates of children’s emotional speech and were interested to see which speech registers children use when talking to AIBO. For interpretation, we left the weighting and categorization of prosodic features to a statistic classifier. The parameters found to be most important were word duration, average energy, variation in pitch and energy, and harmonics-to-noise ratio. The data moreover suggests that the children used a register that resembled mostly child-directed and pet-directed speech and to some extent computer-directed speech.

Authors with CRIS profile

Anton Batliner Lehrstuhl für Informatik 14 (Bild- und Sprachverarbeitung) (LME) Stefan Steidl Lehrstuhl für Informatik 14 (Bild- und Sprachverarbeitung) (LME)

How to cite

APA:

Batliner, A., Steidl, S., & Biersack, S. (2006). The Prosody of Pet Robot Directed Speech: Evidence from Children. In Hoffmann Rüdiger, Mixdorff Hansjörg (Eds.), Proc. Speech Prosody, 3rd International Conference (pp. 1-4). Dresden, DE: Dresden: TUDpress.

MLA:

Batliner, Anton, Stefan Steidl, and Sonja Biersack. "The Prosody of Pet Robot Directed Speech: Evidence from Children." Proceedings of the Speech Prosody, 3rd International Conference, Dresden Ed. Hoffmann Rüdiger, Mixdorff Hansjörg, Dresden: TUDpress, 2006. 1-4.

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