DECtalk Software Features and Functions

DECtalk Software enables applications to extend the capabilities of your personal computer by turning text files into spoken words. With only a standard PC sound card for audio output, the programming resources provided by DECtalk Software allow applications to accurately read ASCII text from a variety of sources, such as electronic mail and word processors. Nine different voices are provided, and users can control voice pitch, rate of speech, and word or phrase emphasis.

Latest Version of Speech-Synthesis Technology

DECtalk Software contains the latest version of DECtalk Software speech synthesis. This incorporates a number of improvements from earlier versions of DECtalk and is a software-only version.

Letter Mode, Word Mode, and Clause Mode

DECtalk Software can speak single characters immediately, without waiting for an entire clause to be buffered. DECtalk Software also provides normal clause buffering for natural speech. DECtalk Software can speak letters, words, phrases, clauses, paragraphs, and whole documents. DECtalk Software allows the application to terminate speech immediately instead of waiting for the buffered text to complete processing.

Short Command Strings

Many of the command strings can be abbreviated for greater ease of use in applications.

High-Quality Speech and Word Pronunciation Accuracy

DECtalk Software speech retains its high quality. In addition, functionality and acoustic phonetic quality are improved. Also, DECtalk Software has a large built-in dictionary that enables accurate pronunciation of individual words as well as enhancing their rhythmic naturalness.

Pronunciation Heuristics

DECtalk Software includes pronunciation heuristics that recognize and parse unpronounceable sequences, such as sequences of uppercase initials (FBI, AAA, and so forth) and sequences with no vowels (CBS, NBC, for example).