A distinctive experiential learning assignment saw Brock Applied Linguistics students donate their voices to learn about the mechanics of speaking as well as technological innovations to support the development of synthetic voices.<\/p>\n
Students of \u201cAnatomy and Physiology of Speech and Swallowing\u201d auditioned to donate their voices to VocaliD\u2019s Human Voicebank, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to blend donated voices into bespoke voices for people who rely on synthetic speech tools.<\/p>\n
The experience helped students learn about the potential of assisted communication technology as well as the airflow, bones and muscles used while speaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrior to my voice donation, I was unaware of the insufficient diversity of synthetic voices for those who rely on assistive technology,\u201d says Hailey Gray, a fourth-year Child Health student minoring in Applied Linguistics. \u201cAfter reading a TED Talk by Rupal Patel as part of my donation, I realized that a person\u2019s voice is a reflection of who they are in terms of their age, size and personality, so a synthetic voice should reflect the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once approved as donors, students logged up to 10 hours over the course of the Fall Term by reading for several 30- to 40-minute sessions \u2014 a task that brought a keen awareness of how the voice is typically produced and how the body parts involved become taxed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe learnt in class about good vocal hygiene and straining our voice,\u201d says second-year Speech and Hearing Sciences student Jenna Angle. \u201cAt times, I read for over 40 minutes and noticed my throat starting to hurt, so it was important to take breaks and drink lots of water to help protect my voice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hilary deBoer, a non-degree student taking courses to prepare for a graduate program in speech-language pathology, says that the experience of being a \u201csurrogate\u201d talker brought the theories studied in class to life.<\/p>\n
She explains how the voice donation project broadened her understanding about source-filter theory, which covers how source \u2014 sound generated by the larynx \u2014 works with filter \u2014 the rest of the vocal tract that shapes sound \u2014 to create speech.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing the voice donations, the technologists can combine the source of someone who\u2019s not able to articulate speech on their own with as little as one recorded vowel sound and combine it with someone else\u2019s articulation and resonance,\u201d says deBoer. \u201cIt creates a synthetic or prosthetic voice that is unique to the client.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instructor Charlene Cratt, a former Speech-Language Pathologist who is passionate about advocating for people who use augmentative and alternative communication, says the assignment ticks several boxes in terms of what she wants to impart to students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s the professional angle in terms of opportunities for work and career paths in technology, there\u2019s the personal angle of reflecting on the experience of donation and there\u2019s the application of the physiology itself,\u201d says Cratt. \u201cI have done this assignment before with students, but the magnitude of the donation this year really was impressive, with over 100 hours of digital speech donated by the class and each participant donating at least 1,500 sentences.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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