<p>Scientists claim to be working on a unique project to create an artificial child's voice. A team from Media LT, a company developing tools to assist disabled persons, and Lingit, a software company, says it's developing Norway's first synthesised childlike voice -- the research, in fact, involves converting the master voice into a comprehensible kid's voice.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"We start with what is known as a master voice, which is the product of three or four adult speakers recording several thousands of phrases. Then we record a single child reading a smaller number of phrases aloud.<br /><br />"We use this recording to modify the master voice, making it sound like a child's voice," said team member Torbjorn Nordgard at Lingit, who is also a professor of linguistics at the University of Nordland.<br /><br />The phrases recorded by the child have been selected to include a number of the most essential sounds found in Norwegian, according to a release by the Research Council of Norway.<br /><br />"The master voice still carries the intonation, ie, a phrase's melody. The result sounds rather like a child with unusual elocution skills, but it's still much better than the voice of an adult," said Nordgard.<br /><br />Everything is now in place to start testing trial versions of the child's voice. "We hope to have a beta version in place this summer," said team member Magne Lunde. </p>
<p>Scientists claim to be working on a unique project to create an artificial child's voice. A team from Media LT, a company developing tools to assist disabled persons, and Lingit, a software company, says it's developing Norway's first synthesised childlike voice -- the research, in fact, involves converting the master voice into a comprehensible kid's voice.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"We start with what is known as a master voice, which is the product of three or four adult speakers recording several thousands of phrases. Then we record a single child reading a smaller number of phrases aloud.<br /><br />"We use this recording to modify the master voice, making it sound like a child's voice," said team member Torbjorn Nordgard at Lingit, who is also a professor of linguistics at the University of Nordland.<br /><br />The phrases recorded by the child have been selected to include a number of the most essential sounds found in Norwegian, according to a release by the Research Council of Norway.<br /><br />"The master voice still carries the intonation, ie, a phrase's melody. The result sounds rather like a child with unusual elocution skills, but it's still much better than the voice of an adult," said Nordgard.<br /><br />Everything is now in place to start testing trial versions of the child's voice. "We hope to have a beta version in place this summer," said team member Magne Lunde. </p>