DECtalk(r) Software
Reference Guide

April 2001

This guide provides reference descriptions of the DECtalk(r) Software API functions and in-line commands, followed by a guide to using the in-line commands. It also provides reference tables for phonemic symbols, stress and syntactic symbols, tones, and homographs; a guide to customizing DECtalk voices; and a guide to the DECtalk preprocessor's rules for parsing text.




Revision / Update Information:
This document supersedes the DECtalk Software Reference Guide, Version 4.6.

Operating System:
Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000
Windows CE/Pocket PC
Red Hat Linux Version 5.0 or higher
Compaq Tru64 UNIX Version 4.x

Software Version:
DECtalk Software Version 4.61





April 2001
The information in this publication is subject to change without notice. Force Computers, Inc. reserves the right to make changes without notice to this, or any of its products, to improve reliability, performance, or design.

FORCE COMPUTERS, INC. SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR TECHNICAL OR EDITORIAL ERRORS OR OMISSIONS CONTAINED HERIN, NOR FOR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS MATERIAL. THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND FORCE COMPUTERS, INC. EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY EXPRESS, STATUTORY, OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

This publication contains information protected by copyright. This publication shall not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, nor its contents used for any purpose, without the prior written consent of Force Computers, Inc.

Force Computers, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the use of any circuitry other than the circuitry that is part of a product of Force Computers, Inc.  Force Computers, Inc. does not convey to the purchaser of the product described herein any license under the patent rights of Force Computers, Inc. nor the rights of others.

The software described in this guide is furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Copyright (c) 2000, 2001 by Force Computers, Inc. Certain portions (c) 1997, 1998, 1999 Compaq Computer Corporation. All rights reserved.

The Force logo and DECtalk are trademarks of Force Computers, Inc.

Compaq is a registered trademark of Compaq Computer Corporation. Tru64 is a trademark of Compaq Information Technologies Group, L.P.
Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation. 
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
Microsoft, Windows, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows CE are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. 
Motif is a registered trademark of the Open Software Foundation, Inc.
Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat Software, Inc.
SoundBlaster is a registered trademark of Creative Labs, Inc. 
UNIX and The Open Group are trademarks of The Open Group.

Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. 
Contents
Chapter 1	-  DECtalk Software API Functions	1-1
TextToSpeechAddBuffer()	1-3
TextToSpeechCloseInMemory()	1-5
TextToSpeechCloseLang()	1-6
TextToSpeechCloseLogFile()	1-7
TextToSpeechCloseWaveOutFile()	1-8
TextToSpeechEnumLangs()	1-9
TextToSpeechGetCaps()	1-10
TextToSpeechGetFeatures()	1-11
TextToSpeechGetLanguage() [not supported]	1-12
TextToSpeechGetRate()	1-13
TextToSpeechGetSpeaker()	1-14
TextToSpeechGetStatus()	1-15
TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary()	1-16
TextToSpeechOpenInMemory()	1-17
TextToSpeechOpenLogFile()	1-19
TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile()	1-21
TextToSpeechPause()	1-23
TextToSpeechReset()	1-25
TextToSpeechResume()	1-27
TextToSpeechReturnBuffer()	1-28
TextToSpeechSelectLang()	1-29
TextToSpeechSetLanguage() [not supported]	1-30
TextToSpeechSetRate()	1-31
TextToSpeechSetSpeaker()	1-32
TextToSpeechShutdown()	1-33
TextToSpeechSpeak()	1-34
TextToSpeechStartLang()	1-36
TextToSpeechStartup() [Windows]	1-38
TextToSpeechStartup() [Linux and UNIX]	1-41
TextToSpeechStartupEx()	1-44
TextToSpeechSync()	1-47
TextToSpeechTyping()	1-48
TextToSpeechUnloadUserDictionary()	1-49
TextToSpeechVersion()	1-50
TextToSpeechVersionEx()	1-51
Chapter 2	-  DECtalk Software In-Line Commands	2-1
In-Line Commands: Overview	2-1
Comma Pause [:comma]	2-4
Design Voice [:dv]	2-5
Dial Tones [:dial]	2-6
Error [:error]	2-7
Index Mark [:index mark]	2-8
Log [:log]	2-9
Mode [:mode]	2-10
Name [:name]	2-15
Period Pause [:period]	2-16
Phoneme Interpretation [:phoneme]	2-17
Pitch [:pitch]	2-19
Play Wave Files [:play]	2-20
Pronounce [:pronounce]	2-21
Punctuation [:punct]	2-22
Rate Selection [:rate]	2-23
Say [:say]	2-24
Skip [:skip]	2-25
Sync [:sync]	2-26
Tone [:tone]	2-27
Volume [:volume]	2-28
Monaural Volume Control	2-28
Stereo Volume Control	2-28
Chapter 3	-  Using In-Line Commands	3-1
Changing Rhythm, Stress, and Intonation	3-2
Developing an Electronic Mail-Reading Application	3-2
Optimizing the Quality of Spoken Text	3-4
Index Marks for Speech Status	3-5
Speaking Rate	3-6
Adjusting Period and Comma Pause Durations	3-7
Text-Tuning Example	3-8
Original Version	3-8
Revised Version	3-9
Avoiding Common Errors	3-10
Chapter 4	-  DECtalk Software Reference Tables	4-1
Phonemic Symbols Listed By Language	4-2
Stress and Syntactic Symbols	4-16
Phonemes Listed in Unicode Sequence	4-17
Pitch and Duration of Tones	4-21
Homographs	4-23
Supported SAPI Functions (Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000 Only)	4-31
Supported SAPI Version 5 Features (Windows 98/ME/NT/2000 Only)	4-33
Chapter 5	-  Customizing a DECtalk Software Voice	5-1
Design Voice [:dv]	5-2
Definitions of DECtalk Software Voices	5-4
Changing Gender and Head Size	5-5
Sex, sx	5-5
Head Size, hs	5-6
Higher Formants, f4, f5, b4, and b5	5-6
Changing Voice Quality	5-8
Breathiness, br	5-8
Lax Breathiness, lx	5-8
Smoothness, sm	5-9
Richness, ri	5-9
Nopen Fixed, nf	5-9
Laryngealization, la	5-10
Changing Pitch and Intonation	5-11
Baseline Fall, bf	5-11
Hat Rise, hr	5-12
Stress Rise, sr	5-12
Assertiveness, as	5-13
Quickness, qu	5-13
Average Pitch, ap, and Pitch Range, pr	5-13
Changing Relative Gains and Avoiding Overloads	5-15
Loudness, g5	5-15
Sound Source Gains, gv, gh, gf, and gn	5-16
Cascade Vocal Tract Gains, g1, g2, g3, and g4	5-16
Saving Changes as Val's Voice	5-18
Save, save	5-18
Summary of Design Voice Options	5-19
Chapter 6	-  Preprocessor Rules for Parsing	6-1
Email Parsing Rules	6-1
Punctuation Parsing Rules	6-2
Interpreting Punctuation Marks as Words	6-2
Interpreting Punctuation Marks as Punctuation	6-2
General Parsing Rules	6-3
German	6-3
Spanish (Castilian and Latin American)	6-3
English (UK)	6-4
English (US, UK)	6-4
Glossary	1
Index	1

Figures
Figure 4-1 DECtalk Software Singing "Happy Birthday"	4-21

Tables
Table 1-1 DECtalk Software API Functions	1-1
Table 2-1 DECtalk Software In-Line Commands	2-2
Table 2-2 DECtalk Interpretation of Special Characters	2-11
Table 4-1  Phonemic Symbols - U.S. English	4-3
Table 4-2  Phonemic Symbols - U.K. English	4-6
Table 4-3  Phonemic Symbols - Castilian Spanish	4-8
Table 4-4  Phonemic Symbols - Latin American Spanish	4-10
Table 4-5  Phonemic Symbols - German	4-12
Table 4-6  Phonemic Symbols - French	4-14
Table 4-7 Stress Symbols	4-16
Table 4-8 Syntactic Symbols	4-16
Table 4-9 U.S. English Phonemes in Unicode Sequence	4-17
Table 4-10 Phoneme Syntax for Singing	4-21
Table 4-11 Tone Table	4-22
Table 4-12 Homograph Phonetics - (A)	4-24
Table 4-13 Homograph Phonetics - (B-C)	4-25
Table 4-14 Homograph Phonetics - (D-G)	4-26
Table 4-15 Homograph Phonetics - (I-L)	4-27
Table 4-16 Homograph Phonetics - (M-P)	4-28
Table 4-17 Homograph Phonetics - (R)	4-29
Table 4-18 Homograph Phonetics - (S-W)	4-30
Table 4-19 Supported Functions of the Microsoft Speech API	4-31
Table 4-20 Supported Features of the Microsoft Speech API, Version 5	4-33
Table 5-1 [:dv] Command Options	5-2
Table 5-2 Speaker Definitions for All DECtalk Software Voices	5-4
Table 5-3 Head Size and Shape Options	5-5
Table 5-4 Voice Quality Options	5-8
Table 5-5 Fundamental Frequency Contour Options	5-11
Table 5-6 Internal Resonator Options	5-15

Preface
Purpose and Audience
This guide is written for the general user or programmer who wants a ready reference to DECtalk(r) Software Application Programming Interface (API) functions, in-line commands, and reference tables. The information in this guide is accurate for Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000, Windows CE/Pocket PC, Linux, and Tru64 UNIX implementations of DECtalk Software. Use this guide in conjunction with the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide. 
Structure
The design of this guide gives you quick and easy access to information. Its organization can help you easily learn about new topics and perform specific tasks related to the use of the applets for development of a DECtalk Software application.
The guide is organized as follows:
Chapter 1
DECtalk Software API Functions
Chapter 2
DECtalk Software In-Line Commands
Chapter 3
Using In-Line Commands
Chapter 4
DECtalk Software Reference Tables
Chapter 5
Customizing a DECtalk Software Voice
Chapter 6
Preprocessor Rules for Parsing
Glossary
Definitions of Terms Used in DECtalk Documentation

What's New in DECtalk Software V4.61?
DECtalk Software V4.61 contains the following new features:
* Windows CE support extended to palm-size PCs and pocket PCs.
* Installation tested on Windows ME.
* Reduced footprint sizes for all platforms.
* Unified phoneme set for all supported languages, allowing you to specify phonemes from different languages within the context of your current language.
* Support for Version 5.0 of the Microsoft Speech API (SAPI) on Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 platforms.
* Beta support for the French language.
* Enhanced German.
* Supplemental foreign-language dictionary for German, allowing you to include foreign phrases in German speech.
* Addition of a Hebrew complement phoneme set.
* Support for Windows CE Agent, an automatic registry update application for Windows CE developers.
What's New in DECtalk Software V4.6?
DECtalk Software V4.6 contains the following new features:
* Installation tested on Windows 98 and Windows 2000.
* Support for Linux.
* Support for the German language.
* Disabled license error pop-up window from the DECtalk Software API (DAPI) engine.
* Significantly increased compliance with the Microsoft Speech API (SAPI); see APPENDIX3.TXT.
* Enhanced Latin American and Castilian Spanish.
* Windows CE support, which includes a static version of windic.exe that allows the Windows host to support a user-defined dictionary, and full registry support.
* Y2K compliance.
* Over 170 bugs fixed, including the following:
* Various application or system hangs or crashes caused by data path, synchronization, and dictionary failures corrected.
* User dictionary compiler failures corrected.
* Wave file headers corrected.
* Use of extended ASCII characters corrected.
* New in-line command Say filtered-letter added.
* Number processing changes automatically by language.
* Memory leaks corrected.
* Main dictionary wordclass and function words added.
* Word and number stressing corrected.
* Diphthong, phoneme, homograph, and allophone processing corrected.
Conventions
The following conventions are used in this guide:
Convention
Meaning
enter
Enter means type the required information and press the Enter key.
mouse
Mouse refers to any pointing device, such as a mouse, a puck, or a stylus.
MB1
MB1 indicates the left mouse button.
click 
Click means press and release MB1. 
Double click 
Double click means to press and release MB1 twice in rapid succession without moving the mouse.
drag
The phrase drag means to press and hold MB1, move the mouse, and then release MB1 when the pointer is in the desired position.
Ctrl/x
Press the Ctrl key while you press another key.
Menu ==>Command
The right arrow key indicates an abbreviated instruction for choosing a command from a menu. For example, File ==>Exit  means pull down the File menu, move the pointer to the Exit command, and release MB1. 
Courier type
Courier type indicates text that is typed or displayed on the screen. This is most often used for program code examples.
User Input
Boldface type in interactive examples indicates information you enter from the keyboard. For example: 
A:>SETUP
XX YY and 
XXn YYn
In DECtalk Software in-line command syntax, XX and YY indicate options and parameters. When more than one choice of options or parameters is allowed, the symbol XXn or YYn with n replaced by a numeral indicates each option or parameter in the symbolic representations, such as [:phoneme XX1 XX2 YY]. Note that the number of characters in the symbolic representation does NOT represent the number of characters allowed in the actual option or parameter name.
DD and DDn
In DECtalk Software in-line command syntax, DD indicates a decimal (base 10) value. When more than one decimal values are allowed, the symbol DDn with n replaced by a numeral represents each allowed value, such as [:volume XX DD1 DD2]. Note that the number of characters in the symbolic representation does NOT represent the number of characters allowed in the actual decimal value.
Conventions used in API functions
Italics
Italic text emphasizes important information.

Unless you are instructed otherwise, press Enter after you type  responses to command prompts.
Chapter 1 - 
DECtalk Software API Functions

This chapter is an alphabetical listing of the DECtalk Software Application Programming Interface (API) functions.
Table 1-1 DECtalk Software API Functions
TextToSpeechAddBuffer()
TextToSpeechCloseInMemory()
TextToSpeechCloseLang()
TextToSpeechCloseLogFile()
TextToSpeechCloseWaveOutFile()
TextToSpeechEnumLangs()
TextToSpeechGetCaps()
TextToSpeechGetFeatures()
TextToSpeechGetLanguage() [not supported]
TextToSpeechGetRate()
TextToSpeechGetSpeaker()
TextToSpeechGetStatus()
TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary()
TextToSpeechOpenInMemory()
TextToSpeechOpenLogFile()
TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile()
TextToSpeechPause()
TextToSpeechReset()
TextToSpeechResume()
TextToSpeechReturnBuffer()
TextToSpeechSelectLang()
TextToSpeechSetLanguage() [not supported]
TextToSpeechSetRate()
TextToSpeechSetSpeaker()
TextToSpeechShutdown()
TextToSpeechSpeak()
TextToSpeechStartLang()
TextToSpeechStartup()
TextToSpeechStartupEx()
TextToSpeechSync()
TextToSpeechTyping()
TextToSpeechUnloadUserDictionary()
TextToSpeechVersion()
TextToSpeechVersionEx()

The following formats are not supported in any TextToSpeech...() function call, because of a limitation in the Windows CE operating system:
* WAVE FORMAT 1M16
* WAVE FORMAT 08M08

 TextToSpeechAddBuffer()
The TextToSpeechAddBuffer() function supplies a memory buffer to the text-to-speech system. This memory buffer stores speech samples while DECtalk is in the speech-to-memory mode.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechAddBuffer		(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS,
	LPTTS_BUFFER_T pTTSbuffer)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		LPTTS_BUFFER_T pTTSbuffer	Points to a structure containing the memory buffers. Buffers are supplied by the application to be used while in speech-to-memory mode.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALPARAM	Invalid parameter.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Output to memory not enabled or unable to create a system object.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	The application must call TextToSpeechOpenInMemory() before calling TextToSpeechAddBuffer(). The memory buffer is passed using the TTS_BUFFER_T structure. The user must allocate the structure and its associated elements (memory buffer, phoneme array, and index mark array).  Refer to Speech-To-Memory Mode in the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for more information on the TTS_BUFFER_T structure and its elements.
		The text-to-speech system returns the buffer to the application when the memory buffer, phoneme array, or index mark array is full or when a TTS_FORCE was used in the TextToSpeechSpeak() call. Refer to Callback Routines and Window Procedures in the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for detailed information on passing information back to the calling application.

See Also	Callback Routines and Window Procedures (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		Speech-to-Memory Mode (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		TextToSpeechOpenInMemory()
		TextToSpeechReturnBuffer()
		TextToSpeechStartup()
		TextToSpeechStartupEx()

 TextToSpeechCloseInMemory()
The TextToSpeechCloseInMemory() function terminates the speech-to-memory capability and returns to the startup state. The speech samples are then ignored or sent to an audio device, depending on the setting of the dwDeviceOptions parameter in the startup function.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechCloseInMemory	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Output to memory not enabled or unable to create a system object.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	TextToSpeechOpenInMemory() must be called before calling TextToSpeechCloseInMemory().

See Also	TextToSpeechOpenInMemory()
 TextToSpeechCloseLang()
The TextToSpeechCloseLang() function closes an instance for an installed language and attempts to unload it from the DECtalk Multi-Language (ML) engine.
Syntax	BOOL TextToSpeechCloseLang		(char *lang)

Parameters	char *lang	Specifies the language being unloaded; passed as a null-terminated string containing the 2-character language ID.

Return Value	BOOL	Returns TRUE when a language is successfully unloaded, or FALSE when the operation cannot be completed or more instances have the thread started.

Comments	Call this function for each thread using the selected language.  When a thread returns TRUE, the language is freed and can be uninstalled or upgraded.
 		A return value of FALSE may indicate invalid passing of the lang variable or more instances of the language still loaded.  If there are more instances, the function frees the current instance and returns FALSE.   After calling TextToSpeechCloseLang(), assume that the language handle is no longer valid.

Example	
BOOL stop_us (void) {
	if (TextToSpeechCloseLang ("us") == FALSE)  {
		printf  ("Another thread has the language\n") ;
		printf ("still loaded. \n") ;
		return FALSE ;
	}
	printf  ("The language has been freed. \n" ) ;
	return TRUE ;
}

See Also	TextToSpeechEnumLangs()
		TextToSpeechSelectLang()
		TextToSpeechStartLang()
		
 TextToSpeechCloseLogFile()
The TextToSpeechCloseLogFile() function closes a log file opened by the TextToSpeechOpenLogFile() function and returns to the startup state. The speech samples are then ignored or sent to an audio device, depending on the setting of the dwDeviceOptions parameter in the startup function.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechCloseLogFile	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS 	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants.
Constants	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Failure to wait for pending speech, unable to close the output file, or no output file is open.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	TextToSpeechCloseLogFile() closes any open log file, even if it was opened with the Log command.  
		The application must have called TextToSpeechOpenLogFile() before calling TextToSpeechCloseLogFile().

See Also	TextToSpeechOpenLogFile()

 TextToSpeechCloseWaveOutFile()
The TextToSpeechCloseWaveOutFile() function closes a wave file opened by the TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile() function and returns to the startup state. The speech samples are then ignored or sent to an audio device, depending on the setting of the dwDeviceOptions parameter in the startup function.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechCloseWaveOutFile	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Failure to wait for pending speech, unable to update the wave file header, or unable to close the wave file.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	The application must call TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile() before calling TextToSpeechCloseWaveOutFile().

See Also	TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile()
 TextToSpeechEnumLangs()
The TextToSpeechEnumLangs() function retrieves information about what languages are available in the system.
Syntax	DWORD TextToSpeechEnumLangs	(LPLANG_ENUM *langs);

Parameters	LPLANG_ENUM *langs	Specifies a LANG_ENUM struct structure to be used to return the language information.

Return Value	DWORD	Returns the size of the struct on success, or 0 on error.  No further error information is available at this time.

Comments	TextToSpeechEnumLangs() returns the default language in the registry as the first language of the array of LANG_ENTRY returned by the langs parameter.

Example	
if(TextToSpeechEnumLangs (&languageINFO) == 0)
{
	MessageBox(NULL, "Unable to allocate Memory","Error",MB_OK);
	return(-1);
}
...
...
if(languageINFO->MultiLang==FALSE)
	/* perform nonML processing */
else
	for(i=0;i<languageINFO->Languages;i++)//go through all languages...
{
		languageINFO->Entries[i].lang_code; //short language name
		languageINFO->Entries[i].lang_name //long language name
}
	
See Also	TextToSpeechCloseLang()
		TextToSpeechSelectLang()
		TextToSpeechStartLang()
 TextToSpeechGetCaps()
The TextToSpeechGetCaps() function lists the current capabilities of the DECtalk Software by filling in the structure of type TTS_CAPS_T. The caller must have space allocated for this structure before calling TextToSpeechGetCaps(). 
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechGetCaps	(LPTTS_CAPS_T lpTTScaps)

Parameters	LPTTS_CAPS_T lpTTScaps	Specifies a pointer to a structure of type TTS_CAPS_T.  This structure returns the capabilities of the text-to-speech system.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT.  The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants.
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	The pointer to the TTS_CAPS_T structure was invalid.

Comments	Information returned in the TTS_CAPS_T structure includes languages, proper name pronunciation support, sample rate, minimum and maximum speaking rate, number of predefined speaking voices, character-set supported, and version number. See the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for more information on the TTS_CAPS_T structure.
 TextToSpeechGetFeatures()
The TextToSpeechGetFeatures() function retrieves information, in the form of a bitmask, about the features of DECtalk Software.
Syntax	DWORD TextToSpeechGetFeatures		(void) ;

Parameters	void	

Return Value	DWORD	A bitmask of features supported by DECtalk, maskable to the list supplied in the header file TTSFEAT.H.

