Automatic Recognition and Evaluation of Tracheoesophageal Speech

Tracheoesophageal (TE) speech is a possibility to restore the ability to speak after laryngectomy, i.e. the removal of the larynx. TE speech often shows low audibility and intelligibility which also makes it a challenge to automatic speech recognition. We improved the recognition results by adapting a speech recognizer trained on normal, non-pathologic voices to single TE speakers by unsupervised HMM interpolation.