#### Title Page Preface Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Appendix A Appendix B

# Chapter 3: Getting Started

This chapter provides an introduction to basic voice and program control operations. It gives you step-by-step instructions on how to perform each operation. Basic operations are explained from the perspective of the application user. That approach gives you a feel for using DECtalk Software whether you are using the sample program or inserting commands on the Digital UNIX command line.

Topics include:

- Running speak
  - Step-By-Step Instructions
  - Additional Syntax Rules
- Changing Voice Selections
- Editing a Text File and Changing the Speaking Rate
- Overview of the User Dictionary Build Tool
- Building a User Dictionary
- Running mailtalk
  - Mailtalk.ini File

## Running speak

The speak program can be started at the Digital UNIX command line or from an icon in the CDE Multimedia Program Group.

### Step-By-Step Instructions

    Starting speak (See Figure 3-1 - Starting the Speak Application )

    Task/Location     Action                    Result

Starting speak from the Digital UNIX Command Line

    Digital UNIX      1. Enter: % speak         The speak application is
    command line                                launched. (2)Speak program

    Starting speak from the CDE Multimedia Program Group

    CDE Multimedia    1. Double click on the    The speak application is
    Program Group     speak icon. (1)           launched. (2)

    Opening a Text File for the speak application to speak

    speak window (2)  1. Pull down the File     The Open File dialog box is
                      menu and select Open (3)  displayed. (4)

    Open File         2. Select the file you    The file is displayed in the
    dialog box        want DECtalk Software     sample program window. (5)
                      to speak.

    Play button (6)   3. Click on the play      DECtalk Software starts
                      button.                   speaking the file.

    Pause and stop    4. Click on the Pause     DECtalk Software pauses or
    buttons (7) (8)   and Stop buttons.         stops the speaking session.

Figure 3-1 - Starting the Speak Application

Click here for Picture

Inserting Voice-Control Commands (Syntax Rules)

Before you can use DECtalk Software commands to modify speech output, you need to know the proper syntax with which to include those commands into a text file. Figure 3-2 illustrates the rules of DECtalk Software command syntax.

Figure 1-2 -- Rules for Voice-Control Command Syntax

Click here for Picture

    Legend
        Enclose every command in brackets.
        Begin every command with a colon.
        Separate each command and its parameter or parameters
        from the text by a valid word boundary marker, such as a
        space, tab, or carriage return. A space is used here.
        You can include several commands within the same
        brackets.
        Include several parameters within the same brackets if
        the command allows more than one parameter. If you use
        several parameters, enter each command's parameters
        before you enter a second command in the same bracket.
        (In this example, the parameter group modifies the [:dv]
        command.)
        If you give two conflicting parameters or commands
        Rhythm:control ofSyllabic stress:control ofDECtalk
        Software uses the last command in the sequence. (In this
        example, Rhythm:control ofSyllabic stress:control
        ofDECtalk Software uses Paul's voice.)
        You can use phonemic symbols within the same brackets
        with voice commands. In this example, the phonetic
        spelling of word really (r"iyliy) is included.

### Additional Syntax Rules

If the value in a [:dv] command is too low, DECtalk Software uses the minimum valid value. If the value is too high, it uses the maximum valid value.

Once you enter a command, that command applies to the remaining text until it is overridden by another command. For example, the command [:nk] invokes Kit's voice on all entered text until you enter another voice-selection command.

Invalid commands are ignored. By setting the [:error speak] command, you can receive an audible warning that an invalid command has been entered.

DECtalk Software interprets text between brackets as phonemes only after the [:phoneme arpabet speak on] command has been sent to the application. If [:phoneme arpabet speak on] has not been sent DECtalk Software interprets the brackets and characters between them literally. The [:phoneme arpabet speak off] command must be sent with literal characters if you want to insert brackets in normal text.

If the command [:phoneme arpabet speak on] is set and you forget the right bracket ( ] ), DECtalk Software attempts to interpret all text following the ASCII text as phonemes, skipping over illegal letter combinations. The resulting text sounds garbled. Enter a right bracket to fix this problem.

## Changing Voice Selections

You can change a speaking voice by inserting DECtalk Software commands into the text-collection area displayed in the speak applet window or by selecting text and then clicking on one of the nine picture buttons at the top of the speak window.

Voice changes made with commands are permanent for the session and remain intact as along as the command remains in the file. Voice changes made from the menu only remain in effect as long as the current DECtalk Software session is running.

Each voice selection is inserted into the command [:n x] where x is a value representing one of the voices. Table 3-2 -- Changing Voices, lists the names and their corresponding values.

You can change voices with a new voice command as in the following example.

`[:nb] Hello. I'm Betty.`

``You can also change voices in the middle of a sentence.

`[:np] This is a demo [:nb] of a sudden change in voice.`

``If a voice-change request occurs in the middle of a sentence, DECtalk Software automatically pauses. The pause is the equivalent of inserting a comma, or about half a second.