Comments	If the DECtalk Multi-Language (ML) engine is running, the ML bit is set to TRUE, as well as any feature bits returned from DECtalk.
Future implementation may involve calling TextToSpeechSelectLang() to select the language for which to retrieve information.  

Example	
BOOL is_dectalk_ml (unsigned int language_handle) {
	unsigned long int feats ;

	TextToSpeechSelectLang (NULL, language_handle) ;
	feats = TextToSpeechGetFeatures() ;
	if (feats & TTS_FEATS_MULTILANG)  {;
		printf  ("DECtalk ML installed and running. \n" ) ;
		return TRUE ;
	}
	printf ("Multi-language DECtalk not found. \n") ;
	return FALSE ;
}

 TextToSpeechGetLanguage() [not supported]
Warning
The TextToSpeechGetLanguage() function is not supported for DECtalk Software Version 4.5 or higher.  Use of this function causes unpredictable operation and application linking errors.
This function has been replaced by TextToSpeechGetCaps().

	
	The TextToSpeechGetLanguage() function returns the current language. 

Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechGetLanguage	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS,
	LANGUAGE_T *pLanguage)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies a text-to-speech handle.

		LANGUAGE_T  *pLanguage	Specifies a language. Refer to the ttsapi.h file for a list of valid languages, e.g. TTS_AMERICAN_ENGLISH.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:

	Constant	Description
	MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
	MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

See Also	TextToSpeechSetLanguage()

 TextToSpeechGetRate()
The TextToSpeechGetRate() function returns the current setting of the speaking rate.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechGetRate		(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS,
	LPDWORD pdwRate)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		LPDWORD pdwRate	Specifies a pointer to a DWORD that is used to return the speaking rate. Valid values range from 75 to 600 words per minute.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	The current setting of the speaking rate is returned even if the speaking rate change has not yet occurred. This may occur when the TextToSpeechSetRate() function is used without the TextToSpeechSync() function. The speaking-rate change occurs on clause boundaries.

See Also	TextToSpeechSetRate()
 TextToSpeechGetSpeaker()
The TextToSpeechGetSpeaker() function returns the value of the identifier for the last voice that has spoken. 
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechGetSpeaker		(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS,
		LPSPEAKER_T lpSpeaker)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		LPSPEAKER_T lpSpeaker	Specifies a pointer to a DWORD that returns a speaker value from the following list. These symbols are defined in the include file ttsapi.h.
Speaker	Description
PAUL	Default (male) voice
HARRY	Full male voice
FRANK	Aged male voice
DENNIS	Male voice
BETTY	Full female voice
URSULA	Aged female voice
WENDY	Whispering female voice
RITA	Female voice
KIT	Child's voice

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	Note that even after calling TextToSpeechSetSpeaker(), TextToSpeechGetSpeaker() returns the value for the previous speaking voice until the new voice actually speaks.

See Also	TextToSpeechSetSpeaker()
 TextToSpeechGetStatus()
The TextToSpeechGetStatus() function returns the status of one or more text-to-speech system parameters.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechGetStatus		(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS, 
	LPDWORD dwIdentifier[ ], 
	LPDWORD dwStatus[ ], 
	DWORD dwNumberOfStatusValues)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		LPDWORD dwIdentifier[ ]	Specifies an array of values of type DWORD that specify TTS parameters for which status values are to be returned in the dwStatus array. These values can be any of the constants defined in include file ttsapi.h and listed below.
LPDWORD dwStatus[ ]	Specifies an array of type DWORD that is to return status values corresponding to each of the identifiers in the dwIdentifier array.
DWORD dwNumberOfStatusValues	Specifies the number of entries to return.
Constant in ttsapi.h	Description
INPUT_CHARACTER_COUNT	Returns a count of characters that the text-to-speech system is currently processing.
STATUS_SPEAKING	The status value is TRUE if audio samples are playing and FALSE if no audio sample is playing.
WAVE_OUT_DEVICE_ID	The current wave output device ID is returned.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALPARAM	An invalid parameter was passed.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Error obtaining status values.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	The STATUS_SPEAKING status identifier has no meaning if the application is sending speech to a wave file or sending speech to memory.
 TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary()
The TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary() function loads a user-defined pronunciation dictionary into the text-to-speech system.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary		(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS,
			LPSTR pszFileName)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		LPSTR pszFileName	Specifies a pointer to a NULL-terminated string that specifies the name of the user dictionary file to be loaded.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.
MMSYSERR_NOMEM	Unable to allocate memory for dictionary.
MMSYSERR_INVALPARAM	Dictionary file not found or an invalid dictionary file name.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Illegal dictionary format or a dictionary is already loaded.

Comments	This function loads a dictionary created by the windict or userdict applet (Linux or UNIX) or the windic applet (Windows). Any previously loaded user dictionary must be unloaded before loading a new user dictionary. Note that the text-to-speech system will automatically load a user dictionary, user.dic (or udict_langcode.dic for Linux), at startup if it exists in the home directory.

See Also	Dictionary Functions (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		TextToSpeechUnloadUserDictionary()
 TextToSpeechOpenInMemory()
The TextToSpeechOpenInMemory() function causes the text-to-speech system to enter into speech-to-memory mode. This mode indicates that the speech samples are to be written into memory buffers rather than sent to an audio device each time TextToSpeechSpeak() is called. TextToSpeechAddBuffer() supplies the text-to-speech system with the memory buffers that it needs. The text-to-speech system remains in the speech-to-memory mode until TextToSpeechCloseInMemory() is called.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechOpenInMemory		(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS, 
		DWORD dwFormat)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		DWORD dwFormat	Specifies an identifier that determines the audio sample format. It is one of the following constants defined in the include files mmsystem.h and ttsapi.h.
Constant	Description
WAVE_FORMAT_1M08IDH_WAVE_FORMAT_1M08_0X00000001	Mono, 8-bit 11.025 kHz sample rate
WAVE_FORMAT_1M16IDH_WAVE_FORMAT_1M16_0X00000004	Mono, 16-bit 11.025 kHz sample rate
WAVE_FORMAT_08M08	Mono, 8-bit (-law, 8 kHz sample rate

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALPARAM	An invalid parameter or illegal wave output format was passed.
MMSYSERR_NOMEM	Unable to allocate memory.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Illegal output state.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comment	The text-to-speech system is in the speech-to-memory mode after successfully invoking this function. The memory buffer is passed using the structure TTS_BUFFER_T. The user must allocate the structure and its associated elements (memory buffer, phoneme array, and index mark array). Refer to Speech-To-Memory Mode in the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for more information on the TTS_BUFFER_T structure and its elements.
		The text-to-speech system returns the buffer to the application when the memory buffer, phoneme array, or index mark array is full or when a TTS_FORCE was used in the TextToSpeechSpeak() call. Refer to Callback Routines and Window Procedures in the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for details on passing information back to the calling application. 
		The startup function must be called to start the text-to-speech system before calling TextToSpeechOpenInMemory().
		TextToSpeechOpenInMemory() automatically resumes audio output if the text-to-speech system is in a paused state by a previously issued TextToSpeechPause() call.

See Also	Callback Routines and Window Procedures (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		Speech-to-Memory Mode (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		TextToSpeechAddBuffer()
		TextToSpeechCloseInMemory()
		TextToSpeechPause()
		TextToSpeechReset()
		TextToSpeechReturnBuffer()
		TextToSpeechSpeak()
		TextToSpeechStartup()
		TextToSpeechStartupEx()
 TextToSpeechOpenLogFile()
The TextToSpeechOpenLogFile() function opens the specified log file and causes the text-to-speech system to enter into the log-file mode. This mode indicates that the speech samples are to be written as text, phonemes, or syllables into the log file each time TextToSpeechSpeak() is called. The phonemes and syllables are written using the arpabet alphabet. The text-to-speech system remains in the log-file mode until TextToSpeechCloseLogFile() is called.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechOpenLogFile		(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS, 
		LPSTR pszFileName, 
		DWORD dwFlags)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		LPSTR pszFileName	Specifies a pointer to a NULL terminated string that specifies the name of the log file to be opened.
		DWORD dwFlags	Specifies the type of output. It can contain one or more of the following constants:
Constant	Description
LOG_TEXT	Log text
LOG_PHONEMES	Log phonemes
LOG_SYLLABLES	Log syllable structure

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALPARAM	An invalid parameter was passed.
MMSYSERR_NOMEM	Unable to allocate memory.
MMSYSERR_ALLOCATED	A phoneme file is already open.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Unable to open the output file.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	If more than one of the dwFlags are passed, the logged output is mixed in an unpredictable fashion. If a log file is open already, this function returns an error. The Log voice-control command also has no effect when a log file is open already.
		The startup function must be called to start the text-to-speech system before calling TextToSpeechOpenLogFile().
		TextToSpeechOpenLogFile() automatically resumes audio output if the text-to-speech system is in a paused state by a previously issued TextToSpeechPause() call.

See Also	Log-File Mode (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide) 
		TextToSpeechCloseLogFile()
		TextToSpeechPause()
		TextToSpeechReset()
		TextToSpeechSpeak()
		TextToSpeechStartup()
		TextToSpeechStartupEx()
 TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile()
The TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile() function opens the specified wave file and causes the text-to-speech system to enter into wave-file mode. This mode indicates that the speech samples are to be written in wave format into the wave file each time TextToSpeechSpeak() is called. The text-to-speech system remains in the wave-file mode until TextToSpeechCloseWaveOutFile() is called.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS,
		LPSTR pszFileName,
		DWORD dwFormat)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		LPSTR pszFileName	Specifies a pointer to a wave file name.
		DWORD dwFormat	Determines the audio sample format. It can be one of the following constants that are defined in include files mmsystem.h and ttsapi.h:
Constant	Description
WAVE_FORMAT_1M08	Mono, 8-bit 11.025 kHz sample rate
WAVE_FORMAT_1M16	Mono, 16-bit 11.025 kHz sample rate
WAVE_FORMAT_08M08	Mono, 8-bit (-law, 8 kHz sample rate

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALPARAM	An invalid parameter or an illegal wave output format was passed.
MMSYSERR_NOMEM	Memory allocation error.
MMSYSERR_ALLOCATED	A wave file is already open.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Unable to open the wave file or unable to write to the wave file.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	This function automatically resumes audio output if the text-to-speech system is in a paused state by a previously issued TextToSpeechPause() call.
		The startup function must be called to start the text-to-speech system before calling TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile().

See Also	Wave-File Mode (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		TextToSpeechCloseWaveOutFile()
		TextToSpeechPause()
		TextToSpeechReset()
		TextToSpeechSpeak()
		TextToSpeechStartup()
		TextToSpeechStartupEx()
 TextToSpeechPause()
The TextToSpeechPause() function pauses text-to-speech audio output. 
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechPause	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The specified device handle is invalid. The system is not speaking or the text-to-speech handle is invalid.

Comments	This function affects only the audio output and has no effect when writing log files or wave files, or when using the speech-to-memory capability of the text-to-speech system.
		If the text-to-speech system owns the audio device (that is, OWN_AUDIO_DEVICE was specified in the startup function), then the text-to-speech system remains paused until TextToSpeechResume(), TextToSpeechSync(), TextToSpeechOpenInMemory(), TextToSpeechOpenLogFile(), or TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile() is called.
		If the text-to-speech system does not own the audio device (OWN_AUDIO_DEVICE was NOT specified in the startup function) and TextToSpeechPause() is called while the system is speaking, the text-to-speech system remains paused until the system has completed speaking.
		In this case, the wave output device is released when TextToSpeechReset() is called. It will also be released if TextToSpeechSync(), TextToSpeechOpenInMemory(), TextToSpeechOpenLogFile(), or TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile() is called AND the system has completed speaking.
		Note that TextToSpeechPause() will NOT resume audio output if the text-to-speech system is paused by TextToSpeechPause().

See Also	TextToSpeechOpenInMemory()
		TextToSpeechOpenLogFile()
		TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile()
		TextToSpeechReset()
		TextToSpeechResume()
		TextToSpeechSpeak()
		TextToSpeechSync()
 TextToSpeechReset()
The TextToSpeechReset() function flushes all previously queued text from the text-to-speech system and stops any audio output.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechReset	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS, 
BOOL bReset)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		BOOL bReset	Specifies one of the following Boolean values:
Value	Description
FALSE	Preserves the current mode of the text-to-speech system.
TRUE	The text-to-speech system is returned to the startup state and any open text-to-speech files are closed. However, this function will NOT resume the text-to-speech system if it has been paused by the TextToSpeechPause() function.

Return Value	The TextToSpeechReset() function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_NOMEM	Unable to allocate memory.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Unable to flush the system.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	TextToSpeechReset() flushes all previously queued text and stops all audio output. If the TextToSpeechOpenInMemory() function has enabled writing speech samples to memory, all queued memory buffers are returned to the calling application. If the bReset flag is on and the text-to-speech system is in one of its special modes (log-file, wave-file, or speech-to-memory mode), all files are closed and the text-to-speech system is returned to the startup state.
		TextToSpeechReset() should be called before calling TextToSpeechCloseInMemory(). Failing to do this in a situation where the synthesizer is busy may result in a deadlock.

See Also	Special Text-To-Speech Modes (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		TextToSpeechOpenInMemory()
		TextToSpeechOpenLogFile()
		TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile()
		TextToSpeechPause()
 TextToSpeechResume()
The TextToSpeechResume() function resumes text-to-speech output after it was paused by calling TextToSpeechPause().
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechResume		(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The system was not paused or the text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	This function affects only audio output and has no effect when writing log files or wave files or when writing speech samples to memory.

See Also	TextToSpeechPause()
 TextToSpeechReturnBuffer()
The TextToSpeechReturnBuffer() function returns the current buffer when an application is using the speech-to-memory capability. The buffer can be empty or partially full when it is returned. The dwBufferLength element of the TTS_BUFFER_T structure contains the number of samples in the buffer. If no buffer is available, a NULL pointer is returned in ppTTSbuffer.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechReturnBuffer	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS,
	LPTTS_BUFFER_T *ppTTSbuffer)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		LPTTS_BUFFER_T *ppTTSbuffer	Specifies a pointer to a pointer to a structure containing the memory buffers. Buffers were supplied by the application to be used while in speech-to-memory mode.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALPARAM	Invalid parameter.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Output to memory not enabled or unable to create a system object.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	Most applications do not require this function, because buffers are automatically returned when filled or when a TTS_FORCE flag is passed in the TextToSpeechSpeak() function. The TextToSpeechReturnBuffer() function is provided so that an application can return a buffer before it is filled and, therefore, obtain more speech samples immediately. See the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for more information on the TTS_BUFFER_T structure.
TextToSpeechAddBuffer() must be called before calling TextToSpeechReturnBuffer().

See Also	TextToSpeechAddBuffer()
 TextToSpeechSelectLang()
The TextToSpeechSelectLang() function selects a loaded language for a program thread.
Syntax	BOOL TextToSpeechSelectLang		(LPTTS_HANDLE_T reserved,
	unsigned int lang)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T reserved	Reserved; must be NULL.
		unsigned int lang	Specifies the language handle returned from TextToSpeechStartLang().
Return Value	This function returns a value of type BOOL:
* TRUE if the call is successful
* FALSE if the call failed
Note
The TextToSpeechStartLang() and TextToSpeechSelectLang() functions do not return MMRESULT status values in the manner of the TextToSpeechSetLanguage() function they replace.  See the example of TextToSpeechSelectLang() error checking provided below.

Comments	None.

Example	
BOOL select_us (unsigned int us_handle) {
	if (TextToSpeechSelectLang (NULL, us_handle) == FALSE)  {
		printf  ("Select language failed. \n") ;
		return FALSE ;
	}
	return TRUE ;
}

See Also	TextToSpeechCloseLang()
		TextToSpeechEnumLangs()
		TextToSpeechStartLang()
 TextToSpeechSetLanguage() [not supported]
Warning
The TextToSpeechSetLanguage() function is not supported for DECtalk Software Version 4.5 or higher.  Use of this function causes unpredictable operation and application linking errors.
For multi-language programming, use TextToSpeechStartLang() to check for an installed language and to load that language into the DECtalk Multi-Language (ML) engine, and use TextToSpeechSelectLang() to select a loaded language for a program thread.
	

	The TextToSpeechSetLanguage() function selects a language for the text-to-speech system to use as the default language.

Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechSetLanguage	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS,
	LANGUAGE_T Language)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies a text-to-speech handle.

		LANGUAGE_T Language	Specifies a language. Refer to the ttsapi.h file for a list of valid languages, e.g. TTS_AMERICAN_ENGLISH.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:

	Constant	Description
	MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
	MMSYSERR_INVALPARAM	An invalid parameter was passed.
	MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

See Also	TextToSpeechGetLanguage()

 TextToSpeechSetRate()
The TextToSpeechSetRate() function sets the text-to-speech speaking rate.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechSetRate	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS,
DWORD dwRate

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		DWORD dwRate	Sets the speaking rate. Valid values range from 75 to 600 words per minute.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALPARAM	An invalid parameter was passed.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	The speaking rate change is not effective until the next phrase boundary. All the queued audio encountered before the phrase boundary is unaffected.

See Also	TextToSpeechGetRate()
 TextToSpeechSetSpeaker()
The TextToSpeechSetSpeaker() function sets the voice of the speaker that the text-to-speech system is to use.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechSetSpeaker	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS,
	 SPEAKER_T 	Speaker)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		SPEAKER_TI Speaker	Selects a speaker from the following list. These values are defined in include file ttsapi.h.
Speaker	Description
PAUL	Default (male) voice
HARRY	Full male voice
FRANK	Aged male voice
DENNIS	Male voice
BETTY	Full female voice
URSULA	Aged female voice
WENDY	Whispering female voice
RITA	Female voice
KIT	Child's voice

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the function is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALPARAM	An invalid parameter was passed.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	The change in speaking voice is not effective until the next phrase boundary. All queued audio encountered before the phrase boundary is unaffected.

See Also	TextToSpeechGetSpeaker()
 TextToSpeechShutdown()
The TextToSpeechShutdown() function shuts down the text-to-speech system and frees all its system resources.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechShutdown		(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.

Return Value	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	TextToSpeechShutdown() is called to close an application. Any user-defined dictionaries that were previously loaded are unloaded. All previously queued text is discarded, and the text-to-speech system immediately stops speaking.

See Also	TextToSpeechStartup()
		TextToSpeechStartupEx()
 TextToSpeechSpeak()
The TextToSpeechSpeak() function queues a null-terminated string to the text-to-speech system.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechSpeak	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS, 
LPSTR  pszTextString, 
DWORD dwFlags)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		LPSTR pszTextString	Specifies a pointer to a null terminated string of characters to be queued.
		DWORD dwFlags	Specifies whether the text is to be pushed through the text-to-speech system even if it does NOT end on a clause boundary. It can be set to one of the following constants defined in include file ttsapi.h:
Constant	Description
TTS_NORMAL	Insert characters in the text-to-speech queue.
TTS_FORCE	Insert characters in the text-to-speech queue and force all text to be output even if the text stream does NOT end on a clause boundary.

Return Values	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant 	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR _NOMEM	Unable to allocate memory.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	While the text-to-speech system is in the startup state, speech samples are routed to the audio device or ignored, depending on whether the startup function flag DO_NOT_USE_AUDIO_DEVICE is clear or set in the dwDeviceOptions parameter of the startup function.
If the text-to-speech system is in a special mode (wave-file, log-file, or speech-to-memory modes), the speech samples are handled as the mode dictates.
The speaker, speaking rate, and volume also can be changed in the text string by inserting voice-control commands, as shown in the following example: 
		[:name paul] I am Paul. [:nb] I am Betty. [:volume set 50] The volume has been set to 50% of the maximum level. [:rate 120] I am speaking at 120 words per minute.

See Also	Special Text-To-Speech Modes (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		TextToSpeechOpenInMemory()
		TextToSpeechOpenLogFile()
		TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile()
		TextToSpeechStartup()
		TextToSpeechStartupEx()
 TextToSpeechStartLang()
The TextToSpeechStartLang() function checks whether the specified language is installed and, if so, loads the language into the DECtalk ML engine.
Syntax	unsigned int TextToSpeechStartLang		(char *lang)

Parameters	char *lang	Specifies the language to load; passed as a null-terminated string containing the two character language ID.

Return Values	This function returns a value of type unsigned int:
* A handle to the loaded language if the call is successful
* An error value, with the TTS_LANG_ERROR bit set, if the call failed
If the TTS_LANG_ERROR bit is set, the return can equal one of two values:
* TTS_NOT_SUPPORTED - The  application is not running DECtalk ML
* TTS_NOT_AVAILABLE - The  requested language is not installed
Note
The TextToSpeechStartLang() and TextToSpeechSelectLang() functions do not return MMRESULT status values in the manner of the TextToSpeechSetLanguage() function they replace.  See the example of TextToSpeechStartLang() error checking provided below.

Comments	TextToSpeechStartLang() must be called before a language can be selected and opened in a multi-language application.

