The Potential for Use of Voice Recognition Software in Appraisal of Oral History Tapes Sonia Yaco University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Library and Information Studies May 4, 2007

Introduction Voice recognition software could vastly increase intellectual access to oral histories 70 years of development history Transcription or keyword search capability is tantalizingly close

The problem Oral histories tapes – content unknown Image Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) / Society Radio-Canada (SRC) 2005

The solution? Transcription by voice recognition software Image source: howstuffworks.com

Voice recognition technology milestones 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell patents telephone 1939 – The World's Fair features Bell Labs' Voder (Voice Operating Demonstrator). Image source:

Voice recognition technology milestones 1950’s – Recognition of sound waves of single digits 1959 – Development of statistical prediction of word choice 1970’s – AT & T and IBM begin development Image source: Photographs of formant 1 vs. formant 2 presentation of the digits. (H. Davis, R. Biddulph, and S. Balashek, Automatic Recognition of Spoken Digits, Journal Acoust. Soc. Am., Vol 24, No. 6, pp , 1952.)

Methodology My pilot test evaluated two types of software: Speaker dependent – Dragon NaturallySpeaking Speaker independent – AudioMining

Test Data Seventeen interviews recorded on high quality audio tape, converted from analog cassette tapes to digital.wav files Interviewees were college educated Caucasians, 60 to 80 years old Native English speakers raised in the Midwestern or eastern part of the United States

Results of Dragon Naturally Speaking Transcription Test data sound clip“As or a clean July 3 a in a any as you know you and I on and I am rocking in and where we were a time that he is very fast lane eight at him are behind format with evolutionary flat on said who worked in the last time she had all been with all of these resources the heated rings in their sieges if any action is tiny and flashes of who defy a knee in the last angle or for a minute for everything he owns or any there was actually became one of our in our is unknown after you”

Results of AudioMining Transcription “To pitch their 2004 between giveaways. And at a list of the need to check many sure and I give you a call, and I may move off the table and where we were at a time with which he just very successfully is not a bench and bar behind the divorce Reform Act, which was quite evolutionary and it's why on and so that was her work there with pretty much done. She had all of its goodwill and all of these resources that she could bring to bear. And she just finished a tremendous job on a major piece of legislation itself can be defined in another age in the Atlanta life said any move for protecting women at work to protect the people during the ongoing marriage, which actually became one of our big arguments as I know you all -- started out because like”

Findings Dragon NaturallySpeaking low accuracy rate when used with multiple speakers AudioMining more accurate but expensive

Discussion Neither software accurate enough to be useful currently Other new software shows great potential for keyword searching of audio and video material

Conclusion Voice recognition software could vastly increase intellectual access to oral histories The technology has a 70 year development history Transcription or keyword search capability is tantalizingly close to possible