`[:np] This is a demo, [:nb] of a sudden change in voice.`

``Table 3-1 -- DECtalk Voices and Their Associated Values

    Name      Value            Name        Value
    Paul      P                Betty       B
    Harry     H                Ursula      U
    Frank     F                Wendy       W
    Dennis    D                Rita        R
    Kit       K

Figure 3-2 -- Changing DECtalk Software Voices

Click here for Picture

Table 3-2 -- Changing Voices (See Figure 3-2 -- Changing DECtalk Software Voices)

    Task/Location       Action                  Result
    Using the Picture IconsVoice selections:changing from the Sample applet
    Speak applet        1. Click on the
    window (1)          picture of the
                        desired speaking
                        voice (each of the
                        picture buttons
                        represents one of the
                        nine DECtalk voices).
                        (2)
                        2. Press the start      The entire file or selected
                        button. (3)             section is spoken.
    Using Voice-Control CommandsVoice-control commands:inserting in the
    Sample applet
    Speak applet        1. Insert               Rhythm:control ofSyllabic
    window (1)          voice-definition        stress:control ofDECtalk
                        commands in the text    Software changes the speaking
                        at the points where     voice at the point where you
                        you want a new voice    insert commands.
                        to take effect. (4)

## Editing a Text File and Changing the Speaking Rate

DECtalk Software lets you edit text -- select, cut, paste, append other text files -- that is displayed in the speak applet window and then play segments or all of the edited text.

You can also increase and decrease the rate at which DECtalk Software speaks a file or a section of a file.

Figure 3-3 -- Editing a Text File and Changing the Speaking Rate

Click here for Picture

Table 3-3 -- Editing the Input Text File and Changing the Speaking Rate

    Task/Location        Action                       Result
    To Edit the file and play selected segmentsText file:editing from within
    the Speak appletEditing:step-by-step
    Speak applet         1. Select the range of
    Window (1)           text you want to edit. To
                         play the selected range,
                         click on the right mouse
                         (MB2 or 3) button. (2)
                         2. Use cut, copy, paste,        Rhythm:control
                         delete, and insert           ofSyllabic stress:control
                         selections from the Edit     ofDECtalk Software speaks
                         pull-down menu to            the edited file in the
                         manipulate the selected      new, edited format.
                         text. (3) For example,
                         select a single sentence
                         for Rhythm:control
                         ofSyllabic stress:control
                         ofDECtalk Software to
                         speak.  Click on the Start
                         button. (4)
    To change the output rateRate:changing from within the Speak applet
    Speak applet         1. Use the mouse to          The speed at which
    window as            position the pointer on      Rhythm:control ofSyllabic
    Rhythm:control       the rate slider bar. Press   stress:control ofDECtalk
    ofSyllabic           the left mouse (MB1)         Software speaks the file
    stress:control       button and drag the slider   changes. It  increases if
    ofDECtalk            to the left and wait for     you drag to the right and
    Software is          the speaking voice change    decreases if you drag to
    speaking a file      to occur. Then drag the      the left. The rate in
                         slider to the right. (5)     words per minute is
                                                      displayed to the right of
                                                      the slider bar. Changes
                                                      in the speaking rate
                                                      occur only on a clause
                                                      boundary, after all the
                                                      previously queued audio
                                                      has played.

## Overview of the User Dictionary Build Tool

The User Dictionary Build Tool creates a loadable dictionary file (.dic) from a list of words and their corresponding pronunciations. The dictionary is loaded with a call to the TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary() function or from the File menu in the Speak Program applet.

The Translate command is new for DECtalk version 4.2A. Use it to create phonemic translations of words or phrases.

Figure 3-4 -- Components of the User Dictionary Build Tool

Click here for Picture

    Legend
    (1)   Text-collection Area  Enter word-pronunciation pairs in the text
          window. Word-pronunciation pairs are words that are not predefined
          or not pronounced as desired in the Rhythm:control ofSyllabic
          stress:control ofDECtalk Software user dictionary.
    (2)   File pull-down menu  Open... A pop-up dialog box that opens up a
          dictionary definition file (*.tab).  Save... A pop-up dialog box
          that saves the file and calls the compiler to create a dictionary
          file (*.dic).  Save as... A pop-up dialog box that lets the user
          rename the file. This also calls the compiler to create a dictionary
          file (*.dic).  Compile Compiles the current file to a .dic file with
          the same name.  Exit Exits the program and, if the entries in the
          Text Window have been modified, it pops up the Save dialog box.
    (3)   Edit pull-down menu  Undo    Undo the previous command.  Cut
          Cut the selected region.  Copy    Copy the selected region.  Paste
          Paste the selected region.  Delete   Delete the selected region.
          Select All    Select all of the word-pronunciation pairs from the
          text-collection area.  Find... A pop-up dialog box that prompts you
          to search for selected text.
    (4)   Translate Menu Translates selected text into phonemic spelling.
    (5)   Pronounce Word, Next, and Previous buttons  When these buttons are
          pressed, all the phonetic pronunciations that are listed in the
          text-collection area are spoken. If a range of word-pronunciation
          pairs is selected, then only the phonetic pronunciation for the
          corresponding words is pronounced. If only one word is selected,
          then the Pronounce Word, Next, and Previous buttons force
          Rhythm:control ofSyllabic stress:control ofDECtalk Software to
          pronounce the highlighted selection.

