S0094 : Czech SpeechDat(E) Database

The Czech SpeechDat(E) database (Eastern European Speech Databases for Creation of Voice Driven Teleservices) contains the recordings of 1,052 Czech speakers (526 males, 526 females) recorded over the Czech fixed telephone network. This database is partitioned into 6 CDs.

Speech samples are stored as sequences of 8-bit, 8kHz A-law and are not compressed, according to the specifications of SpeechDat(E). Each prompt utterance is stored within a separate file and has an accompanying ASCII SAM label file.

This speech database was validated by SPEX (the Netherlands) to assess its compliance with the SpeechDat(E) format and content specifications.

Each speaker uttered the following items:

• 6 application words
• 1 sequence of 10 isolated digits
• 4 connected digits (1 sheet number -5 digits, 1 telephone number –9/11 digits, 1 credit card number –14/16 digits, 1 PIN code -6 digits)
• 3 dates (1 spontaneous date e.g. birthday, 1 word style prompted date, 1 relative and general date expression)
• 1 spotting phrase using an embedded application word
• 1 isolated digit
• 3 spelled words (1 spontaneous e.g. own forename, 1 directory assistance city name, 1 real/artificial name for coverage)
• 2 currency money amounts (1 Czech money amount, 1 International money amount -USD, EURO)
• 1 natural number
• 6 directory assistance names (1 spontaneous e.g. own forename, 1 city of birth/growing up, 1most frequent city out of a set of 500, 1 most frequent company/agency out of a set of 500, 1 "forename surname" out of a set of 150, 1 "surname" out of a set of 150)
• 2 yes/no questions (1 predominantly "yes" question, 1 predominantly "no" question)
• 12 phonetically rich sentences
• 2 time phrases (1 spontaneous time of day, 1word style time phrase)
• 4 phonetically rich words
• 4 spontaneous additional questions

The following age distribution has been obtained: 20 speakers are under 16, 490 speakers are between 16 and 30, 238 speakers are between 31 and 45, 230 speakers are between 46 and 60, 71 speakers are over 60; the age of 3 speakers is unknown.

A pronunciation lexicon with a phonemic transcription in SAMPA is also included.