Example	
BOOL start_us (void) {
	unsigned int handle ;

	handle = TextToSpeechStartLang ("us") ;
	if (handle & TTS_LANG_ERROR) {
		if (handle == TTS_NOT_SUPPORTED)
			printf ("DECtalk ML was not found. \n") ;
		else if (handle == TTS_NOT_AVAILABLE) 
			printf ("English is not currently installed. \n");
		else
			printf ("An unknown error has occurred. \n") ;
		return FALSE ;
	}
	return TRUE ;
}

See Also	TextToSpeechCloseLang()
		TextToSpeechEnumLangs()
		TextToSpeechSelectLang()

 TextToSpeechStartup() [Windows]
The TextToSpeechStartup() function for Windows initializes the text-to-speech system, defines the window procedure, checks for valid licenses, and loads the main and user pronunciation dictionaries. A single process can run multiple instances of DECtalk.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechStartup	(HWND hWnd, 
LPTTS_HANDLE_T *phTTS, 
UINT uiDeviceNumber, 
DWORD dwDeviceOptions)

Parameters	HWND hWnd	Specifies a handle used to send messages back to the window procedure. The window handle is used by DECtalk Software to inform the application when the buffer is full (if DECtalk Software in-memory functions are being used) or when TextToSpeechSpeak() encounters an index mark.
			A value of NULL is passed if no window handle is desired.
		LPTTS_HANDLE_T *phTTS	Specifies a pointer to a pointer to a text-to-speech handle.
		UINT uiDeviceNumber	Specifies the device number of the wave output device. A value of WAVE_MAPPER can be used to select the first available device.
		DWORD dwDeviceOptions	Specifies how the wave output device is managed. It can be a combination of the following constants defined in include file ttsapi.h:
Constant	Description
OWN_AUDIO_DEVICE	The wave output device is open. No other process can allocate the wave output device until TextToSpeechShutdown() is called.
	If OWN_AUDIO_DEVICE is NOT specified, the wave output device is opened after audio is queued by TextToSpeechSpeak(). The wave output device is released when the text-to-speech system has completed speaking.
REPORT_OPEN_ERROR	If an attempt is made to open the wave output device while another process owns it, an error message is sent to the calling application.
DO_NOT_USE_AUDIO_DEVICE	When this flag is set, speech samples are ignored until one of the text-to-speech special modes is set. The text-to-speech special modes can be used to write the speech samples to a wave file, memory buffers, or log files. No error is returned if a wave output device is not present.

Return Values	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant 	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_NODRIVER	No wave output device present.
MMSYSERR_NOMEM	Memory allocation error.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	DECtalk dictionary not found.
MMSYSERR_BADDEVICE_ID	Device ID out of range.
MMSYSERR_ALLOCATED	License exists but no more units available.
WAVERR_BADFORMAT	Wave output device does not support request format.

Comments	If a window procedure is defined, DECtalk Software will alert the calling application when one of the following events occurs:
* A buffer is filled while DECtalk Software is in speech-to-memory mode
* An error occurs
* An index mark is encountered
		The default parameters are:
* Language: United States English.
* Speaking rate: 200 words per minute. 
* Speaker: Paul
Windows Note: If you build an application for the static version of DECtalk Software, you must include the winmm.lib file in the list of input files for the linker.

See Also:	Callback Routines and Window Procedures (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		Dictionary Functions (Windows)  (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary()
		TextToSpeechOpenInMemory()
		TextToSpeechOpenLogFile()
		TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile()
		TextToSpeechShutdown()
		TextToSpeechSpeak()
		TextToSpeechStartupEx()
		TextToSpeechUnloadUserDictionary()
 TextToSpeechStartup() [Linux and UNIX]
The TextToSpeechStartup() function for Linux and UNIX initializes the text-to-speech system, defines the callback routine, checks for valid licenses, and loads the main and user pronunciation dictionaries. A single process can run multiple instances of DECtalk.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechStartup	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T *phTTS, 
UINT uiDeviceNumber, 
DWORD dwDeviceOptions,
VOID (*DtCallbackRoutine)(), 
LONG dwCallbackParameter)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T *phTTS	Specifies a pointer to a pointer to a text-to-speech handle.
		UINT uiDeviceNumber	Specifies a device number of the wave output device. A value of WAVE_MAPPER can be used to select the first available device.
		DWORD dwDeviceOptions	Specifies how the wave output device is managed. It can be a combination of the device-option constants OWN_AUDIO_DEVICE, REPORT_OPEN_ERROR, and DO_NOT_USE_AUDIO_DEVICE, which are defined in the include file ttsapi.h and described below.
VOID *(DtCallbackRoutine)()	Specifies a callback routine, which is used by DECtalk Software to inform the application when the buffer is full (if DECtalk Software in-memory calls are being used) or when the TextToSpeechSpeak() function encounters an index mark. Refer to Callback Routines and Window Procedures in the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for information about the argument list for the callback routine.
	A value of NULL is passed if no callback routine is desired.
LONG dwCallbackParameter	Specifies a pointer to a user-specified parameter. This is used to pass parameters into the callback routine.
	A value of NULL should be passed if no user-specified parameters are desired.
Device-Option Constant (ttsapi.h)	Description
OWN_AUDIO_DEVICE	The wave output device is opened. No other process can allocate the wave output device until TextToSpeechShutdown() is called.
	If OWN_AUDIO_DEVICE is NOT specified, the wave output device is opened after audio is queued by the TextToSpeechSpeak() function. The wave output device is released when the text-to-speech system has completed speaking.
REPORT_OPEN_ERROR	If an attempt is made to open the wave output device while another process owns it, a callback is made to the callback routine that was specified in the DtCallbackRoutine parameter.
DO_NOT_USE_AUDIO_DEVICE	When this flag is set, speech samples are ignored until one of the text-to-speech special modes is set. The text-to-speech special modes can be used to write the speech samples to a wave file, memory buffers, or log files. No error is returned if a wave output device is not present.

Return Values	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant 	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_NODRIVER	No wave output device present.
MMSYSERR_NOMEM	Memory allocation error.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	DECtalk dictionary not found.
MMSYSERR_BADDEVICE_ID	Device ID out of range.
MMSYSERR_ALLOCATED	License exists but no more units available.
MMSYSERR_NOTENABLED	License does not exist.
WAVERR_BADFORMAT	Wave output device does not support request format.

Comments	If a callback routine is defined, DECtalk Software will alert the calling application when one of the following events occurs:
* A buffer is filled while DECtalk Software is in speech-to-memory mode
* An error occurs
* An index mark is encountered
		The default parameters are:
* Language: United States English.
* Speaking rate: 200 words per minute. 
* Speaker: Paul

See Also	Callback Routines and Window Procedures (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide) 
		Dictionary Functions (Linux and UNIX) (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary()
		TextToSpeechOpenInMemory()
		TextToSpeechOpenLogFile()
		TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile()
		TextToSpeechShutdown()
		TextToSpeechSpeak()
		TextToSpeechStartupEx()
		TextToSpeechUnloadUserDictionary()
 TextToSpeechStartupEx()
The TextToSpeechStartupEx() function initializes the text-to-speech system, defines the callback procedure, checks for valid licenses, and loads the main and user pronunciation dictionaries. A single process can run multiple instances of DECtalk.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechStartupEx		(LPTTS_HANDLE_T *phTTS, 
	UINT uiDeviceNumber, 
	DWORD dwDeviceOptions,
	VOID (*DtCallbackRoutine)(), 
	LONG dwCallbackParameter)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T *phTTS	Specifies a pointer to a pointer to a text-to-speech handle.
		UINT uiDeviceNumber	Specifies the device number of the wave output device. A value of WAVE_MAPPER can be used to select the first available device.
		DWORD dwDeviceOptions	Specifies how the wave output device is managed. It can be a combination of the device-option constants OWN_AUDIO_DEVICE, REPORT_OPEN_ERROR, and DO_NOT_USE_AUDIO_DEVICE, which are defined in the include file ttsapi.h and described below.
VOID *(DtCallbackRoutine)()	Specifies a callback routine, which is used by DECtalk Software to inform the application when the buffer is full (if DECtalk Software in-memory functions are being used) or when the TextToSpeechSpeak() function encounters an index mark. Refer to the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide, Chapter 3, Introduction to the DECtalk Software API, Callback Routines and Window Procedures for information about the argument list for the callback routine.
	A value of NULL is passed if no callback routine is desired.
LONG dwCallbackParameter	Specifies a pointer to a user-specified parameter. This is used to pass parameters into the callback routine.
	A value of NULL should be passed if no user-specified parameters are desired.
Device-Option Constant (ttsapi.h)	Description
OWN_AUDIO_DEVICE	The wave output device is open. No other process can allocate the wave output device until TextToSpeechShutdown() is called.
	If OWN_AUDIO_DEVICE is NOT specified, the wave output device is opened after audio is queued by the TextToSpeechSpeak() function. The wave output device is released when the text-to-speech system has completed speaking.
REPORT_OPEN_ERROR	If an attempt is made to open the wave output device while another process owns it, a callback is made to the callback routine specified in the DtCallbackRoutine parameter.
DO_NOT_USE_AUDIO_DEVICE	When this flag is set, speech samples are ignored until one of the text-to-speech special modes is set. The text-to-speech special modes can be used to write the speech samples to a wave file, memory buffers, or log files. No error is returned if a wave output device is not present.

Return Values	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant 	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_NODRIVER	No wave output device present.
MMSYSERR_NOMEM	Memory allocation error.
MMSYSERR_ERROR	DECtalk dictionary not found.
MMSYSERR_BADDEVICE_ID	Device ID out of range.
MMSYSERR_ALLOCATED	License exists but no more units available.
MMSYSERR_NOTENABLED	License does not exist. (Linux and UNIX only)
WAVERR_BADFORMAT	Wave output device does not support request format.

Comments	If a callback routine is defined, DECtalk Software will alert the calling application when one of the following events occurs:
* A buffer is filled while DECtalk Software is in speech-to-memory mode
* An error occurs
* An index mark is encountered
		The default parameters are:
* Language: United States English
* Speaking rate: 200 words per minute
* Speaker: Paul
Windows Note: If you build an application for the static version of DECtalk Software, you must include the winmm.lib file in the list of input files for the linker.
Note
Callback routines should not contain calls to any TextToSpeech...() functions.   If callback routines contain TextToSpeech...() functions, an application crash may occur in the application calling DECtalk Software.
See Also	Callback Routines and Window Procedures (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide) 
		Dictionary Functions (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary()
		TextToSpeechOpenInMemory()
		TextToSpeechOpenLogFile()
		TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile()
		TextToSpeechShutdown()
		TextToSpeechSpeak()
		TextToSpeechStartup()
		TextToSpeechUnloadUserDictionary()
 TextToSpeechSync()
The TextToSpeechSync() function blocks until all previously queued text is processed.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechSync	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.

Return Values	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants
Constant 	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_ERROR	Unable to complete queued text.
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	This function automatically resumes audio output if the text-to-speech system is in a paused state by a previously issued TextToSpeechPause() call.

See Also	TextToSpeechPause()
 TextToSpeechTyping()
The TextToSpeechTyping() function speaks a single letter as quickly as possible, aborting any previously queued speech.  This is somewhat slower if TextToSpeechSpeak() has been called since the last TextToSpeechTyping() or TextToSpeechReset() call.
This function is primarily useful with the Access32 versions of DECtalk Software.  The function exists in non-Access32 versions, but is not fast.
Syntax	void TextToSpeechTyping	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS,
char cLetter)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.
		char cLetter	Specifies the letter to speak.

Return Value	None.

Comments	This function should be called only when the application is synthesizing directly to an audio device (not to memory or to a file).

 TextToSpeechUnloadUserDictionary()
The TextToSpeechUnloadUserDictionary() function unloads a user dictionary. You must unload any previously loaded dictionary before you can load a new one. That is, only one user dictionary can be loaded at a time.
Syntax	MMRESULT TextToSpeechUnloadUserDictionary	(LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS)

Parameters	LPTTS_HANDLE_T phTTS	Specifies an opened text-to-speech handle.

Return Values	This function returns a value of type MMRESULT. The return value is zero if the call is successful. The return value is one of the following constants:
Constant 	Description
MMSYSERR_NOERROR	Normal successful completion (zero).
MMSYSERR_INVALHANDLE	The text-to-speech handle was invalid.

Comments	A user dictionary is created using the User Dictionary Build tool.
Windows Note: If you build an application for the static version of DECtalk Software, you must include the winmm.lib file in the list of input files for the linker.

See Also	Dictionary Functions (DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide)
		TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary()
 TextToSpeechVersion()
The TextToSpeechVersion() function requests version information from DECtalk Software that allows a calling application to test for DECtalk Software API (DAPI) compatibility. The function returns a numerically encoded version number and additionally may return a pointer to text information.
Syntax	ULONG TextToSpeechVersion	(LPSTR *VersionStr)

Parameters	LPSTR *VersionStr	Returns the address of a pointer to an array of characters containing text information, or NULL for no text information.

Return Values	This function returns an unsigned long integer (ULONG) encoded with both the DAPI build version and the DECtalk version number.  The encoding is as follows:
Version	Bits Used
DECtalk Major Version	Bits 31-24
DECtalk Minor Version	Bits 23-16
DAPI Major Version	Bits 15-8
DAPI Minor Version	Bits 7-0
		If DAPI Major Version is not the same as the DAPI Major Version the application was compiled with, the DAPI is no longer compatible and the application may easily crash during further calls into the DAPI.  
		If DAPI Minor Version is lower than the version of the DAPI the application was compiled with, some features that are expected may not be functional or present in the DAPI.  
		For safety, users should make the following check:
	if (DAPI_Major_Version!=Build_Major_Version) Error();
	if (DAPI_Minor_Version<Build_Minor_Version) Error();
	success();
This allows your application to catch a majority of incompatibility bugs, which could arise from DECtalk version mismatching.

 TextToSpeechVersionEx()
The TextToSpeechVersionEx() function returns information about the currently running version of DECtalk Software.
Syntax	ULONG TextToSpeechVersionEx	(LPVERSION_INFO *ver)

Parameters	LPVERSION_INFO *ver	Returns the address of a pointer to an array of characters with version information.  The VERSION_INFO structure is as follows:
		DWORD	StructSize;
		DWORD	StructVersion;
		WORD	DLLVersion;
		WORD	DTalkVersion;
		LPSTR	VerString;
		LPSTR	Language;
		DWORD	Features;

Return Value	This function returns an unsigned long integer (ULONG) with the size of the VERSION_INFO structure. The return value is zero if the call is not successful. No other error information is available.

Example	
BOOL IsDECtalkMLInstalled(void) {
	LPVERSION_INFO verinfo;

	TextToSpeechVersionEx(&verinfo);
	if (ver->Features & TTS_FEATS_MULTILANG)	return TRUE;
	return FALSE;
}
Chapter 1 
Chapter 2 - 
DECtalk Software In-Line Commands
 In-Line Commands: Overview
DECtalk Software includes in-line commands. In this documentation, in-line commands are referred to as commands.  You can use these commands to perform simple operations, such as changing the speaking rate or speaking voice while DECtalk Software is speaking. Commands are inserted directly into the ASCII text that is sent to the synthesizer. Table 2-1 lists the DECtalk Software in-line commands and their associated functions.
With phoneme interpretation, it is possible to control intonation and stress and to create special effects, such as singing. These symbols and special effects can be added into the ASCII text stream. See the description of the Phoneme Interpretation command for more information.
When you use several commands together, they may interact with each other and affect the output. If incorrect syntax is used in a command, the right bracket ( ] ) is ignored, because it might be considered part of the illegal string. To avoid this situation, insert an extra right bracket ( ] ) in the command and use the Error command to enable the speaking of errors.
Note
Unique abbreviations of command names and option names work reliably.  However, only 4-character abbreviations will be supported in future releases. A character abbreviation of less than four characters that works in the current release may not be unique in a future release.  Only 4-character abbreviations, as shown in this documentation, will be supported for valid commands in future releases.
In addition to the commands fully described in this chapter, DECtalk Software has a Design Voice command that allows you to modify the characteristics of a voice. For complete information on how to use the Design Voice command to change a voice, see Chapter 5. 
Table 2-1 DECtalk Software In-Line Commands
Command
Syntax
Function
Comma Pause
[:comma DD] or 
[:cp DD]
Inserts a comma pause into spoken text
Design Voice
[:dv XX YY]
Customizes a DECtalk Software voice by selecting and setting speaker-definition options
Dial Tones 
[:dial YY]
Dials telephone numbers
Error 
[:error XX]
Sets the error mode for a module
Index Mark 
[:index mark DD]
Inserts marks, which are recognized by the application, into text
Log 
[:log XX YY]
Sets logging modes for the module
Mode
[:mode XX YY]
Allows words and symbols to be interpreted for special use
Name
[:name XX] or 
[:nXX]
Selects the name of the DECtalk Software voice
Period Pause 
[:period DD] or 
[:pp DD]
Inserts a pause equivalent to a period in a sentence into spoken text
Phoneme Interpretation
[:phoneme XX1 XX2 YY]
Allows everything within brackets to be interpreted as phonemic text
Pitch
[:pitch DD]
Raises by the value specified the frequency of uppercase letters spoken in typing mode
Play Wave Files
[:play <file>]
Plays wave files embedded in text strings
Pronounce
[:pronounce XX]
Speaks alternate, primary, or proper noun pronunciation of a word
Punctuation
[:punct XX]
Turns punctuation on and off
Rate Selection
[:rate DD]
Selects speed at which text is spoken
Say 
[:say XX]
Allows DECtalk Software to speak words before they are queued
Skip
[:skip XX]
Allows users to skip specified parts of the test preprocessing
Sync
[:sync]
Synchronizes activity between DECtalk Software and an application program
Tone
[:tone DD, DD]
Creates tones of a specified length and frequency
Volume
[:volume XX DD] or 
[:volume XX DD1 DD2]
Sets the volume

Note
Commands are not synchronous unless otherwise stated. To make a command synchronous, use the [:sync] command. See the Sync command for more information.
Beginning with SAPI Version 5, you can use DECtalk Software inline commands in SAPI text buffers. However, the inline commands are not supported and are ignored in pre-Version 5 SAPI text buffers.

 Comma Pause [:comma]
The Comma Pause command increases or decreases the length of the comma pause from the current value by the delta value specified, in milliseconds. This command is asynchronous. The comma pause can be increased and decreased. The [:cp 0] command resets the comma pause to its default state (approximately 160 ms). Comma pauses can be increased by 30,000 ms (30000) and decreased by 40 ms (-40). All values outside the legal range default to the nearest legal values.
SYNTAX:
[:comma DD] 
ABBREVIATION:
[:comm DD]
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
[:cp DD] and [:cp 0]
OPTIONS:
none
PARAMETERS:
Pause time in milliseconds
DEFAULT:
160 ms


EXAMPLES:
[:comma 250]
 
Design Voice [:dv]
The Design Voice command customizes a DECtalk Software voice by selecting and setting speaker-definition options. This command is asynchronous. DECtalk Software voices provide an adequate selection for most applications. However, if you have a special application requiring a monotone or unusual voice, you can use the Design Voice command to modify any DECtalk Software voice. The speaker-definition options and parameters can be entered as a string or one at a time.
The Design Voice command options and parameters are documented and explained in Chapter 5.
Dial Tones [:dial]
The Dial Tones command generates tones called Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) Tones or Touch-Tones(tm). The Dial Tones command is a synchronous command that can be used to dial a telephone. The tone characters are 0-9, #, *, and A, B, C, D (in uppercase only). A non-tone character generates a silent interval between dialed digits. White space characters (tabs, spaces) should not be used as dial tone characters.
SYNTAX:
[:dial YY]
ABBREVIATION:
none
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
none
PARAMETERS:
String of dial characters (0-9, A, B, C, D, #, *)
DEFAULT:
none


EXAMPLES:
[:dial 508-555-1212]

 Error [:error]
The Error command asynchronously sets the error mode for the text-to-speech system. This command is useful for debugging an application. When opening a log file, using the [:error text] command, DECtalk Software checks to see if the system is in startup mode. If it is in one of the text-to-speech special modes (wave-file, log-file, or text-to-speech memory) instead, this command fails. See Special Text-To-Speech Modes in the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for more information.
In the default setting for DECtalk Software, the Error command has the speak option turned on. This means that DECtalk Software reports any command errors that it can detect. You can set the [:error ignore] command to avoid this problem.
SYNTAX:
[:error XX]
ABBREVIATION:
[:erro XX]
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
text
Log all text to a file in the current directory called log.txt

ignore
Ignore all errors

speak
Speak error string in the  current command
PARAMETERS:
none

DEFAULT:
Error string is spoken


EXAMPLES:
[:error speak]

 Index Mark [:index mark]
Index Mark commands report the progress of the text as it is spoken. Index marks are position markers; they do not modify heuristics or word pronunciations in any way. The index mark sequence inserts a flag into the text stream. When DECtalk Software encounters an Index Mark command, a message is sent to the calling application.  Index marks cannot be put in the middle of a word. This command is synchronous.
* For more information on using index marks, refer to Index Marks for Speech Status. 
* For more information about returning index marks to a calling application, see Callback Routines and Window Procedures in the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide.
If a callback routine or window procedure is not specified in the startup function, index marks in the text are ignored.
SYNTAX:
[:index mark DD]
ABBREVIATION:
[:inde DD]
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
none
PARAMETERS:
Numeric index mark value
DEFAULT:
none


EXAMPLES:
[:index mark 01]

Note
This command is not recommended for use with the Microsoft Speech API (SAPI). This command was designed for the DECtalk Software API (DAPI) only. Refer to the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for a detailed description of the DAPI.

