Review article
https://doi.org/10.22210/suvlin.2024.098.07
Echoes of innovation: journey through the Croatian speech synthesis landscape
Dario Poljak
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
*
Krisina Kocijan
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
As digital communication becomes increasingly prevalent, the development of speech synthesis
systems for Croatian and related languages is of paramount importance. This paper provides an in–depth
exploration into the field of speech synthesis, emphasizing the Croatian language. It chronologically charts
the evolution of speech synthesis from its mechanical inception to the modern electronic age, culminating
in an analysis of contemporary landscape of digital speech synthesis systems.
The study commences with a synthesis of previous research on Croatian speech synthesis, scrutinizing
the methodologies and strategies implemented, and evaluating their effectiveness, constraints, and results.
A comparative study is also presented, assessing advancements in related Slavic languages, including
Serbian, Slovene, Bosnian, and Macedonian.
The discourse then widens to include the global landscape of speech synthesis. It highlights the latest
breakthroughs, particularly cutting–edge techniques, frameworks, and algorithms that have yielded
significant outcomes in languages with abundant linguistic resources, such as English and Mandarin
Chinese. This comparison elucidates the notable gaps in speech synthesis progress on a global scale.
The paper also addresses the challenges posed by the scarce and suboptimal quality digital linguistic
resources available in Croatia, which hinder the development of speech synthesis. In response to
these challenges, the paper introduces a doctoral thesis dedicated to creating an annotated corpus and
formulating deep learning models specifically tailored for Croatian speech synthesis. The ambition of this
scholarly work is to catalyze advancement, remedy existing shortcomings, and pave the way for a robust
future for Croatian speech synthesis technology.
In conclusion, this survey examines both the historical trajectory and the present state of speech
synthesis in Croatian. It underscores the criticality of ongoing research in this area and the urgent necessity
for enhanced linguistic resources and innovative methodologies. The paper also briefly touches upon the
significant progress in speech synthesis for globally dominant languages, such as English and Mandarin
Chinese, providing a benchmark for future investigations.
Keywords
speech synthesis; historical trajectory; Croatian language
Hrčak ID:
324646
URI
Publication date:
20.12.2024.
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