The main purpose of this study is to use an embedded system to implement a portable pronunciation tool that will enable hearing-impaired people to learn Chinese phonemes, especially the four tones of a Chinese word. This system is implemented in a SPCE061A Microcontroller of Sunplus Technology. A subsyllable pronunciation database was created to store the subsyllable pronunciation data for real-time processing synthesis. An experiment for performance evaluation of implemented system has processed to verify the effectiveness of improvement on hearing-impaired students' phonetic learning. Furthermore, intention to adopt a new system is a critical factor in determining the success of developed system. Therefore, in this study, we also draw upon innovation diffusion theory and technology acceptance model to examine the usability and use intention of the implemented system. The process was empirically tested via a field questionnaire survey of 36 hearing-impaired students in a primary deaf school. The implications are also discussed at the end of paper.