 Log [:log]
The Log synchronously logs text, phonemes, or syllables into a log file. The log file, called log.txt, can be found in the current directory. When opening a log file, DECtalk Software checks to see if the system is in startup mode. If it is in one of the text-to-speech special modes (wave-file, log-file, or text-to-speech memory) instead, this command fails. See Special Text-To-Speech Modes in the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for more information.
SYNTAX: 
[:log XX YY]
ABBREVIATION:
none
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
text
Log all text to the log file

syllables
Log converted syllables to the log file

Phonemes
Log converted phonemic text to the log file
PARAMETERS: 
On
Turns on the specified log option

Off
Turns off the specified log option

Set
Turns on the specified log option while turning off all other log options
DEFAULT:
All of the log options are turned off


EXAMPLES: 
[:log phonemes on] The phonemes for this sentence will be stored in a file named log.txt [:log phonemes off]
 Mode [:mode]
The Mode command changes the mode for all text processed after this command. It remains in effect until the end of the file is reached or until the next Mode command is encountered. This is an asynchronous command. Refer to the description of the Sync command for information on how to make this command synchronous.
SYNTAX:
[:mode XX YY]
ABBREVIATION:
None
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
None
OPTIONS:
math
Change interpretation of selected symbols

europe
Select European cardinal pronunciation

spell
Spell all words

name
Pronounce all uppercase verbs as proper nouns (see also [:pronounce name] command)

latin
Not supported

email
Activates email parsing rules 
PARAMETERS:
on
Turns on the specified mode option

off
Turns off the specified mode option

set
Turns on the specified mode option while turning off all other mode options
DEFAULT:
All of the mode options are turned off


EXAMPLES:
[:mode spell on]

Europe Mode Example:
When Mode is set to Europe, [mode europe on], a comma (,) is the separator between the integer and fraction part of a number. A period (.) is the separator between 3-digit blocks.
1.255 (United States) = 1,255 (Europe) 
125,873 (United States) = 125.873 (Europe)
Math Mode Example:
When Mode is set to Math, [:mode math on], special symbols and characters are pronounced with mathematical meanings. Specifically, the characters in Table 2-2 are treated differently: 
Table 2-2 DECtalk Interpretation of Special Characters
Symbol
Name
DECtalk Says...
+
plus
plus (no change from normal speech)
-
hyphen
minus
*
asterisk
multiplied by
/
slash
divided by
^
circumflex
to the power of
<
less than
less than
>
greater than
greater than
=
equal sign
equals
%
percent sign
percent
.
period
decimal point
xxE-xx
(spelled)
(scientific notation)

Name Mode Example:
When Mode is set to Name, [:mode name on], uppercase words that occur in locations other than the beginning of a sentence are interpreted as special cases and pronounced as proper names.
Note 
Do not enable the [:mode name] command except when pronouncing lists of names. This command interprets any uppercase word as a name. When finished, make sure that this mode is set to off. For the occasional use of this utility, use the [:pronounce name] command.

Email Mode Example:
When Mode is set to email, [:mode email on], email parsing rules are activated to find email headers, to determine which email headers to speak, and to find email text.
* The  specific text strings at the start of a line that initiate email header mode are, as follows:
From:
Return-Path:
%======Internet
Message-ID:    
In email header mode, the DECtalk text preprocessor goes into line-by-line processing. 
* In email header mode, the text lines saved for text preprocessing are the text lines that start with the following:
Sent:
Date:
Subject: Re: 
Subject:
From:
To:
cc: or CC:
------ Forwarded Message
* In email header mode, each text line saved for text preprocessing gets a pause added at the end of the line. 
* When DECtalk detects an empty line while still in email header mode, DECtalk goes into email text processing mode.  An empty line is a line that has a <Return/Enter> only. 
* In email text processing mode, DECtalk Software does the  regular text preprocessing and checks for another possible email header that starts with %======Internet.   If the text string %======Internet is found, DECtalk goes into email header mode.  
The [:mode email off] command ends email processing mode.
An example of a UNIX email message with the Mode command for email is as follows:
[:mode email on]
From John Doe  Wed Jun 10 18:07:28 EST
Return-Path:<john@node.com>
Received: from home.node.com ([127.0.0.1]) by smtp.node.com
Message-ID: <32FB6581.581A@smtp.node.com>
Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 18:07:28 EST
From: john@node.com (John Doe)
Organization: Force Computers, Inc.
X-Mailer: ELM
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: jane@node.com
Subject: DECtalk Parsing
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mozilla-Status: 0001

Hi Jane,

At 11:52 EST on Wed Jun 10, I found a great web site.  It's a Force Computers web site all about the DECtalk products.  Take a look at URL:

http://www.forcecomputers.com/product/dectalk/dtalk.htm

Let me know what you think by mailing me at john@aol.node.com or snail mail at: John Doe, 4321 St. James St.,Mt. View, CA 12345-6789, phone (123)297-4863.  Or write to Dr. John Doe, 10 42nd St., Boston, MA 01234, phone 617-546-2345.

See ya!  :-) 

John

%======Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC)======
%Received: from smtp.node.com by node.com (5.6/rmc-22feb94) idAA17792;Wed, 8 Sep 22:47:37 -0400
%Received: from node.com by node.com (8.7.5/UNX 1.2/1.0/WV) idWWA13939; Wed, 10 May 2000 22.35.28 -0400 (EDT)
%Received: from node.com(smtp.node.com[127.0.0.1]) by worldaccess.com (8.6.10/8.6.10) with SMTPidTAA10463 for <jane@node.com>;Wed, 10 May 2000 19:33:57 -0700
%Message-Id:<32094F06.4045@node.com>
%Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 19:20:54 -0700
%From: john Doe <John@node.com>
%Organization: Force Computers, Inc.
%X-Mailer: ELM
%Mime-Version: 1.0
%To: "Jane Smith, jane@node.com"
%Subject: Re: DECtalk Parsing
%References: <9608071721.AA16334@mpde/com>
%Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
%Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

[:mode email off]
The email header lines shown in bold are the lines saved for text preprocessing.  
Some of the lines beginning with the % character in the example are shown wrapping to a second or third line.  However, the actual text line is the line of text ended by a line terminator, such as <Return/Enter>.
 Name [:name]
The Name command allows the current speaking voice to be changed to one of ten built-in DECtalk Software voices. XX represents the speaker name or letter variable for each voice. The letter variable is the first letter of the speaker name. This command is synchronous.
SYNTAX:
[:name XX] 
ABBREVIATION:
none
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
[:nXX]
OPTIONS:
Speaker
Variable
Description

PAUL
p
Default male voice

HARRY
h
Full male voice

FRANK
f
Aged male voice

DENNIS
d
Male voice

BETTY
b
Full female voice

URSULA
u
Aged female voice

WENDY
w
Whispering female voice

RITA
r
Female voice

KIT
k
Child's voice

VAL
v
Val's voice
PARAMETERS:
none
DEFAULT:
PAUL
EXAMPLES:
[:name KIT] or [:nk]
Note s
* A user can change any of the voice characteristics of the current speaker by using the Design Voice [:dv] command. These changes are active only while the current speaker remains current. To save the voice changes, use the save option of the Design Voice command, which saves the changes as the voice of Val. For information on the individual characteristics of a speaker or details on how to change a voice using the Design Voice command, see Chapter 5.
* The Speak applet displays language-specific speaker names, as listed below; however, the Name [:name] in-line command and the Dtsample applet currently support only the English set:
ENGLISH:
Paul
Harry
Frank
Dennis
Betty
Ursula
Wendy
Rita
Kit
SPANISH:
Pablo
Humberto
Francisco
Domingo
Berta
Úrsula
Wendy
Rita
Juanito
GERMAN:
Paul
Hans
Frank
Dieter
Beate
Ursula
Wendy
Rita
Karsten
FRENCH:
Oliver
Michel
François
Joël
Marjolaine
Angèle
Nadia
Jacqueline
Sébastien
 Period Pause [:period]
The Period Pause command increases or decreases the length of the period pause  from the current value by the delta value specified in milliseconds. The [:pp 0] command resets the period pause to its default state (approximately 640 ms). Period pauses can be increased by 30,000 ms (30000) and decreased by 380 ms (-380). All values outside the legal range default to the nearest legal values. This command is asynchronous.
SYNTAX:
[:period DD] 
ABBREVIATION:
[:peri DD]
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
[:pp DD] and [:pp 0] 
OPTIONS:
none
PARAMETERS:
Pause time in milliseconds
DEFAULT:
640 ms


EXAMPLES:
[:period 250]

 Phoneme Interpretation [:phoneme]
When phoneme interpretation is set, the Phoneme Interpretation command allows everything within brackets to be interpreted as phonemic text. All phoneme interpretation of text can be silenced by using the [:phoneme silent on] command. By default, the text is spoken without phoneme interpretation. This command is asynchronous.
When you phonemicize text, put valid phoneme strings in brackets. A list of valid phonemic symbols can be found in Table 4-1 through Table 4-6.
Phoneme interpretation allows you to specify the preferred pronunciation of a word or phrase. It is important to note that this command sets the left bracket ( [ ) and right bracket ( ] ) characters as phoneme delimiters. When the user has the phoneme interpretation turned on [:phoneme on], all text and characters that appear between brackets are interpreted as phonemic text and is pronounced as such. For example, to say the word associate, simply embed the phonemic string [axs ' owshiyeyt ] in the text string. Note that the pronunciation of the phonemic string is different depending on whether phoneme interpretation is on or off. 
When phoneme interpretation is on, additional attributes can be associated with the phoneme text. For information on how to code a phoneme sequence to produce musical sounds, refer to Chapter 4. For a complete list of stress and syntactic symbols that can be used with phoneme text, see Table 4-7 and Table 4-8.

Note 
Arpabet mode is a 2-character system. All single character symbols must be followed by a space so that faulty translations do not occur. Consider the phonemic representation of  "whitehorse,"  [* w 'ayt hxowr s ]. The letter "t"  in this phonemic representation must be followed by a space, so that it is not interpreted as part of the phonemic symbol [th] in the representation of "whitehorse."
Some older versions of DECtalk Software supported single characters in arpabet mode. Application programs written for use with those versions may fail to function correctly when used with DECtalk Software V4.6 or higher.



SYNTAX:
[:phoneme XX1 XX2 YY] or [:phoneme arpabet speak on]
ABBREVIATION:
[:phon XX1 XX2 YY]
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
None
OPTIONS:
arpabet
Set phonetic interpretation to arpabet alphabet. (Currently, this option is the only alphabet allowed.)

speak
If phoneme interpretation is on, speak encountered phonemes. The speak option is ignored if phoneme interpretation is off.

silent
If phoneme interpretation is on, do not speak encountered phonemes. The silent option is ignored if phoneme interpretation is off.
PARAMETERS:
On
Set phoneme interpretation on

Off
Set phoneme interpretation off
DEFAULT:
Phonetic interpretation is off


EXAMPLES:
[:phoneme arpabet speak on] [axs 'owshiyeyt] associate

[:phoneme speak on] [axs 'owshiyeyt] associate

[:phoneme on] [axs 'owshiyeyt] associate

[:phoneme speak off] [axs 'owshiyeyt] pronounced as axsociate

[:phoneme off] [axs 'owshiyeyt] pronounced as axsociate

[:phoneme silent off] [axs 'owshiyeyt] pronounced as axsociate

[:phoneme silent on] [axs 'owshiyeyt] associate not spoken


Note 
Make sure that you use a right bracket ( ] ) to end the phonemic symbols. If you do not, any normal text appearing after the phonemic symbols sounds garbled. One right bracket is sufficient to close phonemic mode. It is sometimes useful to begin a text file with a right bracket ( ] ) to ensure that text is not interpreted phonemically. A command sequence consisting of a left bracket followed by a colon ( [: ) is always interpreted as the beginning of a command.
 
Pitch [:pitch]
The Pitch command raises, by the value specified, the frequency of uppercase letters spoken in typing mode using the typing table (spoken one letter at a time). The default frequency difference  between  spoken lowercase and uppercase letters is 35 Hz.  The frequency difference enables users to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters. You can  return the pitch increment for uppercase letters to the default value by specifying the command [:pitch 35] or by restarting Speak. This command is asynchronous.
DECtalk adds the value of the argument, DD (in Hertz), as a pitch increment, to the uppercase letters in the next phoneme string it processes. However, the Pitch command is asynchronous. Place a Sync command in the character stream after the Pitch command to ensure that the Pitch command is processed before the letters that follow it in the buffer you are using.
SYNTAX:
[:pitch DD]
ABBREVIATION:
none
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
none
PARAMETERS:
frequency in hertz
DEFAULT VALUE:
35


EXAMPLES:
[:pitch 60] bBcCdD [:pitch 35] eEfFgGhH
 
Play Wave Files [:play]
Play Wave Files is a synchronous command that plays any wave file that is supported by your computer's audio system. When opening a wave file, DECtalk Software checks to see if the system is in startup mode. If it is in one of the text-to-speech special modes (wave-file, log-file, or text-to-speech memory) instead, this command fails. See Special Text-To-Speech Modes in the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for more information.
SYNTAX:
[:play <file>]
ABBREVIATION:
none
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
none
PARAMETERS:
A directory path and file name
DEFAULT:
none


EXAMPLES:
[:play bell.wav]

 Pronounce [:pronounce]
The Pronounce command determines the type of pronunciation for the word immediately following this command. This command is synchronous.
Use the [:pronounce alternate] command to obtain an alternative pronunciation for a word. See the Homograph tables in Chapter 4 for examples of primary and alternate pronunciations of words. Using the word wind as an example, the primary pronunciation is w ' ihn d, as in 'the wind is blowing'. The alternate pronunciation, denoted by [:pronounce alternate] wind, is w ' ayn d, as in 'wind up the top'.
Use the [:pronounce name] command to pronounce a word as a proper name. First names, last names, street names, and place names are all examples of proper names.
SYNTAX:
[:pronounce XX]
ABBREVIATION:
[:pron XX]
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
alternate
Uses the alternate pronunciation

primary
Uses the primary pronunciation

name
Uses the proper name pronunciation
PARAMETERS:
none
DEFAULT:
Uses the primary pronunciation


EXAMPLES:
Terry [:pronounce name] Doucette played [:pronounce primary] bass in the band.

 Punctuation [:punct]
The Punctuation command lets you specify how DECtalk software treats punctuation marks when it encounters them in text. This command is synchronous. The four options of the Punctuation command are:
* none - No punctuation is spoken.
* some - Text is read normally, and punctuation marks are used to mark pauses, changes in pitch, and so on.
* all - All punctuation is spoken, for example "," is spoken as "comma."
* pass - Turns off all special punctuation processing. For example, periods as part of file names are not spoken.
The pass option is useful in proofreading, as well as in applications where special characters are encountered, such as in a computer program. See Chapter 6 for more information on preprocessor parsing for treatment of punctuation.
Note 
When the [:punct none] command is used, no punctuation is pronounced, although dollar amounts and percentages still are processed.
SYNTAX:
[:punct XX]
ABBREVIATION:
[:punc XX]
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
none
Punctuation symbols  and some other symbols are not spoken as words; all punctuation is treated as text breaks

some
Text is read normally; clause boundary punctuation is not spoken, but all symbols such as $ are spoken as words

all
All punctuation symbols and other symbols are spoken as words

pass
All special punctuation processing is turned off
PARAMETERS:
none
DEFAULT:
[:punct some]
EXAMPLES:
[:punct none]

 Rate Selection [:rate]
The Rate Selection command sets the speaking rate in DECtalk Software. The rate can range from 75 to 600 words per minute. All values outside the range of 75 to 600 default to the nearest legal value. For example, if you select a speaking rate of [:rate 880] or 880 words per minute, DECtalk Software defaults to 600 words per minute. The DECtalk synthesizer starts at a rate of 200 words per minute by default. This command is asynchronous.
SYNTAX:
[:rate DDD]
ABBREVIATION:
none
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
none
PARAMETERS:
Rate in words per minute


EXAMPLES:
[:rate 400]
 Say [:say]
The Say command  specifies when speaking begins.  The Say command options are speak on end of clause (clause), speak on end of word (word), speak on end of letter (letter), and speak on end of line (line). This command is synchronous. 
In DECtalk Software, each clause, word, or letter is spoken as it is queued. In word and letter mode, DECtalk Software does not need to wait for a clause terminator to begin speaking. Word mode is similar to letter mode except text is spoken a word at a time. A space after a character or string of characters causes that string to be spoken. This mode interacts with the rate selection command so you can increase or decrease the rate at which the text is spoken. In clause mode, speaking starts when DECtalk Software is sent a clause terminator (period, comma, exclamation point, or question mark) followed by a space. There is no time-out limit. This is the normal mode where text is spoken a phrase, clause, or sentence at a time. Clause mode is the default mode.
SYNTAX:
[:say XX]
ABBREVIATION:
none
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
clause
Speak on end of clause.

word
Speak on end of word.

letter
Speak on end of letter.

filtered letter
Speak on end of letter, ignoring control characters, such as "vertical tab" and "line feed"

line
Speak on end of line.
PARAMETERS:
none
DEFAULT:
[:say clause]


EXAMPLES:
[:say word]


Note 
In letter mode, the left bracket is spoken only after the next character is entered because DECtalk Software needs to know if this is the beginning of a new command.

 Skip [:skip]
The Skip command allows the user to skip various parts of the text preprocessing.  It remains in effect until another Skip command is issued.  The command allows only one value to be in effect at a time. This command is synchronous.
See Chapter 6 for information on the preprocessor rules for parsing.
SYNTAX:
[:skip XX]
ABBREVIATION:
none
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
all 
Skip all preprocessing

cpg
Skip codepage translation

none
Do not skip anything
PARAMETERS:
none
DEFAULT:
The default is set to [:skip none].
EXAMPLES:
[:skip cpg]
[:skip all]
[:skip none]
NOTES:
This command allows only one option to be in effect at a time; in the example,  [:skip cpg] overrides [:skip all].

 Sync [:sync]
The Sync command provides coordination between an application program and DECtalk Software. This command is synchronous.
An application program can send data to DECtalk Software faster than DECtalk Software can speak it. Therefore, if the user needs to carry on a dialogue with the application program, the application program must be notified that DECtalk Software has finished speaking the text sent to it.
When the program sends the Sync command, DECtalk Software finishes speaking any pending text before processing the next text command. This command also acts as a clause boundary, just the same as a comma, period, exclamation point, question mark, semicolon, or colon when followed by a space.
Some DECtalk inline commands are asynchronous. To ensure that these commands are processed before the text following them, place a Sync command after an asynchronous command that you want to synchronize. In the case of the Pause command, you need to place a Sync command before the Pause command to guarantee that all text preceding the Pause command is processed before the pause occurs.
SYNTAX:
[:sync]
ABBREVIATION:
none
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
none
PARAMETERS:
none
DEFAULT:
N/A


EXAMPLES:
My name is Bill S [:sync]

 Tone [:tone]
The Tone command is a synchronous command that generates sounds of different frequencies and lengths based on the parameters you set. This command allows you to make a wide variety of sounds for purposes such as notification or warnings. Regular tones can also be used for a number of other purposes, such as indications of a margin bell. This command is synchronous. 
SYNTAX:
[:tone DD, DD]
ABBREVIATION:
none
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
none
PARAMETERS:
Frequency:
Sets the frequency to the desired level

Duration:
Tone duration in milliseconds
DEFAULT:
none


EXAMPLES:
[:tone 500,500]

 Volume [:volume]
The Volume command is a synchronous command that changes the volume settings. DECtalk Software changes the audio system gain in increments from 0 to 99, in decibels (dB). Increments or decrements of 10 to 20 provide a perceptible increase or decrease in volume. The Volume Set option is an absolute command; Volume Up and Volume Down options are relative commands and increase or decrease the original value. This command does not affect the volume when the application writes wave files or uses the speech-to-memory capability, because scaling is not done to the speech samples based on the Volume command settings.
 Monaural Volume Control
The following monaural volume commands are supported. DD must be in the range of 0 to 99.
SYNTAX:
[:volume XX DD]
ABBREVIATION:
[:volu XX DD]
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
set
Sets the volume to the desired level

up
Increases the volume by the desired amount

down
Decreases the volume by the desired amount
PARAMETERS:
Volume amount
DEFAULT:
none


EXAMPLES:
[:volume up 30]

 Stereo Volume Control
The following stereo volume commands are supported. The value of DD1 or DD2 must be in the range of 0 to 99.
SYNTAX:
[:volume XX DD1 DD2]
ABBREVIATION:
[:volu XX DD1 DD2]
ALTERNATE COMMAND:
none
OPTIONS:
lset
Sets the left channel to the desired level

lup
Increases the left channel by the desired amount

ldown
Decreases the left channel by the desired amount

rset
Sets the right channel to the desired level

rup
Increases the right channel by the desired amount

rdown
Decreases the right channel by the desired amount

sset
Sets the left channel to the DD1 amount and the right channel to the DD2 amount
PARAMETERS:
Volume amounts
DEFAULT:
none


EXAMPLES:
[:volume set 80 60]

