The efficient generation of pronunciation dictionaries: human factors during bootstrapping

Bootstrapping techniques have significant potential for the efficient generation of linguistic resources such as electronic pronunciation dictionaries. We describe a system and an approach to bootstrapping for the development of such dictionaries, and report on experiments conducted to investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of the system, focusing on the human factors that influence the process. Encouraging results were obtained: even developers with limited linguistic experience can develop accurate pronunciation models in substantially less time than a trained pronunciation expert takes using conventional methods.