Topics include:
Starting speak (See Figure 3-1 - Starting the Speak Application ) Task/Location Action ResultStarting 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
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.
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.
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.
Changing Voice Selections
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
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)
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
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.
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
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.
Figure 3-5 -- Building a User Dictionary
Table 1-5 -- 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)
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.