I got this request from Lisa Noble…
@dougpete Can we get the word out? This is a lot of fun! Common Voice https://t.co/BHSz5Hz8VS
— Lisa Noble (@nobleknits2) July 20, 2017
Well, of course, I had to check it out.
Not only is it a “lot of fun” as Lisa notes, it addresses a big bug-a-boo of mine. There has to be a much more sophisticated and reliable approach to voice recognition. You should hear me sometimes screaming at the voice recognition unit in my car as I try to get it to do things.
On the other hand, my Moto 360 watch and my Samsung phone don’t seem to have a problem.
So, in this project, you can help validate submissions and contribute your own voice.
Listening to the submissions and checking them off was actually a great deal of fun. I thought here was a nice selection of various accents.
When you create your own, you’re asked to self-identify a number of things.
The project is focused on English and you get to select your accent.
I have to smile. Recently, I caught up with a number of friends from various locations world-wide at the CSTA Conference. I think of listening to friends in discussions from New Hampshire, Arkansas, Iowa, and Ohio. To my ear, they all have a different type of accent. I wonder how they can be clumped together as “United States English”.
I then turned to myself. I don’t have an accent! Or, at least I don’t think I do. But, I supposed I’d qualify as “Canadian English”, whatever that ultimately means! I do know that I have a very nasal voice.
So, I’ll contribute a couple of sentences. If it makes my future voice recognition things work better, I’m all for it.
Project Common Voice can be accessed here.
Thanks for the lead, Lisa. Hopefully, others can find a moment or two to chip in.
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Your comment about the various accents in the States, made me think that the same is true in Canada. Some words that I say, make people believe that I’m from Nova Scotia. Growing up with a mom and grandma from there helped me pick up some sayings of words that I continue to not be able to change. I guess that just one Canadian and American option may not be enough. Our accents are definitely diverse here.
This does look interesting though. I will have to check it out. Thanks for sharing, Doug and Lisa!
Aviva
Kudos go to Lisa. She found it and asked me to share it.
I had fun doing this last week too! I was thinking it would be a great thing for students to try – no personally identifying information – and it would be a great jumping off point for understanding what ‘The Commons’ is all about (while sneaking in a little practicing of reading fluency).
Brenda, I thought this, too. And I thought that listening to different voices read in English would also be beneficial in terms of making the world a little smaller. One of my sons made the comment that he thought that it might create a strange-sounding accent when everything gets morphed together.