Chapter 3 - 
Using In-Line Commands

This chapter provides an in-depth look at the DECtalk Software in-line commands, commands that can be used within a DECtalk Software text file or application. For information on using the Design Voice command, see Chapter 5.
Topics include:
* Changing Rhythm, Stress, and Intonation
* Developing an Electronic Mail-Reading Application
* Optimizing the Quality of Spoken Text
* Index Marks for Speech Status
* Speaking Rate
* Adjusting Period and Comma Pause Duration
* Text-Tuning Example
* Avoiding Common Errors
 Changing Rhythm, Stress, and Intonation
DECtalk Software uses stress and syntactic symbols to control aspects of rhythm, stress, and intonation patterns within a spoken text file. These symbols include punctuation marks such as commas, periods, and parentheses. Punctuation marks are recognized by DECtalk Software as indicating special phrasing requirements. 
Table 4-8 lists these symbols.
 Developing an Electronic Mail-Reading Application
DECtalk Software supplies an email parser for Windows and for UNIX  (not for MS-DOS).  See the email option of the Mode command for additional information. 
If you wish to write your own electronic mail preprocessor, implement the following text conversions before sending the text to DECtalk Software:
* Parse the header boilerplate to remove extraneous information.
* Add the new paragraph symbol [+] to each blank line between paragraphs if DECtalk Software is speaking paragraphs of text. Refer to Table 4-8 for the complete list of syntactic symbols. 
* Create your own application-specific user dictionary for words that have an application-specific pronunciation. 
* If DECtalk Software is connected to a database containing names, consider one of the following options:
* Add the Pronounce command before the database word to force the language specific rules on the name. For example:* 

[:pronounce name] name
See the Pronounce command description in Chapter 2 for more information. 
* Replace the database word with its phoneme text. For this option, you must have phoneme interpretation turned on. See the Phoneme Interpretation command description in Chapter 2 for more information.
* Scan the text for strings of numbers in a format understandable to your application but not to DECtalk Software. For example, if you can extract the time format from an electronic mail message, you can add code to your application to expand it to its "o'clock" form.
In many applications, the listener might want to write down number strings (such as prices or telephone numbers). Your application can scan the text for strings of numbers and, when they are found, send them to DECtalk Software in a way that includes pauses at critical locations. For example:
The number is, 1 (800) 5 5 5, 1 2 3 4. [:rate 120]
That is, [_<300>] 1 (800), [_<500>] 5 5 5, 
[_<900>] 1 2 3 4. [:rate 180].
Refer to Table 4-1 through Table 4-6 for a complete list of phoneme symbols, including the silent underscore ( _ ) symbol. See Chapter 4 for the syntax to add duration and pitch to phoneme text.
The spaces between the numbers ensure that "five five five" is spoken rather than "five hundred fifty five." You can also use the [:mode spell on] command to produce the same results. The slower speaking rate, [:rate 120], and the silence phonemes, [_<300>], [_<500>], [_<900>], of specified duration, were carefully selected to allow enough time for the listener to write down the entire number. Silence phonemes were positioned after the commas (that is, [_<300>] 1 (800), [_<500>]), to maintain appropriate intonation.
As another example, if your application is required to speak sums of money (such as bank balances or item costs), you might code the text to say:
Your balance is $244.05. That is, 2 4 4, [_<400>] point 0 5, [_<400>] dollars.
* When spelling an item, your application might need to distinguish the case of letters. Consider using the Pitch command  (see Chapter 2) or different voices to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters. For example: 
 [:nf]Maynard [:nf]M[:nb]a y n a r d [:nf]Maynard.
 Optimizing the Quality of Spoken Text
DECtalk Software can generally choose correct pronunciations by itself. For example, if you enter the following sentences:
He produced a lot of REFUSE. He REFUSEd the produce.
He INSERTS 5 INSERTS per minute. He DELIBERATEd DELIBERATEly for a long time.
Generally, DECtalk Software correctly selects the proper homograph. However, in certain unique contexts, the following user intervention may be needed:
* Replace the correct spelling of the word with a clever misspelling.
I red yesterday that . . .
* Spell the word phonetically.
I [r ' ehd ] yesterday that . . .
Note
For words that have two pronunciations (homographs), see the Homograph tables in Chapter 4.
Additionally, use the following steps to optimize spoken text.
1. If a word is a compound, use a hyphenated spelling to help DECtalk Software see the two parts of the compound.
The slide-show host . . .
2. Replace the text version by a phonemic string. Use the commands and phonemic symbols, but make sure to place the lexical stress pattern correctly.
3. Now that each word has been pronounced in the best possible way, listen to the total sentence rhythm and accent pattern. If it is not right, follow these steps.
(a)	If it sounds as if there should be a short pause in a specific sentence location, but DECtalk Software says the sentence without a pause, insert a comma between the words in question.
(b)	If the wrong word is emphasized in the sentence, emphasize the word that is supposed to take the emphasis with the correct stress symbols.
The ["] younger man is the trouble-maker, not the older one.
(c)	Use the stress symbols slash [/], backslash [\], and slash and backslash [/ \] to make final adjustments. Refer to Table 4-7 for a complete list of stress symbols.
 Index Marks for Speech Status
By embedding an Index Mark command in text, you can provide non-blocking synchronization. DECtalk Software can use index marks to track exactly when the text was spoken. The index marks bind themselves to the next speech sound, so you MUST always include a sound after the Index Mark command. Therefore, if you send, "Hello. [:index mark 5]", DECtalk Software will wait until the next sound to send the mark to the application. Index marks cannot be put in the middle of a word.
Index Marks are handled differently depending on whether the text-to-speech system is in speech-to-memory mode. When an Index Mark command is encountered while not in this mode, the index mark is returned to the calling application with a message type of TTS_MSG_INDEX_MARK. 
If the text-to-speech system is in the speech-to-memory mode, then the message type is TTS_MSG_BUFFER and the index marks are returned in the index mark array, if allocated, of the memory buffer structure. In addition to the index mark value, there is an index sample number also passed in the array, to allow you to determine which sample in the memory buffer corresponds to that index mark.
See Chapter 3 in the DECtalk Software Programmer's Guide for more information on returning index marks to the calling application.
 Speaking Rate 
The default speaking rate is 200 words per minute (WPM). DECtalk Software speaking rates range from 75 to 600 WPM. In the Rate command, valid speaking rates are between 75 and 600. Rates specified outside this range are limited to the nearest legal value. Speaking rates can be adjusted to very slow, very fast, or anywhere in between by using the following commands:
* [:rate 120]
Although the slowest possible rate is 75 WPM, 120 WPM is ideal for information such as phone numbers, which need to be copied down by a listener. Unless the listener is actually copying down each numeral, it might be frustrating to listen to extended speech at slow rates.
* [:rate 160]
This rate is moderate (160 WPM). It sounds a little slow, but is sometimes preferred when DECtalk Software is speaking math equations or long lists of acronyms.
* [:rate 200]
This is the default rate for DECtalk Software (200 WPM). This rate is ideal for listening to continuous text under optimal conditions.
* [:rate 240]	
Experienced listeners may prefer to skim material at this rate (240 WPM). Inexperienced listeners may not understand every word at this rate.
* [:rate 350]	
This rate (350 WPM) is too fast to follow, but can be used to quickly scan sections of text.
* [:rate 550]	
This rate (550 WPM) is the fastest usable rate. It is too fast for most people to follow, but can be used to scan text very quickly. 
Changes in the speaking rate influence the duration and the number of pauses in text, as well as the duration of individual phonemes. At rates below 140 WPM, DECtalk Software inserts pauses at all phrase boundaries and pauses, and inserts phonemes near the ends of phrases. At rates faster than 240 WPM, DECtalk Software deletes all pauses and shortens phonemes.
 Adjusting Period and Comma Pause Durations 
At the default speaking rate of 200 WPM, DECtalk Software pauses about half a second after a period in the text and about a sixth of a second after a comma. When you change the speaking rate, the pause durations are automatically adjusted.
In some situations, you might prefer to change the pause after a period or a comma without changing the speaking rate. For example, to get DECtalk Software to read a list of words with a longer pause after each  (to allow the listener to write them down), use the Period Pause command or the Comma Pause command.
*  [:period 4500] apple. banana. strawberry.
This command adds a period pause of 4,500 ms (4.5 seconds) to the standard half-second pause that occurs after a period in text. The total pause between words is about five seconds. The accepted range for the period pause parameter is -380 to 30,000 ms. A negative value  for this parameter shortens the standard period pause.
* [:comma 4800] apple, banana, strawberry,
This command adds a comma pause of 4,800 ms (4.8 seconds) to the standard sixth of a second pause that occurs after a comma in the text at normal speaking rate. The total pause between words separated by a comma is about five seconds. The accepted range for the comma pause parameter is -40 to 30,000 ms. Values specified outside this range are limited to the nearest legal value.
* [:pp 0 :cp 0]
This command resets the period pause and comma pause to their normal default values.
 Text-Tuning Example
Although DECtalk Software allows for natural text-to-speech synthesis, the quality of speech can often be enhanced by giving it a more natural flow. Much of this tuning involves strategic placement of commas and periods, which tell the application to pause. The spoken language and written text are different, because spoken text generally does not contain information about pausing. 
The text that follows is presented twice: the first time as originally written, and the second time after phonemic and textual fixes were applied. For a complete list of stress and syntactic symbols, refer to Table 4-7 and Table 4-8.
 Original Version
[:np] A California Shaggy Bear Tale for Seven DECtalk Software Voices
by Dennis Klatt
[:np] Once upon a time, there were three bears. 
They lived in the great forest and tried to adjust to modern times.
[:nh] I'm papa bear. I love my family but I love honey best.
[:nb] I'm mama bear. Being a mama bear is a drag.
[:nk] I'm baby bear and I have trouble relating to all of the demands of older bears.
[:np] One day, the three bears left their condominium to search for honey. While they were gone, a beautiful young lady snuck into the bedroom through an open window.
[:nw] My name is Wendy. My purpose in entering this building should be clear. I am planning to steal the family jewels.
[:np] Hot on her trail was the famous police detective, Frank.
[:nf] Have you seen a lady carrying a laundry bag over her shoulder?
[:np] A woman kneeling with her left ear firmly placed against a large rock responded.
[:nu] No. No one passed this way. I've been listening for earthquakes all morning, but have only spotted three bears searching for honey.

 Revised Version 
In this section, text from the original example is enhanced with DECtalk Software embedded commands. Phoneme interpretation is turned on to allow the stress and syntactic symbols to be translated. See the Phoneme Interpretation command for more information.
Turn on phoneme interpretation
[:phoneme arpabet speak on]

Add periods to add brief pauses after the title and author.
[:np] A California Shaggy Bear Tale for Seven DECtalk Software Voices.
By Dennis Klatt.
[:np] Once upon a time, there were three bears. 
They lived in the great forest and tried to adjust to modern times.

Add commas to increase pause length and quotation marks for emphatic stress.
[:nh] I'm papa bear. I love my family, but I love ["]honey best.
[:nb] I'm mama bear. Being a mama bear is a drag.
[:nk] I'm baby bear and I have trouble relating to all of the demands of older bears.
[:np] One day, the three bears left their condominium to search for honey. While they were gone, a beautiful young lady snuck into the bedroom through an open window.
[:nw] My name is Wendy. My purpose in entering this building should be clear. I am planning to steal the family jewels.
[:np] Hot on her trail was the famous police detective, Frank.
[:nf] Have you seen a lady carrying a laundry bag over her shoulder?

Add commas to increase pause length and phrasing.
[:np] A woman, kneeling with her left ear firmly placed against a large rock, responded.

If the selected language supports pitch rise and fall symbols [/ \] and emphatic stress symbols [ ' ], use them to add pitch control and emphatic stress.
[:nu] [']No. No [/]one passed this [/ \]way. I've been listening for [']earthquakes all morning, but have only spotted three bears searching for honey.
 Avoiding Common Errors 
When using DECtalk Software, try to avoid making  common errors by doing the following:
* When you make voice-selection changes, always return to the default voice you have chosen. If you forget to return DECtalk Software to the default voice after using one of the other voices, all future text uses the currently selected voice.
* The default setting for the Error command is to have the speak option turned on. This means DECtalk Software reports any command errors that it can detect. Set the [:error ignore] command to avoid this action.
* Enter a right bracket ( ] ) at the beginning of your text if you use the Phoneme Interpretation command.
* If the [:phoneme arpabet speak on] command is entered to allow phonemic input, it is possible for DECtalk Software to enter phonemic mode unintentionally. 
* If the text being spoken contains an unexpected left bracket ( [ ), all text after the left bracket ( [ ) is interpreted as phoneme text. In the following example, 'apple, banana, strawberry' is interpreted as phoneme text.
[:phoneme arpabet speak on] Here is the list [apple, banana, strawberry].
* If you forget to enter a right ( ] ) bracket after a phonemic entry, all text after the missing right bracket ( ] ) is interpreted as phoneme text. In the following example, 'Ladies and Gentlemen' is interpreted as phoneme text.
[:phoneme arpabet speak on Ladies and Gentlemen
* Beginning with SAPI Version 5, you can use DECtalk Software inline commands in SAPI text buffers. However, the inline commands are not supported and are ignored in pre-Version 5 SAPI text buffers.
Chapter 1 
Chapter 4 - 
DECtalk Software Reference Tables

DECtalk Software reference tables include:
* Phonemic Symbols Listed By Language
* Stress and Syntactic Symbols
* Phonemes Listed in Unicode Sequence
* Pitch and Duration of Tones
* Homographs
* Supported SAPI Functions
* Supported SAPI Version 5 Features
 Phonemic Symbols Listed By Language
The phonemic symbol can be used to replace words that are spoken incorrectly. See the Phoneme Interpretation command in Chapter 2 for information on how to use phonemic symbols.
DECtalk Software provides a unified phoneme set for all supported languages, allowing you to specify phonemes from different languages within the context of your current language.
This section lists the phonemic symbols DECtalk Software uses for each supported language, as follows:
* Table 4-1  Phonemic Symbols - U.S. English
* Table 4-2  Phonemic Symbols - U.K. English
* Table 4-3  Phonemic Symbols - Castilian Spanish
* Table 4-4  Phonemic Symbols - Latin American Spanish
* Table 4-5  Phonemic Symbols - German
* Table 4-6  Phonemic Symbols - French
Some dictionaries put the stress symbol after the vowel nucleus or at the start of the syllable. DECtalk Software requires that the stress symbol appear immediately before a syllable nucleus. Table 4-7 lists the supported stress symbols. 
Phonemes can also be given duration and pitch attributes to create special effects, such as singing. See Table 4-10 for additional information.
Note 
Arpabet mode is a 2-character system. All single character symbols must be followed by a space so that faulty translations do not occur. Consider the phonemic representation of  "whitehorse,"  [* w 'ayt hxowr s ]. The letter "t" in this phonemic representation must be followed by a space, so that it is not interpreted as part of the phonemic symbol [th] in the representation of "whitehorse."
Some older versions of DECtalk Software supported single characters in arpabet mode. Application programs written for use with those versions may fail to function correctly when used with DECtalk Software V4.6 or higher.

Table 4-1  Phonemic Symbols - U.S. English
ASCKY
DT
index
DT
internal
Example
Arpa-bet
Uni-
code
Unicode Character Name
_
0
SIL
(silence)
_
U+5F
Low line
i
1
US_IY
bEAn
iy
U+69
Latin small letter I
I
2
US_IH
pIt
ih
U+26A
Latin small letter Capital I
e
3
US_EY
bAY
ey
U+65
Latin small letter E
E
4
US_EH
pEt
eh
U+25B
Latin small letter open E
@
5
US_AE
pAt
ae
U+E6
Latin small letter AE
a
6
US_AA
pOt
aa
U+251
Latin small letter Alpha
A
7
US_AY
bUY
ay
U+61, U+26A
Latin small letter A + Latin small capital I
W
8
US_AW
brOW
aw
U+61, U+28A
Latin small letter A + Latin small capital Upsilon
^
9
US_AH
pUtt
ah
U+28C
Latin small letter turned V
c
10
US_AO
bOUght
ao
U+254
Latin small letter O
o
11
US_OW
nO
ow
U+6F, U+28A
Latin small letter O + Latin small letter Upsilon
O
12
US_OY
bOY
oy
U+254, U+26A
Latin small letter open O + Latin small letter capital I
U
13
US_UH
pUt
uh
U+28A
Latin small letter Upsilon
u
14
US_UW
bOOn
uw
U+75
Latin small letter U
R
15
US_RR
anothER
rr
U+25A
Latin small letter Schwa with hook
Y
16
US_YU
cUte
yu
U+6A, U+75
Latin small letter J + Latin small letter U
x
17
US_AX
About
ax
U+259
Latin small letter Schwa
|
18
US_IX
kissEs
ix
U+268
Latin small letter I with stroke
I
19
US_IR
pEEr
ir
U+69, U+2B4
Latin small letter I + modifier letter small turned R
R
20
US_ER
pAIr
er


a
21
US_AR
bARn
ar
U+251, U+2B4
Latin small letter Alpha + modifier letter small turned R
c
22
US_OR
bOrn
or
U+254, U+2B4
Latin small letter open O + modifier letter small turned R
U
23
US_UR
pOOr
ur
U+28A, U+2B4
Latin small letter Upsilon + modifier letter small turned R
w
24
US_W
Why
w
U+77
Latin small letter W
Y
25
US_Y
Yank
yx
U+6A
Latin small letter J
r
26
US_R
Rat
r
U+52
Latin capital letter R
l
27
US_LL
Lad
l
U+6C
Latin small letter L
h
28
US_HX
Had
hx
U+68
Latin small letter H
R
29
US_RX
coRe
rx
U+279
Latin small letter turned R with hook
l
30
US_LX
untiL
lx
U+26B
Latin small letter I with middle tilde
m
31
US_M
Mad
m
U+6D
Latin small letter M
n
32
US_N
Nat
n
U+6E
Latin small letter N
G
33
US_NX
baNG
nx
U+14B
Latin small letter Eng
L
34
US_EL
dangLe
el
U+6C, U+329
Latin small letter L combining vertical line below
D
35
US_DZ
wiDth
dz
U+64, U+32F
Latin small letter D + combining inverted breve below
N
36
US_EN
burdeN
en
U+6E, U+329
Latin small letter N + combining vertical line below
f
37
US_F
Fat
f
U+66
Latin small letter F
v
38
US_V
Vat
v
U+76
Latin small letter V
T
39
US_TH
THin
th
U+3B8
Greek  small letter Theta
D
40
US_DH
THen
dh
U+F0
Latin small letter Eth
s
41
US_S
Sap
s
U+73
Latin small letter S
z
42
US_Z
Zap
z
U+7A
Latin small letter Z
S
43
US_SH
SHeep
sh
U+283
Latin small letter Esh
Z
44
US_ZH
meaSure
zh
U+292
Latin small letter Ezh
p
45
US_P
Pat
p
U+70
Latin small letter P
b
46
US_B
Bad
b
U+62
Latin small letter B
t
47
US_T
Tack
t
U+74
Latin small letter T
d
48
US_D
Dad
d
U+64
Latin small letter D
k
49
US_K
Cad
k
U+6B
Latin small letter K
g
50
US_G
Game
g
U+67
Latin small letter G
&
51
US_DX
riDer
dx
Internal use only
 
Q
52
US_TX
baTTen
tx
U+74, U+294
Latin small letter T + Latin letter glottal stop
q
53
US_Q
we eat
q
U+294
Latin letter glottal stop
C
54
US_CH
CHeap
ch
U+2A7
Latin small letter Tesh digraph
J
55
US_JH
Jeep
jh
U+2A4
Latin small letter Dezh digraph
F
56
US_DF
wriTer
df
Internal use only


57
US_TZ

tz

Hebrew complement

58
US_CZ

cz

Hebrew complement
Table 4-2  Phonemic Symbols - U.K. English
ASCKY
DT
index
DT
internal
Example
Arpabet
_
0
SIL
(silence)
_
i
1
UK_IY
bEAn
iy
I
2
UK_IH
pIt
ih
e
3
UK_EY
bAY
ey
E
4
UK_EH
pEt
eh
@
5
UK_AE
pAt
ae
a
6
UK_AA
pOt
aa
A
7
UK_AY
bUY
ay
W
8
UK_AW
brOW
aw
^
9
UK_AH
pUtt
ah
c
10
UK_AO
bOUght
ao
o
11
UK_OW
nO
ow
O
12
UK_OY
bOY
oy
U
13
UK_UH
pUt
uh
u
14
UK_UW
bOOn
uw
R
15
UK_RR
anothER
rr
Y
16
UK_YU
cUte
yu
x
17
UK_AX
About
ax
|
18
UK_IX
kissEs
ix
I
19
UK_IR
pEEr
ir
R
20
UK_ER
pAIr
er
a
21
UK_AR
bARn
ar
c
22
UK_OR
bOrn
or
U
23
UK_UR
pOOr
ur
w
24
UK_W
Why
w
Y
25
UK_Y
Yank
yx
r
26
UK_R
Rat
r
l
27
UK_LL
Lad
l
h
28
UK_HX
Had
hx

29
UK_OH

oh
l
30
UK_LX
untiL
lx
m
31
UK_M
Mad
m
n
32
UK_N
Nat
n
G
33
UK_NX
baNG
nx
L
34
UK_EL
dangLe
el
D
35
UK_DZ
wiDth
dz
N
36
UK_EN
burdeN
en
f
37
UK_F
Fat
f
v
38
UK_V
Vat
v
T
39
UK_TH
THin
th
D
40
UK_DH
THen
dh
s
41
UK_S
Sap
s
z
42
UK_Z
Zap
z
S
43
UK_SH
SHeep
sh
Z
44
UK_ZH
meaSure
zh
p
45
UK_P
Pat
p
b
46
UK_B
Bad
b
t
47
UK_T
Tack
t
d
48
UK_D
Dad
d
k
49
UK_K
Cad
k
g
50
UK_G
Game
g
&
51
UK_DX
riDer
dx
Q
52
UK_TX
baTTen
tx
q
53
UK_Q
we eat
q
C
54
UK_CH
CHeap
ch
J
55
UK_JH
Jeep
jh
F
56
UK_DF
wriTer
df
Table 4-3  Phonemic Symbols - Castilian Spanish
ASCKY
DT
index
DT
internal
Example
Arpabet
_
0
SIL
(silence)
_

