Appendix 1: Summary of test descriptions

A limited number of tests, older as well as more recent ones, are described in detail below. Parts A through H pertain to intelligibility tests, ordered from tests based on meaningless items of a few phonemes  to tests based on meaningful sentences, parts I and J describe two prosody  tests, and finally parts K and L are related to two overall quality tests. Tests were included that have been frequently used, or were developed specifically, for evaluating synthesis output. Four tests (SAM Standard Segmental  Test, Cluster Identification Test , Semantically Unpredictable Sentences , and the SAM Overall Quality Test ) were developed within the ESPRIT-SAM (Speech Assessment Methods) project (1989--1992). Software for these tests is available in SOAP (Speech Output Assessment Package) (cf. =1 (

; Howard-Jones 1992b) ). SOAP also includes programs to add noise  to speech files, to automatically generate test sequences, to randomise test sequences, and to equalise speech levels. Test descriptions are given below.

A. SAM Standard Segmental  Test

B. CLuster IDentification Test (CLID) 

C. The Bellcore  Test

D. Diagnostic Rhyme Test (DRT) 

E. Modified Rhyme Test (MRT) 

F. Haskins  Syntactic Sentences

G. SAM Semantically Unpredictable Sentences (SUS) 

H. Harvard  Psychoacoustic Sentences

I. SAM Prosodic  Form Test

J. SAM Prosodic  Function Test

K. SAM Overall Quality Test 

L. ITU-T  Overall Quality Test