Abstract

Reconstruction of Phonated Speech from Whispers Using Formant-Derived Plausible Pitch Modulation IAN V. MCLOUGHLIN, The University of Science and Technology of China HAMID REZA SHARIFZADEH, Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand SU LIM TAN, Singapore Institute of Technology JINGJIE LI and YAN SONG, The University of Science and Technology of China Whispering is a natural, unphonated, secondary aspect of speech communications for most people. However, it is the primary mechanism of communications for some speakers who have impaired voice production mechanisms, such as partial laryngectomees, as well as for those prescribed voice rest, which often follows surgery or damage to the larynx. Unlike most people, who choose when to whisper and when not to, these speakers may have little choice but to rely on whispers for much of their daily vocal interaction. Even though most speakers will whisper at times, and some speakers can only whisper, the majority of today's computational speech technology systems assume or require phonated speech. This article considers conversion of whispers into natural-sounding phonated speech as a noninvasive prosthetic aid for people with voice impairments who can only whisper. As a by-product, the technique is also useful for unimpaired speakers who choose to