## Building a User Dictionary

Building a user dictionary is a two-step process. First you create a .tab source file with the User Dictionary Build Tool to define the pronunciation of special words you want to place in the dictionary. Then you compile the .tab file to produce a .dic file. This file is loaded into a DECtalk Software session through the Speak applet or an API call.

Figure 3-5 -- Building a User Dictionary

Click here for Picture

Table 1-5 -- Building a User Dictionary (See Figure 3-6 -- Building a User Dictionary)

    Task/Location       Action                      Result
    Multimedia          1. Double click on the      The  Rhythm:control
    program group       User Dictionary icon        ofSyllabic stress:control
                        (windict).                  ofDECtalk Software Help
                                                    Builder window is
                                                    displayed. (2)
    To Open an Existing Dictionary File
    File                1. Select Open to open a    The Open File Selection
    pull-down           new or existing             dialog box is displayed. (4)
    menu  (3)           dictionary file.
                        2. Select  the dictionary   The file is loaded in the
                        file you want to load and   user dictionary window.
                        click on OK.
    To Create a New Dictionary
    User                1. Enter word-pronunciation pairs for words that are
    Dictionary          not predefined or not pronounced as desired in the
    window (1)          Rhythm:control ofSyllabic stress:control ofDECtalk
                        Software user dictionary. A word-pronunciation pair is
                        written in the following format with the pronunciation
                        enclosed in brackets. Note, that each
                        word-pronunciation pair must be on a separate line in
                        the dictionary. word [pronunciation] As an example,
                        define the word soda to be equivalent to pop; define
                        water to be pronounced with a New England accent; and
                        take into account the dialectic regional preferences so
                        that the word sub is called a hero. Use the following
                        pronunciation pairs: soda [p'aap]
    water [w'aotrr]
    subs
                        [hx'iyrow] Use the Translate command menu to translate
                        desired words into a proper phonemic spelling  (5)
                        Refer to Appendix C or Rhythm:control ofSyllabic
                        stress:control ofDECtalk Software online help (the
                        Advanced Topic Index) for a complete list of phonemic,
                        stress, and syntactic symbols. Refer to Chapter 4 for
                        more on modifying and enhancing pronunciation.
    To save the Dictionary .tab File
    File                1. Select Save or Save      The Save dialog box is
    pull-down           as... to save the .tab      displayed (not shown here).
    menu (3)            file.
    Save as             2. Name the file in which   You are prompted if you
    dialog box          you want the dictionary     want to save the file with
                        session saved. Click on     a dialog box. (6)
                        OK.
    To compile the Dictionary (You must save before you compile)
    File                1. Select Compile  to       The dictionary session is
    pull-down           compile the current         saved and compiled to a
    menu (3)            session. Click on OK.       .dic file. The Compile
                                                    dialog box confirms the
                                                    compile. (7)

## Running mailtalk

The mailtalk program applet is included with DECtalk Software and announces the arrival of mail messages as they are delivered to your system. Depending on the options you select, mailtalk announces the sender of the message, its subject, or both.

### Mailtalk.ini File

The installation procedure places the default mailtalk.ini file in the directory /usr/lib/dtk/. The .ini file contains the boilerplate text that is spoken by mailtalk. You may modify this and place it in your login directory. mailtalk first looks in your login directory for a mailtalk.ini file; if it does not find one then it uses the default mailtalk.ini file in /usr/lib/dtk/.

Standard DECtalk Software voice-control commands can be embedded in the text strings to control attributes, such as speaking voice and speaking speed. See Chapter 4 for information about DECtalk Software in-line commands. The maximum length of any string is 256 characters. Characters beyond 256 are truncated. The format for the ini file is as follows:

`[mailtalk]`

`INCOMING = You have just received a mail message`

`UNREAD = You have unread mail messages`

`FROM = from`

`SUBJECT = In regards to`

`INIT = [:np :ra 180]`

``

``Upon receving an incomming mail message mailtalk will first speak out the INCOMING mesage, in this case it will say - "You have just received a mail message". mailtalk will then announce the FROM and finally the SUBJECT fields. The DECtalk Software in-line commands in INIT set up the mailtalk, in this case, to use Paul's voice at a rate of 180 words per minute.