Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Linguistics – Multilingual or national language support
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-22
2001-12-04
Thomas, Joseph (Department: 2644)
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Linguistics
Multilingual or national language support
C704S001000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327560
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. (Field of the Invention)
This invention relates to a Chinese character conversion apparatus for converting a Chinese character from an input row of phonetic symbols in a computer system.
2. (Description of the Prior Art)
The total number of traditional Chinese characters by the Big5 codes used in computer system is 13051. The key to the popularization of computer system in Chinese is how to quickly and correctly input Chinese characters. Presently, the input of a Chinese character in computer system can be achieved by way of speech recognition, script recognition and keyboard operation. Using a keyboard to input the Chinese character is yet still be the most reliable method, and is the most popular method. A Chinese character can be inputted by a user through the keyboard in accordance with the pronunciation or the form of the Chinese character to be inputted. Although inputting a Chinese character through the keyboard in accordance with the form of the Chinese character to be inputted has the advantage of faster input speed, however, it is difficult for the user to remember a large number of rules which are used to take apart a Chinese character into a plurality of parts for input. Therefore, in some places like Taiwan, most of the computer users prefer the use of Chinese phonetic symbols to input Chinese characters especially because they have been trained in Chinese phonetics since their elementary years.
The Chinese phonetic symbols which are assigned as the teaching material in elementary schools in Taiwan are shown below. The Chinese phonetic symbols can be grouped into four major groups, i.e. the vowels, transition vowels, consonants and tones. In the present invention, the symbol ‘. . . ’ represents the first tone, however, it must be noted that, there is actually no symbol for the first tone.
Consonants:
(b)
(p)
(m)
(f)
(d)
(t)
(n)
(l)
(g)
(k)
(h)
(j)
(q)
(x)
(zh)
(ch)
(sh)
(r)
(z)
(c)
(s)
Transition vowels:
(i)
(u)
(v)
Vowels:
(a)
(o)
(e)
(e)
(ai)
(ei)
(ao)
(ou)
(an)
(en)
(ang)
(eng)
(er)
Tones: . . . (First tone),
(Second tone),
(Third tone),
(Fourth tone),
(light tone)
Each syllable, or character sound, is constituted by the consonant, the transition vowel, the vowel or the tone. In addition to the tone, any one, two or all of the consonant, the transition vowel and the vowel may be simultaneously contained in one syllable. For example,
Chinese character
Syllable (Tone included)
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
As shown by the above example, a so-called syllable stream is constituted by a plurality of successive syllables, which can be converted into a row of Chinese characters. Each syllable may have at least one corresponding homonymous character. Presently, according to the Mandarin Dairy News-paper Dictionary, the total number of reasonable syllables is 1364. A reasonable syllable must have at least one corresponding homonymous, in addition to the reasonable syllable have to be arranged according to the acceptable arrangement sequence of the consonant, transition vowel, vowel and tone. For example, “
” is not a reasonable syllable, since the arrangement sequence of the transition vowel and the vowel is exchanged. “
” is also not a reasonable syllable, since it has no corresponding Chinese character, although the arrangement sequence of the phonetic symbols is correct.
Since there are many Chinese homonymous characters, the need to select a correct Chinese character from a plurality of homonymous characters after the completion of the input of the corresponding phonetic symbol(s) of each syllable reduces the input speed. Since the total number of Chinese homonymous phrases is less than the total number of Chinese homonymous characters in comparison, and since the total number of Chinese phrases is more than the total number of single Chinese word in a text, the need to select a correct Chinese character from a plurality of homonymous characters is reduced if the phonetic symbol input is in the form of Chinese phrase. In the recent years, by the combination of Chinese phrase input with the semantic and syntactic process, the percentage of getting a correct Chinese character by the phonetic input method reaches 95% and above, that is, the need to select a correct Chinese character/phrase from a plurality of homonymous characters/phrases is within 5%.
A conventional Chinese character conversion apparatus has been disclosed in the ROC patent application Ser. No 75105838.
FIG. 5
is a block diagram of the conventional Chinese character conversion apparatus of the above ROC patent application. Reference numeral
100
denotes an input unit for inputting a row of phonetic symbols. Reference numeral
180
denotes a dictionary for storing a plurality of Chinese characters for conversion. Reference numeral
140
denotes a NCHAR register for storing the number of the syllables of the input row of phonetic symbols. Reference numeral
120
denotes a PTR register for storing the conversion starting position of the input row of phonetic symbols. Reference numeral
130
denotes a NP register for storing the conversion length of the input row of phonetic symbols. Reference numeral
150
denotes a comparator unit for decreasing the value of the NP register by one after the completion of the conversion of the character with a certain length so as to maintain the principle of giving priority to the conversion of the character with longer length. Reference numeral
160
denotes a conversion control unit. The conversion control unit
160
orderly moves the setting position of the PTR register
120
starting from the input initial position and determines whether there is a converted syllable. If there is no converted syllable, and the dictionary
180
has the corresponding character, the conversion control unit
160
converts the syllable. Reference numeral
170
denotes a dictionary searching unit for searching the dictionary
180
with the syllable from the conversion control unit
160
as a searching key. Reference numeral
190
denotes an output unit for outputting the Chinese character resulted by the conversion control unit
160
.
The phonetic input method used in the aforementioned conventional Chinese character conversion apparatus is as same as the traditional phonetic input method. Although it consists with the habit of the traditional user, however, it has the following drawback:
There is an inconsistent tone between the pronunciation and the phonetic symbols. For example, the phonetic symbols for “
” are “
v
v”. The phonetic symbols for each Chinese character contain a tone symbol for third tone. However, in speaking, the third tone of the former Chinese character “
” must be changed to the second tone, that is, the phonetic symbols for “
” in speaking are “
v”. This may result in an incorrect tone symbol input. Furthermore, when the user cannot distinguish correctly the tone of a Chinese character, a correct Chinese character cannot be inputted by way of the phonetic symbol input method. Therefore, if the tone symbol can be omitted in the input of the phonetic symbols, the aforementioned problem can be avoided. Furthermore, the total number of key operations by the user can also be reduced. For example, if the input phonetic symbols for the Chinese characters “
” are reduced to “
”, the Chinese characters “
” can still be converted. It is because “
” is a vowel while “
” is a consonant, so that the two syllables “
” and “
” can be easily severed according to the acceptable arrangement sequence of the consonant, transition vowel, vowel and tone. However, in the situation of omitting the tone symbol, some syllables are not easy to be severed from another. For example, “
” can be recognized as a single syllable and can be converted into a Chinese character “
”. However, “
” can be recognized as two successive syllables, “
” and “
”, and can be converted into a Chinese phrase “
”. In this case, the present invention determines it as a single syllable, so that the Chinese character “
” is converted. If the
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Thomas Joseph
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