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Exploring Verbal Uncanny Valley Effects with Vague Language in Computer Speech

Leigh Clark Orcid Logo, Abdulmalik Ofemile, Benjamin R. Cowan

Voice Attractiveness, Pages: 317 - 330

Swansea University Author: Leigh Clark Orcid Logo

Abstract

Interactions with speech interfaces are growing, helped by the advent of intelligent personal assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. This software is utilised in hardware such as smart home devices (e.g. Amazon Echo and Google Home), smartphones and vehicles. Given the unprecedented leve...

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Published in: Voice Attractiveness
ISBN: 9789811566264 9789811566271
ISSN: 2197-8700 2197-8719
Published: Singapore Springer Singapore 2020
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55413
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spelling 2022-06-15T14:49:45.2393495 v2 55413 2020-10-13 Exploring Verbal Uncanny Valley Effects with Vague Language in Computer Speech 004ef41b90854a57a498549a462f13a0 0000-0002-9237-1057 Leigh Clark Leigh Clark true false 2020-10-13 SCS Interactions with speech interfaces are growing, helped by the advent of intelligent personal assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. This software is utilised in hardware such as smart home devices (e.g. Amazon Echo and Google Home), smartphones and vehicles. Given the unprecedented level of spoken interactions with machines, it is important we understand what is considered appropriate, desirable and attractive computer speech. Previous research has suggested that the overuse of humanlike voices in limited-communication devices can induce uncanny valley effects—a perceptual tension arising from mismatched stimuli causing incongruence between users’ expectations of a system and its actual capabilities. This chapter explores the possibility of verbal uncanny valley effects in computer speech by utilising the interpersonal linguistic strategies of politeness, relational work and vague language. This work highlights that using these strategies can create perceptual tension and negative experiences due to the conflicting stimuli of computer speech and ‘humanlike’ language. This tension can be somewhat moderated with more humanlike than robotic voices, though not alleviated completely. Considerations for the design of computer speech and subsequent future research directions are discussed. Book chapter Voice Attractiveness 317 330 Springer Singapore Singapore 9789811566264 9789811566271 2197-8700 2197-8719 Speech interface, Voice interface, Intelligent personal assistant, Uncanny valley, Humanlike, Politeness, Vague language 11 10 2020 2020-10-11 10.1007/978-981-15-6627-1_17 This research was funded by a New Horizons grant from the Irish Research Council entitled “The COG-SIS Project: Cognitive effects of Speech Interface Synthesis” (Grant R17339). COLLEGE NANME Computer Science COLLEGE CODE SCS Swansea University 2022-06-15T14:49:45.2393495 2020-10-13T17:18:41.3034944 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Mathematics and Computer Science - Computer Science Leigh Clark 0000-0002-9237-1057 1 Abdulmalik Ofemile 2 Benjamin R. Cowan 3 55413__18417__0d86abc64d0742e29e9ebe218a87bd2c.pdf Voice perceptions submission.pdf 2020-10-13T17:42:05.7438591 Output 284534 application/pdf Accepted Manuscript true 2022-10-11T00:00:00.0000000 true eng
title Exploring Verbal Uncanny Valley Effects with Vague Language in Computer Speech
spellingShingle Exploring Verbal Uncanny Valley Effects with Vague Language in Computer Speech
Leigh Clark
title_short Exploring Verbal Uncanny Valley Effects with Vague Language in Computer Speech
title_full Exploring Verbal Uncanny Valley Effects with Vague Language in Computer Speech
title_fullStr Exploring Verbal Uncanny Valley Effects with Vague Language in Computer Speech
title_full_unstemmed Exploring Verbal Uncanny Valley Effects with Vague Language in Computer Speech
title_sort Exploring Verbal Uncanny Valley Effects with Vague Language in Computer Speech
author_id_str_mv 004ef41b90854a57a498549a462f13a0
author_id_fullname_str_mv 004ef41b90854a57a498549a462f13a0_***_Leigh Clark
author Leigh Clark
author2 Leigh Clark
Abdulmalik Ofemile
Benjamin R. Cowan
format Book chapter
container_title Voice Attractiveness
container_start_page 317
publishDate 2020
institution Swansea University
isbn 9789811566264
9789811566271
issn 2197-8700
2197-8719
doi_str_mv 10.1007/978-981-15-6627-1_17
publisher Springer Singapore
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Mathematics and Computer Science - Computer Science{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Mathematics and Computer Science - Computer Science
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description Interactions with speech interfaces are growing, helped by the advent of intelligent personal assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. This software is utilised in hardware such as smart home devices (e.g. Amazon Echo and Google Home), smartphones and vehicles. Given the unprecedented level of spoken interactions with machines, it is important we understand what is considered appropriate, desirable and attractive computer speech. Previous research has suggested that the overuse of humanlike voices in limited-communication devices can induce uncanny valley effects—a perceptual tension arising from mismatched stimuli causing incongruence between users’ expectations of a system and its actual capabilities. This chapter explores the possibility of verbal uncanny valley effects in computer speech by utilising the interpersonal linguistic strategies of politeness, relational work and vague language. This work highlights that using these strategies can create perceptual tension and negative experiences due to the conflicting stimuli of computer speech and ‘humanlike’ language. This tension can be somewhat moderated with more humanlike than robotic voices, though not alleviated completely. Considerations for the design of computer speech and subsequent future research directions are discussed.
published_date 2020-10-11T04:09:36Z
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