Machine for teaching foreign languages

Claim 2

A machine for teaching foreign languages, comprising: a master multichannel magnetic sound recorder with a magnetic tape loop which stores pre-recorded fragments of speech and control signals; students'' terminals adapted to be connected to the channels of said sound recorder to synthesize various phrases from the pre-recorded fragments of speech; a phrase shaper in each of the aforesaid terminals, comprising multiple switches; a pause shaper in each of the abovesaid terminals to substitute pauses for various combinations of the fragments of a phrase, said pause shaper being connected to said phrase shaper; an acoustic output unit provided in each of the above-mentioned terminals for listening to the automatically synthesized oral speech.

Claim 3

A machine for teaching foreign languages, comprising: a master multichannel magnetic sound recorder with a magnetic tape loop which stores pre-recorded fragments of speech and control signals; students'' terminals adapted to be connected to the channels of said sound recorder to synthesize various phrases from the pre-recorded fragments of speech; a phrase shaper in each of the aforesaid terminals, comprising multiple switches; a pause shaper in each of the abovesaid terminals to substitute pauses for various combinations of the fragments of a phrase, said pause shaper being connected to said phrase shaper; an acoustic output unit provided in each of the above-mentioned terminals for listening to the automatically synthesized oral speech.

Claim 4

A machine for teaching foreign languages, comprising: a master multichannel magnetic sound recorder with a magnetic tape loop which stores pre-recorded fragments of speech and control signals; students'' terminals adapted to be connected to the channels of said sound recorder to synthesize various phrases from the pre-recorded fragments of speech; a phrase shaper in each of the aforesaid terminals, comprising multiple switches; a pause shaper in each of the abovesaid terminals to substitute pauses for various combinations of the fragments of a phrase, said pause shaper being connected to said phrase shaper; an acoustic output unit provided in each of the above-mentioned terminals for listening to the automatically synthesized oral speech.

Claim 5

A machine as claimed in claim I, wherein each of the above-said terminals comprises a unit for automatic shaping of written translation of the speech being synthesized, said unit being connected to said pause shaper and said phrase shaper.

Claim 6

A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the abovementioned terminals has a number of phrase shapers connected to one another, and a selector unit of said phrase shapers connected to said unit for shaping written translations.

Claim 7

A machine as claimed in claim 3, comprising multiple switches of said pause shaper in a quantity to correspond to the number of the phrase shapers, each of said switches being connected to the respective said phrase shaper and being mechanically linked to each other; a cam interruptor of said switches of the pause shaper, said cam interrupter being connected to the output of any of the aforesaid phrase shapers; another cam interrupter interconnected with said selector unit and coupled in parallel with the output of the same abovesaid phrase shaper, whereto the aforementioned former cam interrupter is connected, said selector unit being made as a multiple switch capable of communicating with said acoustic output unit two of the abovementioned phrase shapers at a time.

Claim 8

A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the unit for shaping written translations of the oral speech being synthesized, comprises a changeable non-transparent slitted film strip driven by said pause shaper; coaxial bushings driven by the shafts of said switches of the phrase shaper and of the selector unit; attachments arranged stepwise on said coaxial bushings; changeable transparent carriers of graphic information locked in position through the use of said attachments provided on said coaxial bushings.

Claim 9

A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the above said terminals incorporates a converter unit for visualizing the rhythm of the speech being synthesized, said converter unit being coupled to said pause shaper, to said phrase shaper and to the signal lamp of the terminal involved, the rate of operation of said signal lamp corresponding to the rhythm Of the speech being synthetized, said lamp being controlled by the abovesaid control signals stored on the tape of said master magnetic sound recorder.

Claim 10

A machine as claimed in claim 6, wherein said converter for visualizing the rhythm of the speech being synthetized, comprises multiple switches adapted to connect power supply to said signal lamp and coupled to said switches of the phrase shaper, and interrupters connected to said interrupters of the phrase shaper and adapted to connect to said signal lamp said switches of said converter.

Claim 11

A machine for teaching foreign languages, comprising: a master multichannel magnetic sound recorder with a magnetic tape loop which stores pre-recorded fragments of speech and control signals; an auxiliary multichannel magnetic sound recorder with a magnetic tape loop for recording and automatic reproduction of the students'' speech; students'' terminals adapted to be connected to the channels of said master sound recorder to synthesize various phrases from the pre-recorded fragments of speech; keys, whereby said terminals get communicated with said auxiliary multichannel magnetic sound recorder; mechanical blocking devices of each of the aforementioned keys; signal lamps each of which is coupled to the respective abovesaid key; a phrase shaper in each of the abovesaid terminals, comprising multiple switches; a pause shaper in each of the abovesaid terminals to substitute for pauses various combinations of the fragments of a phrase, said pause shaper being coupled to said phrase shaper; a regulator of accessibility of the auxiliary multichannel magnetic sound recorder, said regulator being provided in each of the aforesaid terminals and being connected to said pause shaper; an acoustic output unit provided in each of the abovementioned terminals for audition of the automatically synthetized phrases and the students'' speech.

Claim 12

A machine for teaching foreign languages, comprising: a master multichannel magnetic sound recorder with a magnetic tape loop which stores pre-recorded fragments of speech and control signals; an auxiliary multichannel magnetic sound recorder with a magnetic tape loop for recording and automatic reproduction of the students'' speech; students'' terminals adapted to be connected to the channels of said master sound recorder to synthesize various phrases from the pre-recorded fragments of speech; keys, whereby said terminals get communicated with said auxiliary multichannel magnetic sound recorder; mechanical blocking devices of each of the aforementioned keys; signal lamps each of which is coupled to the respective abovesaid key; a phrase shaper in each of the abovesaid terminals, comprising multiple switches; a pause shaper in each of the abovesaid terminals to substitute for pauses various combinations of the fragments of a phrase, said pause shaper being coupled to said phrase shaper; a regulator of accessibility of the auxiliary multichannel magnetic sound recorder, said regulator being provided in each of the aforesaid terminals and being connected to said pause shaper; an acoustic output unit provided in each of the abovementioned terminals for audition of the automatically synthetized phrases and the students'' speech.

Claim 13

A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said pause shaper is made as a multiple switch capable of blocking various combinations of said control signals from said master magnetic sound recorder and utilizable to control said phrase shaper.

Claim 14

A machine as claimed in claim 9, wherein said phrase shaper comprises interrupters which are adapted to communicate with said acoustic output unit said multiple switches of the phrase shaper, said switches being connected in parallel with the channels of said master magnetic sound recorder that carry the pre-recorded fragments of speech.

Claim 15

A machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein said pause shaper comprises a multiple switch to communicate said acoustic output unit with said switches of the phrase shaper, the channels of said master magnetic sound recorder which carry the speech, being all at once communicated with one of the said switches of the phrase shaper in response to a control signal from said master magnetic sound recorder.