Hardware, software and facilities for research and education

Library

Studio

Speech physiological laboratory

Computer network

Library

In the institute's library, there are, among other things, the most important scientific journals as well as the working papers from other phonetic institutes. The sound and video archive containing some recordings of historical significance is available for research and teaching purposes.

Studio

The institute has a recording studio with two sound-treated rooms, one of which is also used as a class room.

Speech physiological laboratory

In the speech physiological laboratory, there is an electrically shielded cabin for recording articulatory and physiological signals. This is done using a number of special instruments such as the pneumotachograph (air flows through mouth and nose); laryngograph and photoglottograph (vibration of vocal folds); velograph (movements of the velum); electromyograph (action-potentials of muscles); dynamic palatograph (tongue-palate-contacts).

Computer network

For teaching as well as for research the institute has, in specially equipped rooms, a network of PCs operating under Linux and Silicon Graphics workstations, both running speech processing software such as the institute's own xassp, the Emu Speech Database System and ESPS/xwaves for processing and analysing many types of articulatory, physiological and acoustic signals.

Some computers at IPDS are also equipped with the INFOVOX-speech synthesis cards of the Swedish firm Telia Promotor, a system allowing written texts to be translated automatically into speech signals. Extensive rule modules for German (grapheme-phoneme-conversion, regulation of speech melody) have been drawn up at IPDS. They are currently being extended for practical application, as well as for use as a basic research instrument in German phonetics.