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Verification of Evaluation Model for Speech Proactiveness in Foreign Language Conversations

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Social Computing and Social Media (HCII 2024)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 14704))

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to estimate the speech proactivity of Japanese foreign-language learners in foreign-language communication. First, we focused on intonation change, utterance time ratio, and average voice volume as parameters for evaluating speech proactivity. We assumed that higher values indicate the impression of proactivity. Based on this prediction, we defined a linear model to predict speech proactivity using these evaluation parameters as independent variables. We implemented the speech proactivity evaluation system that applied this mathematical model using Pure Data and Unity. To verify the validity and suitability of the evaluation parameters for the prepared speech proactivity evaluation model, was conducted an experiment with 24 Japanese students. The participants listened to short English conversations between foreigners and Japanese people and gave their impressions of Japanese-speaking attitudes. Multiple regression analysis was conducted using the degree of intonation change, utterance time ratio, and average voice volume obtained by the system as independent variables, and the impression of proactivity was obtained through the experiment as a dependent variable. The analysis yielded a significant regression model. We found that the degree of intonation change and the ratio of speech time had a positive causal relationship with the impression of proactiveness. The above shows that the parameter selection of each evaluation parameter of the speech proactivity evaluation model is generally appropriate.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by JSPS KAKENHI 19K12090, 23K11202, 23K11278, 21K11968; the Kansai University Fund for Supporting Young Scholars in 2023; Sharing Music Experience using Empathetic Agent; and the JST Moonshot R &D Program (Grant Number JPMJMS2215). JPMJMS2215 supported the investigation of the proposed system’s safety and security, and the other funds supported the system implementation and the experiment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kansai University, 2-1-1, Ryozenji-Cho, Takatsuki, Osaka, 569-1095, Japan

    Naoki Matsumura & Tomoko Yonezawa

  2. ATR Interaction Science Laboratories, 2-2-2, Hikaridai, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, 619-0288, Japan

    Tomoko Yonezawa

  3. Keio University, 5322, Endo, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0882, Japan

    Tomoko Yonezawa

Authors
  1. Naoki Matsumura
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  2. Tomoko Yonezawa
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Correspondence to Naoki Matsumura .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania

    Adela Coman

  2. University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

    Simona Vasilache

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Matsumura, N., Yonezawa, T. (2024). Verification of Evaluation Model for Speech Proactiveness in Foreign Language Conversations. In: Coman, A., Vasilache, S. (eds) Social Computing and Social Media. HCII 2024. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14704. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61305-0_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61305-0_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-61304-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-61305-0

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