1
SP_A
Palabra
a

2
SP_E
Leo
e

3
SP_I
Hilo
i

4
SP_O
Hola
o

5
SP_U
Lunes
u

6
SP_WX
(Rounded dipthong semiv.)
wx

7
SP_YX
(Unround dipthong semiv.)
yx

8
SP_RR
Rama
rr

9
SP_L
Luna
l

10
SP_LL
Calle
ll

11
SP_M
Mama'
m

12
SP_N
Nana
n

13
SP_NH
Munoz
nh

14
SP_F
Feo
f

15
SP_S
Casa
s

16
SP_J
Caja
j

17
SP_TH
Caza
th

18
SP_BH
Haba
bh

19
SP_DH
Hada
dh

20
SP_GH
Haga
gh

21
SP_YH
Yate (affricate)
yh

22
SP_P
Papa'
p

23
SP_B
Barco
b

24
SP_T
Tela
t

25
SP_D
Dama
d

26
SP_K
Casa
k

27
SP_G
Gasa
g

28
SP_CH
Charco
ch

29
SP_Y
Haya (fricitive)
y

30
SP_R
Sara
r

31
SP_Q
~n (offglide)
q

32
SP_Z
Desde
z

33
SP_W
Hueso
w

34
SP_NX
Mango
nx

35
SP_V
Afgano
v

36
SP_IX
~n (offglide)
ix

37
SP_MX
Infierno (nf)
mx

38
SP_PH
Observar
ph
Table 4-4  Phonemic Symbols - Latin American Spanish
ASCKY
DT
index
DT
internal
Example
Arpabet
_
0
SIL
(silence)
_

1
LA_A
Palabra
a

2
LA_E
Leo
e

3
LA_I
Hilo
i

4
LA_O
Hola
o

5
LA_U
Lunes
u

6
LA_WX
(Rounded dipthong semiv.)
wx

7
LA_YX
(Unround dipthong semiv.)
yx

8
LA_RR
Rama
rr

9
LA_L
Luna
l

10
LA_LL
Calle
ll

11
LA_M
Mama'
m

12
LA_N
Nana
n

13
LA_NH
Munoz
nh

14
LA_F
Feo
f

15
LA_S
Casa
s

16
LA_J
Caja
j

17
LA_TH
Caza
th

18
LA_BH
Haba
bh

19
LA_DH
Hada
dh

20
LA_GH
Haga
gh

21
LA_YH
Yate (affricate)
yh

22
LA_P
Papa'
p

23
LA_B
Barco
b

24
LA_T
Tela
t

25
LA_D
Dama
d

26
LA_K
Casa
k

27
LA_G
Gasa
g

28
LA_CH
Charco
ch

29
LA_Y
Haya (fricitive)
y

30
LA_R
Sara
r

31
LA_Q
~n (offglide)
q

32
LA_Z
Desde
z

33
LA_W
Hueso
w

34
LA_NX
Mango
nx

35
LA_V
Afgano
v

36
LA_IX
~n (offglide)
ix

37
LA_MX
Infierno (nf)
mx

38
LA_PH
Observar
ph
Table 4-5  Phonemic Symbols - German
ASCKY
DT
index
DT
internal
Example
Arpabet
_
0
SIL
(silence)
_

1
GR_A
mAnn
a

2
GR_E
Englisch
e

3
GR_AE
hAEtte
ae

4
GR_EX
gabE
ex

5
GR_I
mIt
i

6
GR_O
pOst
o

7
GR_OE
kOEnnen
oe

8
GR_U
mUnd
u

9
GR_UE
lUEcke
ue

10
GR_AH
sAgen
ah

11
GR_EH
gEben
eh

12
GR_AZ
wAEhlen
az

13
GR_IH
lIEb
ih

14
GR_OH
mOnd
oh

15
GR_OZ
mOEgen
oz

16
GR_UH
hUt
uh

17
GR_UZ
hUEten
uz

18
GR_EI
klEId
ei

19
GR_AU
hAUs
au

20
GR_EU
hEUte
eu

21
GR_AN
pENsion
an

22
GR_IM
tIMbre
im

23
GR_UM
parfUM
um

24
GR_ON
fONdue
on

25
GR_J
Ja
j

26
GR_L
Luft
l

27
GR_RR
Rund
rr

28
GR_R
waR
r

29
GR_H
Hut
h

30
GR_M
Mut
m

31
GR_N
NeiN
n

32
GR_NG
riNG
ng

33
GR_EL
nabEL
el

34
GR_EM
grossEM
em

35
GR_EN
badEN
en

36
GR_F
Fall
f

37
GR_V
Was
v

38
GR_S
meSSen
s

39
GR_Z
doSe
z

40
GR_SH
SCHule
sh

41
GR_ZH
Genie
zh

42
GR_CH
niCHt
ch

43
GR_KH
noCH
kh

44
GR_P
Park
p

45
GR_B
Ball
b

46
GR_T
Turm
t

47
GR_D
Dort
d

48
GR_K
Kalt
k

49
GR_G
Gast
g

50
GR_Q
Be_amtet
q

51
GR_PF
PFerd
pf

52
GR_TS
Zahl
ts

53
GR_DJ
Gin
dj

54
GR_TJ
maTSCH
tj

55
GR_KS
Extra
ks
Table 4-6  Phonemic Symbols - French
ASCKY
DT
index
DT
internal
Example
Arpabet
_
0
SIL
(silence)
_

1
FR_A

a

2
FR_A3

a3

3
FR_E2

e2

4
FR_AU

au

5
FR_E

e

6
FR_E1

e1

7
FR_EU

eu

8
FR_I

i

9
FR_O

o

10
FR_O6

o6

11
FR_OU

ou

12
FR_U

u

13
FR_AN

an

14
FR_IN

in

15
FR_ON

on

16
FR_UN

un

17
FR_AP

ap

18
FR_L

l

19
FR_R

r

20
FR_W

w

21
FR_WU

wu

22
FR_Y

y

23
FR_CH

ch

24
FR_F

f

25
FR_J

j

26
FR_RX

rx

27
FR_S

s

28
FR_V

v

29
FR_Z

z

30
FR_B

b

31
FR_D

d

32
FR_G

g

33
FR_K

k

34
FR_P

p

35
FR_T

t

36
FR_GN

gn

37
FR_M

m

38
FR_N

n

39
FR_NG

ng

40
FR_SG

sg

 Stress and Syntactic Symbols
Table 4-7 and Table 4-8 list the stress and syntactic symbols supported by DECtalk Software. Phoneme interpretation must be turned on for the stress and syntactic symbols to work. Refer to the Phoneme Interpretation command description in Chapter 2 for more information.
Note Table 4-7 Stress Symbols
Symbol
Name
Indicates
Unicode
 ' 
Apostrophe
primary stress
U+27
`
Grave accent
secondary stress
U+60
"
Quotation mark
emphatic stress
U+22
 / 
Slash
pitch rise
U+2F
\
Backslash
pitch fall
U+5C

Table 4-8 Syntactic Symbols
Symbol
Name
Indicates
Unicode
- 
Hyphen
syllable boundary
U+2D
*
Asterisk
morpheme boundary
U+2A
#
Number sign
compound nouns
U+23
( 
Open parenthesis
beginning of prepositional phrase
U+28
)
Close parenthesis
beginning of a verb phrase
U+29
, 
Comma
clause boundaries
U+2C
.
Period
period
U+2E
?
Question mark
question mark
U+2F
 !
Exclamation point
exclamation point
U+21
+
Plus sign
new paragraph
U+2B
  
Space
word boundary
U+20

 Phonemes Listed in Unicode Sequence
Table 4-9 U.S. English Phonemes in Unicode Sequence
Unicode
Unicode Character Name
ASCKY
DT
index
DT
internal
Example
Arpabet
U+20
Space



Word boundary
<space>
U+21
Exclamation point





U+22
Quotation mark
"


"Hello"
"
U+23
Number sign
#




U+27
Apostrophe
"


r'ehd

U+28
Left parenthesis
(




U+29
Right parenthesis
)




U+2A
Asterisk
*




U+2B
Plus sign
+




U+2C
Comma
,




U+2D
Hyphen
-




U+2E
Full stop
.


Syllable break
-
U+2F
Solidus
/




U+3F
Question mark
?




U+52
Latin capital letter R
R
26
US_R
Rat
r
U+5C
Reverse solidus
\




U+5F
Low line
_
0
US_SIL
(silence)
_
U+61, U+26A
Latin small letter A + Latin small capital I
A
7
US_AY
bUY
ay
U+61, U+28A
Latin small letter A + Latin small capital I
W
8
US_AW
brOW
aw
U+62
Latin small letter B
b
46
US_B
Bad
b
U+64, U+32F
Latin small letter D + combining inverted breve below
D
35
US_DZ
WiDth
dz
U+64
Latin small letter D
d
48
US_D
Dad
d
U+65
Latin small letter E
e
3
US_EY
bAY
ey
U+66
Latin small letter F
f
37
US_F
Fat
f
U+67
Latin small letter G
g
50
US_G
Game
g
U+68
Latin small letter H
h
28
US_HX
Had
hx
U+69, U+2B4
Latin small letter I + modifier letter small turned R
I
19
US_IR
pEEr
ir
U+69
Latin small letter I
i
1
US_IY
bEAn
iy
U+6A, U+75
Latin small letter J + Latin small letter U
Y
16
US_YU
cUte
yu
U+6A
Latin small letter J
Y
25
US_Y
Yank
yx
U+6B
Latin small letter K
k
49
US_K
Cad
k
U+6C, U+329
Latin small letter L + combining vertical line below
L
34
US_EL
dangLe
el
U+6C
Latin small letter L
l
27
US_LL
Lad
l
U+6D
Latin small letter M
m
31
US_M
Mad
m
U+6E, U+329
Latin small letter N + combining vertical line below
N
36
US_EN
burdeN
en
U+6E
Latin small letter N
n
32
US_N
Nat
n
U+6F, U+28A
Latin small letter O + Latin small letter upsilon
o
11
US_OW
nO
ow
U+70
Latin small letter P
p
45
US_P
Pat
p
U+73
Latin small letter S
s
41
US_S
Sap
s
U+74
Latin small letter T
t
47
US_T
Tack
t
U+74, U+294
Latin small letter T + Latin letter glottal stop
Q
52
US_TX
baTTen
tx
U+75
Latin small letter U
u
14
US_UW
bOOn
uw
U+76
Latin small letter V
v
38
US_V
Vat
v
U+77
Latin small letter W
w
24
US_W
Why
w
U+7A
Latin small letter Z
z
42
US_Z
Zap
z
U+E6
Latin small letter AE
@
5
US_AE
pAt
ae
U+F0
Latin small letter Eth
D
40
US_DH
THen
dh
U+14B
Latin small letter Eng
G
33
US_NX
baNG
nx
U+251, U+2B4
Latin small letter Alpha + modifier letter small turned R
a
21
US_AR
bARn
ar
U+251
Latin small letter Alpha
a
6
US_AA
pOt
aa
U+254, U+26A
Latin small letter open O + Latin small letter capital I
O
12
US_OY
bOY
oy
U+254, U+2B4
Latin small letter open O + modifier letter small turned R
c
22
US_OR
bOrn
or
U+254
Latin small letter O
c
10
US_AO
bOUght
ao
U+259
Latin small letter Schwa
x
17
US_AX
About
ax
U+25A
Latin small letter Schwa with hook
R
15
US_RR
anothER
rr
U+25B
Latin small letter open E
E
4
US_EH
pEt
eh
U+268
Latin small letter I with stroke
|
18
US_IX
kissEs
ix
U+26A
Latin small letter Capital I
I
2
US_IH
pIt
ih
U+26B
Latin small letter I with middle tilde
l
30
US_LX
untiL
lx
U+279
Latin small letter turned R with hook
R
29
US_RX
coRe
rx
U+283
Latin small letter Esh
S
43
US_SH
SHeep
sh
U+28A, U+2B4
Latin small letter Upsilon + modifier letter small turned R
U
23
US_UR
pOOr
ur
U+28A
Latin small letter Upsilon
U
13
US_UH
pUt
uh
U+28C
Latin small letter turned V
^
9
US_AH
pUtt
ah
U+292
Latin small letter Ezh
Z
44
US_ZH
meaSure
zh
U+294
Latin letter glottal stop
q
53
US_Q
we eat
q
U+2A4
Latin small letter Dezh digraph
J
55
US_JH
Jeep
jh
U+2A7
Latin small letter Tesh digraph
C
54
US_CH
CHeap
ch
U+2C8
Modifier letter vertical line
'




U+28CC
Modifier letter low vertical line
`




U+3B8
Greek  small letter Theta
T
39
US_TH
THin
th

 Pitch and Duration of Tones
DECtalk Software can be used to sing songs or make various sounds associated with singing and musical tones. Table 4-11 provides the pitch numbers, associated notes, and frequencies you need to code a phonemic sequence to produce musical sounds. 
Figure 4-1 is the code for the song, "Happy Birthday." The command syntax for coding musical sequences is found in Table 4-10. You can use the phonemic table for your language (see Table 4-1 through Table 4-6) to decode the phoneme symbols.
Table 4-10 Phoneme Syntax for Singing
SYNTAX:
[phoneme  <duration, pitch number>]
OPTIONS:
none
PARAMETERS:
duration
Tone duration in milliseconds.

pitch number 
Pitch number from 

DEFAULT:
none


EXAMPLES:
See Figure 4-1

Figure 4-1 DECtalk Software Singing "Happy Birthday"
[:phoneme arpabet speak on]
[hxae<300,10>piy<300,10> brr<600,12>th<100>dey<600,10> tuw<600,15> yu<1200,14>_<120>]
[hxae<300,10>piy<300,10> brr<600,12>th<100>dey<600,10> tuw<600,17> yu<1200,15>_<120>]
[hxae<300,10>piy<300,10> brr<600,22>th<100>dey<600,19> dih<600,15>r deh<600,14>ktao<600,12>k_<120>_<120>]
[hxae<300,20>piy<300,20> brr<600,19>th<100>dey<600,15> tuw<600,17> yu<1200,15>]


Table 4-11 Tone Table
Pitch Number
Note 
Pitch
Vocal Ranges
1
C2
65





2
C#
69





3
D
73





4
D#
77





5
E
82
B




6
F
87
A




7
F#
92
S




8
G
98
S
B



9
G#
103

A



10
A
110

R



11
A#
116

I



12
B
123

T



13
C3
130

O
T


14
C#
138

N
E


15
D
146

E
N


16
D#
155


O


17
E
164


R


18
F
174



A

19
F#
185



L

20
G
196



T

21
G#
207



O

22
A
220





23
A#
233





24
B
247




S
25
C4
261




O
26
C#
277




P
27
D
293




R
28
D#
311




A
29
E
329




N
30
F
348




O
31
F#
370





32
G
392





33
G#
415





34
A
440





35
A#
466





36
B
494





37
C5
523






 Homographs 
Homographs are two or more words that have the same spelling but are pronounced differently. Homographs are often different in terms of which syllable is accented. For example, if permit is a noun, the accent is on the first syllable (permit); if, however, the word is used as a verb, the accent is on the second syllable (permit). This distinction often makes a great deal of difference in understanding DECtalk when it is speaking such words in connected discourse.
The default pronunciation is the more frequent form. In the event the alternate pronunciation is needed, you can insert the correct phonetics from the homograph index below.
Use the [:pronounce alternate] command before a word to obtain an alternative pronunciation for the word. For example, the primary pronunciation of the word bass is b'eys, as in bass guitar, while the alternate pronunciation, denoted by [:pronounce alternate], is b'aes, as in the fish, bass.
This section lists the homograph phonetics in alphabetical groups, as follows:
* Table 4-12 Homograph Phonetics - (A)
* Table 4-13 Homograph Phonetics - (B-C)
* Table 4-14 Homograph Phonetics - (D-G)
* Table 4-15 Homograph Phonetics - (I-L)
* Table 4-16 Homograph Phonetics - (M-P)
* Table 4-17 Homograph Phonetics - (R)
* Table 4-18 Homograph Phonetics - (S-W)

Table 4-12 Homograph Phonetics - (A)
Spelling
Primary
Alternate
abstract
' aeb s t r aek t
ae b s t r ' aek t
abuse
axb y ' u z
axb y ' u s
addict
ax d ' ihk t
' ae d ihk t
advocate
' aed v axk eyt
' aed v ax k axt
affix
' aef ihk s
axf ' ihk s
ally
' ael ay
axl ' ay
alternate
' aol t rrn ax t
' ao l t rrn ey t
animate
' aen ihm eyt
'aen ih m ax t
annex
' aen ehk s
axn ' ehk s
appropriate
axp r ' owp r iyaxt 
axp r ' owp r iy eyt
arithmetic
axr ' ihthm axt ixk 
aer ixthm ' eht ixk
articulate
aar t ' ihk yxel eyt
aar t ' ih k yxel axt
associate
axs ' owshiyeyt
axs ' owshiyaxt
attribute
axt r ' ihbyut
' aet r ixbyut
august
' aog axs t
aog ' ahs t


Table 4-13 Homograph Phonetics - (B-C)
Spelling
Primary
Alternate
bass
b ' eys
b ' aes
baton
b axt ' aon
b ' aet ax n
close
k l ' owz
k l ' ows
combat
k axm b ' aet
k ' aam b ae t
combine
k axm b ' ayn
k ' aam b ayn
compact
k axm p ' aek t
k ' aam pae k t
complex
k ' aam p l ehk s
k axm p l ' ehk s
compound
k ' aam paw n d
k axm p ' aw n d
compress
k ax m p r ' ehs
k ' aam p r ehs
concert
k ' aan s rrt
k axn s ' rrt
conduct
k axn d ' ahk t
k ' aa n d ahk t
confederate
k axn f ' `ehd rrixt rreyt
k axn f ' ehd rriht
confine
k axn f ' ayn
k ' aan f ayn
conflict
k ' aan f l ixk t
k axn f l ' eyk t
conglomerate
k axnxg l ' aam rixt 
k axnxg l ' aam rreyt
console
k ' aan s owl
k axn s ' owl
construct
k axn s t r ' ahk t
k ' aan s t r axk t
content
k ' aan t ehn t
k axn t ' ehn t
contest
k ' aan t ehs t
k axn t ' ehs t
contract
k ' aan t rae k t
k axn t r ' aek t
contrast
k ' aan t r aes t
k axn t r ' aes t
converse
k ' aan v rrs
k axn v ' rrs
convert
k axn v ' rrt
k ' aan v rrt
convict
kax n v ' ihk t
k ' aan vih k t
coordinate
k ow' aor d en eyt
kow` aor d ixn axt

Table 4-14 Homograph Phonetics - (D-G)
Spelling
Primary
Alternate
decrease
d iyk r ' iys
d ' iyk r iys
defect
d ax f ' ehk t
d ' iyf ehk t
delegate
d ' ehl ixg axt
d ' ehl ixg ` ey t
deliberate
d axl ' ihb rraxt
d axl ' ihb rreyt
desert
d ' ehz rrt
d ixz ' rrt
desolate
d ' ehs el ixt
d ' eh sel yet
Diffuse
dix f ' yuw s
d ix f ' yuw z 
digest
d ' ayjhehs t
d ayjh' ehs t
discharge
d ixs ch' arjh
d ' his charjh
discount
d ' ihs kaw n t
d his k ' awn t
dove
d ' owv
d ' ahv
duplicate
d ' uwp l ixk eyt
d ' uwp lixk axt
elaborate
axl ' aeb rraxt
axl ' aeb rreyt
estimate
' ehs tix m eyt
' ehs tix m axt
excerpt
'ehksrrpt
ehks'rrpt
excuse
ixk s k ` yuz
eh k s k  'yus
expatriate
ehk s p ' yet riy axt 
ehk s p ' ey t riieyt
exploit
ixk s p l ' oyt
' ehk s p loy t
export
ehk s p ' ort
'ehk s por t
extract
ehk s t r ' aek t
'eh k s t raek t
ferment
frr m ' ehn t
f ' rrm eh n t
frequent
f r ' iyk wix n t
f riy k w ' eyn t
geminate
jh ' ehm ixn axt
jh ' ehm ixn eyt
graduate
g r ' aejhuweyt
g r ' aejhuwaxt

Table 4-15 Homograph Phonetics - (I-L)
Spelling
Primary
Alternate
impact
' ihm paek t
ixm p ' aek t
implant
ihm p l ' aen t
' ihm p l aen t
import
' ihm p ort
ihm p ' ort
imprint
' ihm p r ihnt
ihm p r ' ihn t
incense
ixn s ' ehn s
' ihn s ehn s
incline
ixn k l ' ayn
' ihn k l ayn
increase
ihn k r ' iys
' ihn k r iys
insert
ihn s ' rrt
' ihn s rrt
insult
ihn s ' ahl t
' ihn s axl t
interchange
' ihn t rr ch eyn jh
ihn t rr ch ' eyn jh
intimate
' ihn t axm axt
' ihn t axm eyt
invalid
ixn v ' ael ixd
' ihn v axl ixd
just
jh ixs t
jh ' ahs t
lead
l ' iyd
l ' ehd
live
l ' ihv
l ' ayv

