Pronunciation specifying apparatus, pronunciation specifying method and recording medium

A pronunciation specifying apparatus which includes a words dictionary in which the notations and the pronunciations of plural words are stored, wherein the pronunciation of character string data containing a numeric character string is specified, comprising a processor capable of performing the operations of

• accepting character string data containing a numeric character string;
• extracting plural words which partially match said character string data thus accepted, from among the plural words stored in said words dictionary;
• determining whether said numeric character string contained in said character string data thus accepted has a numeric character string portion for which a partially matching word can not be extracted;
• extracting from said words dictionary similar words which are similar to said numeric character string portion for which a partially matching word can not be extracted, when it is determined that there is a numeric character string portion for which the extraction is found impossible;
• specifying words constituting said character string data thus accepted, based on the plural words and the extracted similar word;
• specifying the pronunciations of the extracted plural words among the specified words;
• creating numerical pronunciation rules which are rules regarding the pronunciation of the numeric character string contained in the extracted similar word among the specified words;
• specifying the pronunciation of said numeric character string contained in the similar word, based on said numerical pronunciation rules thus created;
• and
• specifying the pronunciation of said character string data, based on the pronunciations of the specified words and based on the pronunciation of the similar word including the pronunciation of said numeric character string thus specified.

A pronunciation specifying method of specifying the pronunciation of character string data containing a numeric character string, using a words dictionary in which the notations and the pronunciations of plural words are stored, comprising the steps of

• accepting character string data containing a numeric character string;
• extracting plural words which partially match said character string data thus accepted, from among the plural words stored in said words dictionary;
• determining whether said numeric character string contained in said character string data thus accepted has a numeric character string portion for which a partially matching word can not be extracted;
• extracting from said words dictionary a similar word which is similar to said numeric character string portion for which a partially matching word can not be extracted, when it is determined that there is a numeric character string portion for which the extraction is found impossible;
• specifying words constituting said character string data thus accepted, based on the plural words and the extracted similar word;
• specifying the pronunciations of the extracted plural words among the specified words;
• creating numerical pronunciation rules which are rules regarding the pronunciation of the numeric character string contained in the extracted similar word among the specified words;
• specifying the pronunciation of said numeric character string contained in the similar word, based on said numerical pronunciation rules thus created;
• and
• specifying the pronunciation of said character string data, based on the pronunciations of the specified words and based on the pronunciation of the similar word including the pronunciation of said numeric character string thus specified.

A recording medium storing a computer program for a computer including a words dictionary in which the notations and the pronunciations of plural words are stored, which specifies the pronunciation of character string data containing a numeric character string,

• wherein the computer program stored in said recording medium comprises the steps of
• causing the computer to extract plural words which partially match said character string data thus accepted, from among the plural words stored in said words dictionary;
• causing the computer to determine whether said numeric character string contained in said character string data thus accepted has a numeric character string portion for which a partially matching word can not be extracted;
• causing the computer to extract from said words dictionary a similar word which is similar to said numeric character string portion for which a partially matching words can not be extracted, when it is determined that there is a numeric character string portion for which the extraction is found impossible;
• causing the computer to specify words constituting said character string data thus accepted, based on the plural words and the extracted similar word;
• causing the computer to specify the pronunciations of the extracted plural words among the specified words;
• causing the computer to create numerical pronunciation rules which are rules regarding the pronunciation of the numeric character string contained in the extracted similar word among the specified words;
• causing the computer to specify the pronunciation of said numeric character string contained in the similar word, based on said numerical pronunciation rules thus created;
• and
• causing the computer to specify the pronunciation of said character string data, based on the pronunciations of the specified words and based on the pronunciation of the similar word including the pronunciation of said numeric character string thus specified.