Siri and the mispronounces

[Major Eazy]

Just out of curiosity, do any of you hearing people, have tiny problems with any virtual assistant, like Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, and few others. Have any of you had a tiny teething problem or a big hard time, trying to get those things to understand you?

The reason I'm asking is that: I got myself a new iPad, and just for fun, tried Siri. But it wasn't doing well with my mispronounces because I'm a deaf person with speech impaired. When I got iPod Touch, same thing happen. When I got Apple TV, again same thing happen. My hearing son had a go, and actually the device would work better with him, but when I tired, it would be worst.

For example: When I said "Play", Siri would say something like "I'm sorry I don't understand poo." Or if I tried to say "Open Formula One app" and it would tell me off for being rude and using the 'F' word. If I try to say "Play Die Hard" it would assume I want to send a message to Debbie. There are so many stuff that it keeps getting wrong, despite the fact that I would say something, then override it by typing what I want to say, hoping it would train it, but no.

A deaf friend of mine, also have similar problem. We've agreed that it seems to be a discrimination against the deaf, because software people don't think of what if there are people, specially deaf people, with speech impaired.

I know of a number of hearing people who, having spend some time getting to know me, could actually understand my mispronounces. If some hearing people like them could understand me, why can't Siri do something similar, like familiar itself with my speech? I remember one hearing woman who could actually understand me, just two months after we met!

But I assume that even thought deaf people mispronounce a lot, but surely some of you hearing people do have accents, thus I assume those software like Siri (or even Cortana) sometimes misunderstand you because of your accent?

 

[Phil V]

I wouldn’t overthink this, there are plenty of quite common accents that Siri et-al have no chance of understanding.
Even my Mrs, who speaks perfectly ordinarily (I’m a tad deaf and often tell her she mumbles) can’t get Siri to understand her as her enunciation isn’t strong.
My mates wife has a lovely soft Irish accent and despite training Alexa with ‘alternative’ words still struggles.
These technologies really are in their infancy, I never bother with SIri unless she wakes up by accident, which normally results in me just swearing at her.

 

[zendog]

A couple of years back I had a full larygetomy and now nothing voice recognition can understand me.
People are fine generally with the odd repeat.

It's not an issue just yet but I can only see it getting worse. Last month I got totally stuck for the first time
phoning an insurance company. No option to press a number just endless - I did not understand you..

 

[Nawty]

Siri is just plain terrible at pretty much everything.

Alexa is probably best if it has understood you.

Google is supposedly the best at voice recognition.

 

[Ricardodaforce]

I find Siri works well for me, but I have a very neutral accent. However my Siri has an Australian accent, and she sounds hot!

 

[Marc]

Siri is just plain terrible at pretty much everything.

Alexa is probably best if it has understood you.

Google is supposedly the best at voice recognition.

I've never had a problem with Siri but, like Richard, I have a neutral accent.

Alexa is pretty good. I even trie using an exaggerated Scottish accent and she still understood me!

 

[Jelster]

The only place I really use voice commands is in the car. "Call Sue" when I need to contact the wife for instance. Most of the time it's fine, but my wife struggles with it, yet we were both born & bred in the South East (Kent). I do tend to make sure I pronounce my words properly though. As Phil says, the technology is still young and it will get better.

BTW, Alexa gets more wrong than right...

 

[Major Eazy]

I find Siri works well for me, but I have a very neutral accent. However my Siri has an Australian accent, and she sounds hot!

Seriously?? As a deaf person, I would never hear it, I assumed it had a kind of computer-sounding voice, but you're saying Siri do have an accent??

 

[Marc]

Seriously?? As a deaf person, I would never hear it, I assumed it had a kind of computer-sounding voice, but you're saying Siri do have an accent??

Siri sounds like a normal person, as does Alexa, but you can change the voice between male & female and choose an accent (American/Australian/British/Irish/South African)

 

[Nawty]

I find Siri works well for me, but I have a very neutral accent. However my Siri has an Australian accent, and she sounds hot!

Siri understands me, it’s just so stupid that calling it ‘smart’ is an insult to a ZX Spectrum.

“Alexa, play radio 6” - “here’s radio 6 from the bbc” and it starts playing

“Siri, play radio 6” - “here’s something I found on the web” and it was a Russian radio station that you need to click on to listen.

In fact, that pretty much sums up Siri “here’s something I found on the web”, well thanks, I could have googled that myself.

 

[Major Eazy]

Siri understands me, it’s just so stupid that calling it ‘smart’ is an insult to a ZX Spectrum.

“Alexa, play radio 6” - “here’s radio 6 from the bbc” and it starts playing

“Siri, play radio 6” - “here’s something I found on the web” and it was a Russian radio station that you need to click on to listen.

In fact, that pretty much sums up Siri “here’s something I found on the web”, well thanks, I could have googled that myself.

I used to have a Sinclair ZX Spectrum, loved that machine, I think I still got mine somewhere.

Anyway...

I just wonder why is it that, if you as a hearing person, could speak with proper pronounces, give or take an accent, Siri could either understand you, or could get is almost as right as it could, for example you say "Play radio 6" and Siri may have got it wrong by telling you it found something on Google, and it is a Russian radio station, but it did get radio anyway. I mean, looks to me, it is a case of saying "Oh well, close enough."

But for me, as a deaf person with mispronounces, Siri don't even get just one word right, it is totally miles of course. Like I said in my original post, if I tried to say "Open Formula One App" and it make a dog's dinner of my efforts, specially doing totally stupid stuff, like getting a message to someone and the message says "F--- O--" and I would attempt to cancel it!!

Totally nothing close enough, not just one single word. You ask for "Radio 6" and at latest you get a radio station, even if it is a Russian one instead of a BBC one.

 

[viv1969]

I really don't think you can seriously call Siri's (or other) misunderstanding of accents or speech deficits discrimination.
It's young technology, it's evolving.

 

[Phil V]

But for me, as a deaf person with mispronounces, Siri don't even get just one word right, it is totally miles of course. Like I said in my original post, if I tried to say "Open Formula One App" and it make a dog's dinner of my efforts, specially doing totally stupid stuff, like getting a message to someone and the message says "F--- O--" and I would attempt to cancel it!!

But it’s not discrimination, it’s just unsuitable.
Like lip reading - as a deaf person you will struggle to lip read someone who mumbles particularly if they speak fast with a strong dialect.
That’s exactly the same thing you’re expecting Siri to be able to deal with. As ‘pattern recognition’ it’s trained on what’s considered ‘normal’ sound patterns, your voice - like my wife’s and my mates wife’s doesn’t conform to those sound patterns. It’s not discriminatory - it’s just not yet a mature technology.