Table 4-16 Homograph Phonetics - (M-P)
Spelling
Primary
Alternate
minute
m ' ih nix t
may n ' uwt
miscount
m ' ihs kaw n t
mih s k ' awn t
misprint
m ' ihs p r in t
mih s pr ' int
misuse
mix s ' yuz
mix s ' yus
moderate
m ' aad rraxt
m ' aad rreyt
object
' aa b jheht
ax b jh ' ehkt
overrun
'ow v rr rahn
ow v r rr'ahn
perfect
p ' rr f ixk t
prrf ' ehk t
permit
prr m ' iht
p ' rr miht
pervert
p rrv ' rrt
p ' rrv rrt
polish
p ' aal hish
p ' owl ixsh
postulate
p ' aas cheleyt
p ' aas chelaxt
predicate
p r ' ehd ixk eyt
p r ' ehd ixk axt
predominate
p r ixd ' aam ixn eyt 
p r ixd ' aam ixn axt
present
p riy z ' ehn t
p r ' ehz axn t
proceed
p r axs ' iyd
p r ' ows iyd
produce
p r axd ' uws
p r ' aad uws
progress
p r ' aag r ehs
p rax g r ' eh s
project
p r ' aajh ehk t
p r axjh ' ehk t
protest
p r ' owt ehs t
p r owt ' ehs t

Table 4-17 Homograph Phonetics - (R)
Spelling
Primary
Alternate
read
r ' iyd
r ' ehd
reading
r ' iyd ixnx
r ' ehd ixnx
rebel
r ' ehb el
rix b ' ehl
recall
rix k ' aol
r ' iyk aol
recap
riy k ' aep
r ' iyk aep
recess
r ' iys ehs
r iys ' ehs
record
r ' ehk rrd
r ixk ' ord
recount
r iyk ' awn t
r ' iyk awn t
refill
r ' iyf ihl
r iyf ' ihl
refresh
r iyf r ' ehsh
r ' iyf r ehsh
refund
r iyf ' ahn d
r ' iyf ahn d 
refuse
r ixf ' yuz
r ' ehf yus
reject
rixjh'ehkt
r'iyjhehkt
relapse
r ' iyl aep s
r ixl ' aep s
relay
r ' iyl ey
r ixl ' ey
remake
r ' iym eyk
r iym ' eyk
rerun
r ' iy * rahn
r iy * r ' ahn
research
r ' iys rrch
r iys ' rrch
resume
r iy | z ' uwm
r ' ehz axm ey
retake
r iyt ' eyk
r ' iyt eyk
rewrite
r iy r ' ayt
r ' iy * r ayt
Table 4-18 Homograph Phonetics - (S-W)
Spelling
Primary
Alternate
segment
s ' ehg m ixn t
s ehg m ' ehn t
separate
s ' ehp axr eyt
s ' ehp axr axt
sow
s 'ow
s 'aw
subject
s ' ahb jhehk t
s axb jh ' ehk t
sublet
s axb l ' eht
s axb l ' eht
subordinate
s axb ' ord enaxt
s axb ' ord eneyt
survey
s ' rr vey
s rr v ' ey
suspect
s ' ahs peh k t
s ax s p ' eh k t
syndicate
s ' ihn dix kix t
s ' ihn dix key t
tear
t ' er
t ' ir
torment
t orm ' ehn t
t ' orm ehn t
transform
t r aen s f ' orm
t r ' aen s f orm
transplant
t r aen s p l ' aen t
t r ' aen s p l aen t
transport
t r aen s p ' ort
t r ' aen s p ort
upset
axp s ' eht
' ah p she t
use
y ' uwz
y ' uws
wind
w ' ihn d
w ' ayn d
wound
w ' awn d
w ' uwn d

 
Supported SAPI Functions (Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000 Only)
Table 4-19 shows the Microsoft Speech API (SAPI) functions that DECtalk Software supports for Windows systems. See the Microsoft documentation and the Microsoft web site for more information on the SAPI functions. 
Table 4-19 Supported Functions of the Microsoft Speech API
SAPI Interface
Supported Functions
Functions With 
Limited Support
Unsupported Functions
ITTSAttributes
* SpeedGet
* SpeedSet
* VolumeGet
* VolumeSet
* PitchGet
* PitchSet
* RealtimeGet (always returns 1)
* RealTimeSet (always returns 1)

ITTSBufNotifySink
* TextDataStart
* TextDataDone
* BookMarks
* WordPosition


ITTSCentral
* AudioPause
* AudioReset
* AudioResume
* ModeGet
* PosnGet
* TextData
  \com=string\
  \emp\
  \mrk=number\
  \pau=number\
  \pit=number\
  \rst\
  \spd=number\
  \vol=number\
  \prn=string=string\
* Register
* Unregister
* Inject
* ToFileTime

* TextData
\chr=string[[,string...]]\
\ctx=string\
\eng[[;GUID]]:command\
\pro=number\
\prt=string\
\vce=charact=value
  [[,charact=value...]]\

* Phoneme
ITTSDialogs
All functions


ITTSEnum
All functions


ITTSFind
None

All functions
IlexPronounce
None

All functions
ITTSNotifySink
* AudioStart
* AudioStop
AttribChanged

Iaudio
All functions


IaudioDest
All functions


IaudioDestNotify
All functions


IaudioSourceNotifySink
None

All functions


SAPI Notes
* DECtalk Software for Windows CE does not support SAPI functions.
* SAPI tags embedded within a word (for example, th\mrk=1\is) are not supported. DECtalk does not hang, but it splits the word apart.
* The DECtalk SAPI interfaces return status indicating support for VolumeSet and VolumeGet. However, if the underlying audio-file destination object passed to the synthesizer does not support the LevelSet and LevelGet functions, DECtalk returns the status for handling a VolumeSet or VolumeGet call. The standard audio-file destination object returns E_NOTIMPL in this case.
* Both the ANSI and the UNICODE versions are supported, where applicable, unless otherwise noted in this table.
* Only the UNICODE version of TextData with CHARSET_IPAPHONETIC is supported.
* All dialog boxes that SAPI defines use English, even if the DECtalk synthesizer is running in another language, such as German.
* Beginning with SAPI Version 5, you can use DECtalk Software inline commands in SAPI text buffers. However, the inline commands are not supported and are ignored in pre-Version 5 SAPI text buffers.

 Supported SAPI Version 5 Features (Windows 98/ME/NT/2000 Only)
Table 4-20 shows the Microsoft Speech API (SAPI) Version 5 features that DECtalk Software supports for Windows systems. See the Microsoft documentation and the Microsoft web site for more information on the SAPI Version 5 features.
Table 4-20 Supported Features of the Microsoft Speech API, Version 5
SAPI Version 5 Feature
Supported Functions
ISpTTSEngine
* Speak
* Skip
* GetOutputFormat
* SetRate
* SetVolume
Eventing
SAPI V5 required events
TTS XML Markup
* Bookmark
* Silence
* Spell
* Pronounce
* Rate
* Volume
* Pitch
Real Time Rate/Volume
* Real time rate change (takes effect at the beginning of the next clause)
* Real time volume change
Audio State Tests
* Purge Before Speak
* Speak Pause Stop
* Speak Destroy
Lexicon Tests
* User lexicon test
* Application lexicon test
Multiple Instance Tests
* Multiple instance test
* Multiple instance with shared voice test
Emph
All functions
Phoneme & Viseme Events
All functions
PartOfSp
All functions

SAPI V5 Notes
* DECtalk Software for Windows currently supports SAPI Version 5 functions for Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, and Windows 2000; not for Windows 95 or Windows CE.
* SAPI Version 5 support currently is for U.S. English only.
* The Context feature currently is not supported. DECtalk accepts the context tags but does not use them.
* Beginning with SAPI Version 5, you can use DECtalk Software inline commands in SAPI text buffers. For example, you can access a command such as [:tone 500 300] using an XML tag such as <dectalk tone 500 300>.
* You can use DECtalk Software phonemes in SAPI text buffers.  For example: <dectalk phon arpa on][hx' ehl ow][:phon arpa off>. With DECtalk's unified phoneme set, you can specify phonemes from different languages within the context of your current language.


Chapter 5 - 
Customizing a DECtalk Software Voice

The DECtalk Software built-in voices provide an adequate selection for most applications. However, if you have a special application requiring a monotone or unusual voice, you can use the Design Voice command to modify the options provided in this section to design your own voice. For information on all other commands, refer to Chapters 2 and 3.
Topics Include:
* Design Voice Command [:dv]
* Definitions of DECtalk Software Voices
* Changing Gender and Head Size
* Changing Voice Quality
* Changing Pitch and Intonation
* Changing Relative Gains and Avoiding Overloads
* Saving Changes as Val's Voice
* Summary of Design Voice Options

 Design Voice [:dv]
The nine built-in voices of DECtalk Software are distinguished from one another by a large set of speaker-definition options. Note that there is a tenth voice, called Val. Val is initialized with the same voice as Paul, but can be used to save voice changes. Unlike the nine built-in voices that can be modified but not saved, Val can be used to store voice changes during a DECtalk Software session.
DECtalk Software supports many speaker-definition options that can be modified. However, please be aware that approximating all the variations that can characterize a speaker -- sex, age, head size and shape, larynx size and behavior, pitch range, pitch and timing habits, dialect, and emotional state - can be very time-consuming
The Design Voice [:dv] command introduces the speaker-definition options and parameters that can be entered as a string or one at a time.
The following sections discuss speech production, acoustics, and perception. Some of the information is relatively technical, but the examples should make it possible for all developers to modify any option effectively and listen to the results.
Table 5-1 [:dv] Command Options
SYNTAX:
[:dv XX YY]
OPTIONS:
ap
Average pitch, in Hz

as
Assertiveness, in %

b4
Fourth formant bandwidth, in Hz

b5
Fifth formant bandwidth, in Hz

bf
Baseline fall, in Hz

br
Breathiness, in decibels (dB)

f4
Fourth formant resonance frequency, in Hz

f5
Fifth formant resonance frequency, in Hz

g1
Gain of cascade formant resonator 1, in dB

g2
Gain of cascade formant resonator 2, in dB

g3
Gain of cascade formant resonator 3, in dB

g4
Gain of cascade formant resonator 4, in dB

g5
Loudness of the voice, in dB

gf
Gain of frication source, in dB

gh
Gain of aspiration source, in dB

gn
Gain of nasalization, in dB

gv
Gain of voicing source, in dB

hr
Hat rise, in Hz

hs
Head size, in %

la
Laryngealization, in %

lx
Lax breathiness, in %

nf
Number of fixed samples of open glottis

pr
Pitch range, in %

qu
Quickness, in %

ri
Richness, in %

sm
Smoothness, in %

sr
Stress rise, in Hz

sx
Sex 1 (male) or 0 (female)

save
Save the current speaker-definition options as Val's voice.
PARAMETERS:
See the individual options for detailed information about valid parameter values


EXAMPLES:
[:np][:dv ap 100] Change Paul's average pitch to be 100.
 Definitions of DECtalk Software Voices
Table 5-2 Speaker Definitions for All DECtalk Software Voices
Param
Paul
Harry
Frank
Dennis
Betty
Ursula
Wendy
Rita
Kit
ap
122
89
155
110
208
240
200
106
306
as
100
100
65
100
35
100
50
65
65
b4
260
200
280
240
260
260
400
250
2048
b5
330
240
300
280
2048
2048
2048
2048
2048
bf
18
9
9
9
0
8
0
0
0
br
0
0
50
38
0
0
55
46
47
f4
3300
3300
3650
3200
4450
4450
4500
4000
2500
f5
3650
3850
4200
3600
2500
2500
2500
2500
2500
g1
68
71
63
75
69
67
69
69
69
g2
60
60
58
60
65
65
62
72
69
g3
48
52
56
52
50
51
53
48
52
g4
64
62
66
61
56
58
55
54
50
g5
86
81
86
84
81
80
83
83
73
gf
70
70
68
68
72
70
70
72
72
gh
70
70
68
68
70
70
68
70
70
gn
74
73
75
76
72
80
75
73
71
gv
65
65
63
63
65
65
51
65
65
hr
18
20
20
20
14
20
20
20
20
hs
100
115
90
105
100
95
100
95
80
la
0
0
5
0
0
0
0
4
0
lx
0
0
50
70
80
50
80
0
75
nf
0
10
0
10
0
10
10
0
0
pr
100
80
90
135
240
135
175
80
210
qu
40
10
0
50
55
30
10
30
50
ri
70
86
40
0
40
100
0
20
40
sm
3
12
46
100
4
60
100
24
5
sr
32
30
22
22
20
32
22
32
22
sx
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
 Changing Gender and Head Size
Six speaker-definition options control the size and shape of the head. These options are listed in Table 5-3.
Table 5-3 Head Size and Shape Options
sx
Sex 1 (male) or 0 (female)
hs
Head size, in %
f4
Fourth formant resonance frequency, in Hz
f5
Fifth formant resonance frequency, in Hz
b4
Fourth formant bandwidth, in Hz
b5
Fifth formant bandwidth, in Hz


 Sex, sx
Male and female voices differ in many ways, including head size, pharynx length, larynx mass, and speaking habits such as degree of breathiness, liveliness of pitch, choice of articulatory target values, and speed of articulation. Some of these differences are under the control of a single option, sx, the sex of the speaker. Speakers Paul, Harry, Frank, and Dennis are male (sx = 1), while speakers Betty, Rita, Ursula, Wendy, and Kit are female (sx = 0). Actually, Kit can be male or female because children of both sexes younger than 10 years old have similar voices.
Changing the Sex (sx) option causes DECtalk Software to access a different (male or female) table of target values for formant frequencies, bandwidths, and source amplitudes. The male and female tables are patterned after two individuals who were judged to have pleasant, intelligible voices. The built-in voices of DECtalk Software are simply scaled transformations of Paul and Betty, the two basic voices.
You can change the sex of any DECtalk Software voice by making the voice current and then modifying the sx option. For example, the following command gives Paul some of the speaking characteristics of a woman. (The sx option does not change the average pitch or breathiness, so a peculiar combination of simultaneous male and female traits results from this sx change.)
[:np][:dv sx 0] Am I a man or woman?
The sx option can also be specified as m or f with the commands [:dv sx m] or [:dv sx f].
Note
If you change the sex of the voice, some phonemes might cause DECtalk Software's filters to overload, producing a squawk. The modification of certain options such as f4, f5, and g1 can help to correct this problem.
 Head Size, hs
The Head size (hs) option  is specified as the average size for an adult man (if sx = 1) or an adult woman (if sx = 0). A head size of 100% is normal or average for a given sex, but people can differ significantly in this characteristic. Head size has a strong influence on a person's voice. Large musical instruments produce low notes, and humans with large heads tend to have low, resonant voices. For example, to make Paul sound like a larger man with a 15% longer vocal tract (and formant frequencies that are scaled down by a factor of about 0.85%), use the following command:
[:np][:dv hs 115] Do I sound more like huge Harry this way?
Head size is one of the best variables to use if you want to make dramatic voice changes. For example, Paul has a head size of 100, while Harry's deep voice is caused in part by a head-size change to 115, or 15% greater than normal. Decreasing head size produces a higher voice, such as in a child or adolescent. Extreme changes in head size, as in the following examples, are somewhat difficult to understand.
[:nh][:dv hs 135] Do I have a swelled head?
[:nk] I am about 10 years old.
[:nk][:dv hs 65] Do I sound like a six year old? 
Note
Extreme changes in head size can cause overloads, as well as difficulties in understanding the speech. The modification of certain options such as f4, f5, and g1 can help to correct this problem.
 Higher Formants, f4, f5, b4, and b5
A male voice typically has five prominent resonant peaks in the spectrum (over the range from 0 to 5 kHz), a female voice typically has only four (because of a smaller head size), and a child has three. If fourth and fifth formant resonances exist for a specific voice, they are fixed in frequency and bandwidth characteristics. These characteristics are specified in Hz by the options f4, f5, b4, and b5. 
If a higher formant does not exist, the frequency and bandwidth of the speaker definition are set to special values that cause the resonance to disappear. To make a resonance disappear, the frequency is set to above 5500 Hz and the bandwidth is set to 5500 Hz. (This disables the formant filter.) This is what has been done to the fourth and fifth formants for Kit.
The permitted values for the f4 and f5 options have fairly complicated restrictions. Violating these restrictions can cause overloads and squawks. The following restrictions apply to cases where a higher formant exists:
* The f5 option must be at least 300 Hz higher than f4.
* If sx is 1 (male), f4 must be at least 3250 Hz.
* If sx is 0 (female), f4 must be at least 3700 Hz.
* If hs is not 100, the preceding values should be multiplied by (hs / 100).
These higher formants produce peaks in the spectrum that become more prominent if the b4 and b5 options are smaller, and if the f4 and f5 options are closer together. The limits placed on the b4 and b5 options should ensure that no problems occur. However, smaller values for bandwidths may produce an overload in the synthesizer. You can correct these overloads by increasing the bandwidths or by changing the gain control, g1.
 Changing Voice Quality
Six speaker-definition options control aspects of the output of the larynx, which, in turn, control voice quality. These options are listed in Table 5-4.
Table 5-4 Voice Quality Options
br
Breathiness, in decibels (dB)
lx
Lax breathiness, in %
sm
Smoothness, in %
ri
Richness, in %
nf
Number of fixed samples of open glottis
la
Laryngealization, in %

 Breathiness, br
Some voices can be characterized as breathy. The vocal folds vibrate to generate voicing and breath noise simultaneously. Breathiness is a characteristic of many female voices, but it is also common under certain circumstances for male voices.
The range of the Breathiness (br) option is from 0 dB (no breathiness) to 70 dB (strong breathiness). By experimenting, you can learn what intermediate values sound like. For example, to turn Paul into a breathy, whispering speaker, use the following commands:
[:np][:dv br 55 gv 56] Do I sound more like Dennis now?
This voice is not as loud as the others, because of the simultaneous decrease in the gain of voicing, gv, but it is intelligible and human sounding.
 Lax Breathiness, lx
The br option creates simultaneous breathiness whenever voicing is turned on. Another type of breathiness occurs only at the ends of sentences and when going from voiced to voiceless sounds. This type of breathiness is controlled by the Lax breathiness (lx) option in percentage values.
A nonbreathy, tense voice would have the lx option set to 0, while a maximally breathy, lax voice would be set to 100. The difference between these two voices is not great, but you can hear it if you listen closely.
 Smoothness, sm
The Smoothness (sm) option refers to vocal fold vibrations. The vocal folds meet at the midline, as they do in normal voicing, but they do not slam together forcefully to create a very sudden cessation of airflow.
DECtalk Software uses a variable-cutoff, gradual low-pass filter to model changes to smoothness. The range of sm is from 0% (least smooth and most brilliant) to 100% (most smooth and least brilliant). The voicing source spectrum is tilted so that energy at higher frequencies is attenuated by as much as 30 dB when smoothness is set to the maximum but is not attenuated at all when smoothness is set to 0.
Professional singing voices that are trained to sing above an orchestra are usually brilliant, while anyone who talks softly becomes breathy and smooth. To synthesize a breathy voice, having the sm option set to 50 or more is good. Changes to smoothness do not have a great effect on perceived voice quality.
 Richness, ri
The Richness (ri) option is similar to smoothness and brilliance except that the spectral change occurs at lower frequencies.  The spectral change difference is because of a different physiological mechanism. Brilliant, rich voices carry well and are more intelligible in noisy environments, while smooth, soft voices sound more friendly. For example, the following command produces a soft, smooth version of Paul's voice:
[:np][:dv ri 0 sm 70] Do I sound more mellow?
The following command produces a maximally rich and brilliant (forceful) voice:
[:np][:dv ri 90 sm 0] Do I sound more forceful? 
Smoothness and richness are usually negatively correlated when a speaker dynamically changes laryngeal output. The sm and ri options do not influence the speaker's identity very much.
 Nopen Fixed, nf
The number of samples in the open part of the glottal cycle is determined not only by the ri option, but also by a second option, nf. The Nopen Fixed (nf) option is the number of fixed samples in the open portion of the glottal cycle.
Most speakers adjust the open phase to be a certain fraction of the period, and this fraction is determined by the ri option. Other speakers keep the open phase fixed in duration when the overall period varies. To simulate this behavior, set the ri option to 100 and adjust the nf option to the desired duration of the open phase. The shortest possible open phase is 10 (1 ms), and the longest is three quarters of the period duration (about 70 for a male voice).
 Laryngealization, la
Many speakers turn voicing on and off irregularly at the beginnings and ends of sentences, which gives a querulous tone to the voice. This departure from perfect periodicity is called laryngealization or creaky voice quality.
The Laryngealization (la) option controls the amount of laryngealization, in the voice. A value of 0 results in no laryngealized irregularity, and a value of 100 (the maximum) produces laryngealization at all times. For example, to make Betty moderately laryngealized, type the following command:
[:nb][:dv la 20]
The la option creates a noticeable difference in the voice, although it is not altogether a pleasant change.
 Changing Pitch and Intonation
Seven speaker-definition options control aspects of the fundamental frequency (f0) contour of the voice. These options are listed in Table 5-5.
Table 5-5 Fundamental Frequency Contour Options
bf
Baseline fall, in Hz
hr
Hat rise, in Hz
sr
Stress rise, in Hz
as
Assertiveness, in %
qu
Quickness, in %
ap
Average pitch, in Hz
pr
Pitch range, in %

