A Computational Memory and Processing Model for Processing

This paper links prosody to the information in the text and how it is processed by the speaker. It describes the operation and output of Loq, a text-to-speech implementation that includes a model of limited attention and working memory. Attentional limitations are key. Varying the attentional parameter in the simulations varies in turn what counts as given and new in a text, and therefore, the intonational contours with which it is uttered. Currently, the system produces prosody in three different styles: child-like, adult expressive, and knowledgeable. This prosody also exhibits differences within each style – no two simulations are alike. The limited resource approach captures some of the stylistic and individual variety found in natural prosody.