University of Nottingham computer program helps Asian students
understand regional accents25 June 2012 Researchers at The
University of Nottingham have developed a unique computer
program that helps Asian students to improve their understanding
of accented English speech in noisy environments. The team of
researchers from the Schools of Psychology, Education, and
English, recognised that some Asian students find it difficult
to understand the range of different English accents spoken.
They identified that some Asian students have particular
difficulties with differentiating sounds at the end (e.g. rope
versus robe) and start (e.g. tin versus thin) of spoken English
words. This can make continuous speech difficult to follow, as
misunderstanding just one word can potentially change the whole
interpretation of a sentence. The difficulties are also
magnified in non-optimal listening situations such as on a
telephone or in places such as shopping centres, where there can
be a lot of ambient noise. To solve the pro