 Baseline Fall, bf
The Baseline fall (bf ) option in Hz determines one aspect of the dynamic fundamental frequency contour for a sentence. If the bf option is 0, the reference baseline fundamental frequency of a sentence begin and ends at 115 Hz. All rule-governed dynamic swings in f0 are computed with respect to the reference baseline.
Some speakers begin a sentence at a higher f0 and gradually fall as the sentence progresses. This falling baseline behavior can be simulated by setting the bf option to the desired fall in Hz. For example, setting the bf option to 20 Hz causes the f0 pattern for a sentence to begin at 125 Hz (115 Hz plus half of bf) and to fall at a rate of 16 Hz per second until it reaches 105 Hz (115 Hz minus half of bf). The baseline remains at this lower value until it is reset automatically before the beginning of the next full sentence (right after a period, question mark, or exclamation point). The rate of fall (16 Hz per second) is fixed, regardless of the extent of the fall.
Whenever you include a [ + ] syntactic symbol in the text to indicate the beginning of a paragraph, the baseline is automatically set to begin slightly higher for the first sentence of the paragraph. While baseline fall differs among speakers, it is not a good cue for differentiating among them. As long as the fall is not excessive, its presence or absence is hardly noticeable. See Chapter 4 for a complete list of symbols.
 Hat Rise, hr
The  Hat rise (hr) option (nominal hat rises in Hz) and sr option (nominal stress impulse rises in Hz) determine aspects of the dynamic fundamental frequency contour for a sentence. To modify these values selectively, you should understand how the f0 contour is computed as a function of lexical stress pattern and syntactic structure of the sentence.
A sentence is first analyzed and broken into clauses with punctuation and clause-introducing words to determine the locations of clause boundaries. Within each clause, the f0 contour rises on the first stressed syllable, stays at a high level for the remainder of the clause up to the last stressed syllable, and falls dramatically on the last stressed syllable. This rise-at-the-beginning and fall-at-the-end pattern has been called the hat pattern by linguists, using the analogy of jumping from the brim of a hat to the top of the hat and back down again.
The hr option indicates the nominal height, in Hz of a pitch rise to a plateau on the first stress of a phrase. A corresponding pitch fall is placed by rule on the last stress of the phrase. Some speakers use relatively large hat rises and falls, while others use a local impulse-like rise and fall on each stressed syllable. The default hr option value for Paul is 18 Hz, indicating that the f0 contour rises a nominal 18 Hz when going from the brim to the top of the hat. To simulate a speaker who does not use hat rises and falls, use the command:
[:dv hr 0]
Other aspects of the hat pattern are important for natural intonation but are not accessible by speaker-definition commands. For example, the hat fall becomes a weaker fall followed by a slight continuation rise if the clause is to be succeeded by more clauses in the same sentence. Also, if unstressed syllables follow the last stressed syllable in a clause, part of the hat fall occurs on the very last (unstressed) syllable of the clause. If the clause is long, DECtalk Software may break it into two hat patterns by finding the boundary between the noun phrase and the verb phrase.
If DECtalk Software is in phoneme input mode and you use the pitch rise [ / ] and pitch fall [ \ ] symbols, the hr option determines the actual rise and fall in Hz. See Chapter 4 for a complete list of symbols.
 Stress Rise, sr
The  Stress rise (sr) option indicates the nominal height, in Hz, of a local pitch rise and fall on each stressed syllable. This rise-fall is added to any hat rise or fall that is also present. For example, Paul has the sr option set to 32 Hz, resulting in an f0 rise-fall gesture of 32 Hz over a span of about 150 ms, which is located on the first and succeeding stressed syllables. However, DECtalk Software rules reduce the actual height of successive stress rises and falls in each clause and cause the last stress pulse to occur early so that there is time for the hat fall during the vowel.
If the sr option is set too low, the speech sounds monotone within long phrases. Great changes to the hr and sr options from their default values for each speaker are not necessary or desirable, except in unusual circumstances.
 Assertiveness, as
The Assertiveness (as) option, in %, indicates the degree to which the voice tends to end statements with a conclusive final fall.  Assertive voices have a dramatic fall in pitch at the end of utterances. Neutral or meek speakers often end a sentence with a slight questioning rise in pitch to deflect any challenges to their assertions. A value of 100 is very assertive, while a value of 0 is extremely meek.
 Quickness, qu
The Quickness (qu) option, in percentage, controls the speed of response to a request to change the pitch. All hat rises, hat falls, and stress rises can be thought of as suddenly applied commands to change the pitch, but the larynx is sluggish and responds only gradually to each command. A smaller larynx typically responds more quickly, so while Harry has a quickness value of 10, Kit has a value of 50.
In engineering terms, a value of 10 implies a time constant (time to get to 70% of a suddenly applied step target) of about 100 ms. A value of 90% corresponds to a time constant of about 50 ms. Lower quickness values may mean that the f0 never reaches the target value before a new command comes along to change the target.
 Average Pitch, ap, and Pitch Range, pr
The Average pitch (ap) option (average pitch, in Hz) and the pitch range (pr) option (pitch ranges in % of normal range) modify the computed values of fundamental frequency, f0, according to the formula:
f0' = ap + (((f0 - 120) * pr) / 100)
If the ap option is set to 120 Hz and the pr option to 100%, there is no change to the normal f0 contour that is computed for a typical male voice. The effect of a change in the ap option is simply to raise or lower the entire pitch contour independently by a constant number of Hz, whereas the effect of the pr option is to expand or contract the swings in pitch about 120 Hz.
Normally, a smaller larynx simultaneously produces f0 values that are higher in average pitch and higher in pitch range by about the same factor (the whole f0 contour is multiplied by a constant factor). Observing the values assigned to the ap and pr options for each of the voices, you can see that the voices rank in average pitch from low (Harry) to high (Kit). 
Rankings for the pr option are similar, except that Frank has a flat, nonexpressive pitch range as compared with his average pitch.
The best way to determine a good pitch range for a new voice is by trial and error. You can create a monotone or robot-like voice by setting the pitch range to 0. For example, to make Harry speak in a monotone at exactly 90 Hz, type the following command.
[:nh][:dv ap 90 pr 0] I am a robot.
Reducing the pitch range reduces the dynamics of the voice, producing emotions such as sadness in the speaker. Increasing the pitch range while leaving the average pitch the same or setting it slightly higher suggests excitement.
Due to constraints involved in pitch-synchronous updating of other dynamically changing options, the fundamental frequency contour that is computed by the preceding formula is then checked for values that are outside the following limits.
f0 maximum = 500 Hz
f0 minimum = 50 Hz
Any value outside this range is limited to fall within the range.
To keep you from exceeding reasonable limits on the options that control pitch, certain constraints apply to the values selected. If the Design Voice command specifies values outside these limits, the value is limited to the nearest listed value before execution.
 Changing Relative Gains and Avoiding Overloads
Eight speaker-definition options control the output levels of various internal resonators. These options are listed in Table 5-6.
Table 5-6 Internal Resonator Options
gv
Gain of voicing source, in dB
gh
Gain of aspiration source, in dB
gf
Gain of frication source, in dB
gn
Gain of nasalization, in dB
g1
Gain of cascade formant resonator 1, in dB
g2
Gain of cascade formant resonator 2, in dB
g3
Gain of cascade formant resonator 3, in dB
g4
Gain of cascade formant resonator 4, in dB
g5
Loudness of the voice, in dB

 Loudness, g5
The Loudness of the voice (g5) option is set to about the same perceived loudness for each of the predefined voices. The values chosen are optimal for telephone conversation and are near the maximum value beyond which some phonemes would probably cause an overload squawk. A near-maximum value was selected for each predefined voice to maximize the signal-to-noise level of DECtalk Software.
If you want to decrease the loudness of a voice or temporarily increase a phrase that is known not to overload, determine the g5 option value in dB for the voice in question. Then adjust the voice by using the following command:
[:np][:dv g5 76] I am speaking at about half my normal level.
Because the g5 option value for Paul is 86, this command reduces loudness by 10 dB. Perceived loudness approximately doubles (or halves) for each 10 dB increment (or decrement) in the g5 option.
Software control over loudness is useful in a loudspeaker application where the background noise level in the room might change. For example, a vocally handicapped, wheelchair-bound person does not want to appear to be shouting in a quiet interpersonal conversation, but he or she may want to be able to converse in a noisy room as well.
Note
DECtalk Software comes with volume control so that modification of the g5 option should not be necessary. Using the Volume command or the volume control knob on the external loudspeaker is recommended. 
 Sound Source Gains, gv, gh, gf, and gn
Several types of sound sources are activated during speech production: voicing, aspiration, frication, and nasalization. The relative output levels of these sounds, in dB, are determined by the Gain of voicing source (gv) option, the Gain of aspiration source (gh) option,  the Gain of frication source (gf) option,  and the Gain of nasalization (gn) option,  respectively. The default settings for these options are factory preset to maximize the intelligibility of each voice. However, changing the settings can be useful in debugging the system or in demonstrating aspects of the acoustic theory of speech production. You can change the level of one sound source globally.  For example, turn off frication to hear just the output of the larynx. You might need to reduce these options to overcome certain kinds of overloads, but try the procedure described in the next section first.
 Cascade Vocal Tract Gains, g1, g2, g3, and g4
Changes in head size or other options can sometimes produce overloads in the synthesizer circuits. If this occurs, make sure that the f4 and f5 options are set to reasonable values. If the squawk remains, you can adjust several gain controls in the cascade of formant resonators of the synthesizer to attenuate the signal at critical points.  These gain controls are the Gain of cascade formant resonator (g1 through g4) options. These gains can then be amplified back to desired output levels later in the synthesis.
Use the following procedure to correct an overload (typically indicated by a squawk during part of a word):
1. Synthesize the word or phrase several times to make sure the squawk occurs consistently. Use the same test word each time a change to a gain is made.
2. Determine the default values for the g1 through g4 options for the speaker that overloads.
3. Reduce the g1 option by increments of three until the squawk goes away. When the squawk goes away, note the reduction that was needed. If more than a 10 dB decrement is required, some other option has probably been changed too much. If the squawk does not go away at all, then you may need to reduce the gv option instead of the g1 option.
4. Increase the g5 option to return the output to its original level. For example, if the g1 option was reduced by 6 dB, add 6 dB to the g5 option (or to the g4 option if the g5 option is already at a maximum). If incrementing the g5 option causes the squawk to return, then decrease the g5 option slowly until the squawk goes away.
This procedure works in most cases, but using the g2 option rather than the g1 option can work better. If you can return the g1 option to its factory-preset value and reduce the g2 option instead to make the squawk go away, then the signal-to-quantization-noise level in the g1 option remains maximized. If you can eliminate the squawk by using the g3 or g4 option rather than the g2 option, more of the cascaded resonator system can be made immune to quantization noise accumulation.
 Saving Changes as Val's Voice
A user can change any of the voice characteristics of the current speaker by using the options available in the Design Voice command. These changes are active only while the current speaker remains current. You can save a modified speaker definition in a buffer while synthesizing speech with other voices. To save voice changes for use after the current speaker has changed, use the save option of the Design Voice command. These voice changes are saved as the voice of Val. The Val voice [:nv] is either male or female, depending on what values are stored in the buffer. If you call Val before storing any values in the buffer, DECtalk Software initializes Val voice to be the same as that of Paul.
 Save, save
The Save (save) option of the Design Voice command lets you save speaker-definition options as Val's voice.  You can modify any of the predefined voices, but you can save the modifications only as Val's voice. The following commands store a modified Betty voice in Val and then recall the modified voice:
[:nb][:dv sx m save ] Betty now sounds like a man. Val now has this voice.
[:nb] Betty's voice is back to normal.
[:nv] Val's voice sounds like Betty as a man.
Val's voice characteristics are retained until the TextToSpeechShutdown() function is called or a new save is done. You must reenter new voice characteristics for Val after successfully issuing a startup function.
Note
If you want to use the save option, leave a space between the command option and the trailing bracket; for example, [:dv save ].
 Summary of Design Voice Options
Of the 28 options, only a few cause dramatic changes in the voice. The greatest effects are obtained with changes to the hs, ap, pr, and sx options, while moderate changes occur when modifying the la and br options. To some extent, DECtalk Software's nine predefined speakers cover most of the possible voices. However, you might easily find ways to slightly improve one of the standard voices.
Chapter 5 
Chapter 6 - 
Preprocessor Rules for Parsing

The preprocessor parses text to ensure that DECtalk Software pronounces it correctly and efficiently with respect to its context. Users can suppress the parsing action of the preprocessor with the Skip inline command or modify it with the Punctuation inline command. Three sets of rules apply to the parsing process:
* Email parsing rules
* Punctuation parsing rules
* General parsing rules
 Email Parsing Rules
When the preprocessor parses an email message, it strips out much of the mail header, saving only:
* Sent:
* Date:
* Subject:
* Subject: Re:
* From:
* To:
* Forwarded Message:
 Punctuation Parsing Rules
When the preprocessor encounters punctuation, it interprets each punctuation mark (by default) as a guide to speaking the text normally, unless you use inline commands to specify otherwise with the Punctuation command, [:punct] or the Skip command, [:skip].
 Interpreting Punctuation Marks as Words
For the [:punct all] command, the preprocessor interprets each punctuation mark as a word to be pronounced. For example, the symbol "~" is interpreted as the word "tilde," and the symbol "," is interpreted as the word "comma."
For the [:punct none], [:punct pass], and [:skip all] commands, the preprocessor interprets the following symbols normally to modify text:
* . 
* , 
* ; 
* : 
* ? 
* ! 
All other punctuation marks are ignored.
 Interpreting Punctuation Marks as Punctuation
For the [:punct some] command, the preprocessor applies the following rules:
* Multiple instances of identical punctuation marks are reduced to a single symbol. For example, --------------- becomes -, and *************** becomes *.
* Doubly encapsulated items become singly encapsulated. For example, "(intelligent)" and ((intelligent)) become (intelligent).
* Hours and minutes are not altered. For example, 2:43pm becomes 
two forty-three P M.
* Numerals and decimal numbers are not altered. For example, -3.52 becomes minus three point five two.
* Currency values are interpreted appropriately. For example, -$43,65 becomes minus forty-three dollars and sixty-five cents, and +$123.21 becomes plus one hundred and twenty-three dollars and twenty-one cents.
* Uppercase single letters followed by periods are interpreted as single letters. For example, U.S.A. becomes U S A.
* P.M. and p.m. become P M.
* Doubled clause boundary symbols are reduced to the first clause boundary. For example, boom!, becomes boom!
* Commas and hyphens not followed by spaces are changed to be followed by spaces. For example look,look becomes look, look.
 General Parsing Rules
Rules for parsing numbers and some other items vary according to the language being spoken.
 German
Language-specific rules apply to:
* Hours and minutes
* Dates
* Currency
* Phone numbers
* Compound nouns

 Spanish (Castilian and Latin American)
Language-specific rules apply to:
* Dates
* Currency
* Phone numbers
* Credit cards

 English (UK)
Language-specific rules apply to:
* Dates
* Addresses

 English (US, UK)
Language-specific rules apply to:
* Dates
* Hours and minutes
* Street, avenue, and drive
* Numbered street names; for example, 29 42 Street becomes twenty-nine forty-second street
* Phone numbers are spoken as digits, with appropriate pauses 
* Dr. becomes doctor
* St. becomes saint
* Two-letter state names are pronounced in full; for example MA 01749 becomes Massachusetts zero one seven four nine
* Postal zip codes within a mail address are spoken one digit at a time
* URL addresses are spoken one character at a time
* File names are spoken one character at a time
* In compound words, prefixes may be broken apart from the second word
* Days of the week
* Directions on the compass are spoken in full; for example 30 W becomes thirty west
* Roman numerals following a name are spoken as ordinal numbers; for example John Doe III becomes John Doe the third
* Credit card numbers are spoken appropriately; for example, 6011 4134 3621 4172 becomes six zero one one, four one three four, three six two one, four one seven two.
* In a word written with mixed uppercase and lowercase letters, each uppercase letter begins a new word; for example, TextToSpeech becomes text to speech
* Combinations of numbers and letters are broken into numbers and individual letters; for example two34five becomes T W O thirty-four F I V E; XF302QB becomes XF three hundred and two QB


Glossary
allophone
A positional or free variant of a phoneme.
applet
A small application that normally performs a very specific function and can be used with other larger applications.
arpabet
A special phonetic alphabet used to write phonemes and syllables.  
clause boundary
The natural boundary between two or more clauses in a sentence that helps the listener easily separate the sentence into its component parts. Commas, periods, exclamation points, question marks, semi-colons, and colons are symbols used to indicate clause boundaries.
clause mode
The normal mode in which DECtalk Software speaks text a phrase, clause, or sentence at a time. In clause mode, speaking starts when DECtalk Software is sent a clause terminator (period, comma, exclamation point, question mark, semi-colon, or colon) followed by a space. 
clause terminator
A symbol used to begin and terminate a clause boundary. Symbols can be periods, commas, exclamation points, question marks, semi-colons, or colons. Each of these symbols must be followed by a space.
comma pause
The pause DECtalk Software takes in speaking that is equivalent to inserting a comma in a sentence. Comma pause can be increased and decreased with the Comma Pause command.
.dic file
The loadable dictionary file created by the User Dictionary Build Tool from a .tab source file.
dynamic engine
A text-to-speech engine that accesses .lib files using dynamic link libraries (DLLs).  DLLs are software modules in Microsoft Windows operating environments that contain executable code and data that can be called and used by Windows applications or other DLLs.  Functions and data in a DLL are loaded and linked at run time when they are referenced by a Windows application or other DLLs.  DLLs can be unloaded when the code is no longer needed.
emphatic stress
The emphasis placed on a syllable of a word to give it more meaning.
falling intonation 
A decrease in voice pitch.
flush
Process by which the Text-To-Speech system discards data in the system.
heuristic
A method or rule used to decide among several courses of action. Often called a "rule of thumb." In the case of DECtalk Software, pronunciation heuristics govern the manner in which DECtalk Software pronounces words.
homograph
A pair of words that have the same spelling but which are pronounced differently, depending on which syllable is accented.  For example, the pronunciation of permit as a noun and the pronunciation of permit as a verb.
index marker (flag)
A marker placed in the text stream to synchronize an external event. An index marker is inserted with the Index Mark command.
intonation
The manner in which a voice imparts extra meaning to speech by adjusting sound duration and voice pitch. For example, the emphasis and meaning of the sentence, Bill, put in the edits. can be changed by putting stronger emphasis on the name, Bill.  Bill! Put in the edits!
letter mode
The state in which DECtalk Software speaks each letter as it is queued. In word and letter mode, DECtalk Software does not need to wait for a clause terminator to begin speaking. This command interacts with the rate selection command so that you can set both rate selection and letter mode for optimal output.
log file
A file that receives speech output samples that are written as text, phonemes, or syllables. The phonemes and syllables are written using the arpabet phoneme alphabet.
log-file mode
Log-file mode indicates that the speech samples are to be written as text, phonemes, or syllables into a log file rather than sent to an audio device. The TextToSpeechOpenLogFile() function enters the text-to-speech system into a log-file mode. The TextToSpeechCloseLogFile() function returns the text-to-speech system to the startup state.
morpheme
The minimum syntactic unit of a language that has an important role in determining pronunciations. For example, spell has only one morpheme, while misspelling is made up of three: mis, spell, and ing. 
period pause
The pause DECtalk Software inserts when it finds a period that marks the end of the sentence. This pause imitates humans taking a breath.  This pause is approximately half a second.
phoneme
The smallest unit of speech that distinguishes one word from another. Phonemes are divided into vowel and consonant phonemes. DECtalk Software interprets text within brackets as phonemes only after the phoneme arpabet command is used.
phoneme arpabet command
A command that causes all text within brackets to be treated as phonemic text.
phoneme string
Two or more phonemes together used to pronounce a special word or group of words.
phonemicize 
To encode words as strings of phonemes.
phonemic mode	
A mode that DECtalk Software uses for speaking phoneme strings.
phonemic transcription
A word written the way it is pronounced is said to be in phonemic transcription or simply in phonemics. When DECtalk Software says a word or phrase not as you intended, you might need to use phonemic transcription to get the desired pronunciation.  For example,  [r ' ehd ] is the phonemic transcription of the word read.
phrase boundary 
A clause boundary formed by terminating punctuation (comma, period, exclamation point, question mark, semi-colon, colon) followed by a space.
pitch control symbols	
Symbols used to override built-in DECtalk Software pitch control. Symbols include pitch rise [/], pitch fall [\], and pitch rise and fall [/\].
primary stress
Most content words of English (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs) contain one primary stressed syllable. The primary stress symbol in DECtalk Software is the apostrophe [ ' ].
proper name
First names, last names, street names, company names, and place names are all examples of proper names.
secondary stress
A symbol used to indicate a degree of stress that is between primary and unstressed (no stress). The secondary stress symbol is the grave accent [`].
silence phonemes
Silences of specified durations inserted into text files in the same manner as you would insert a phoneme.
speech-to-memory mode
In speech-to-memory mode, speech samples are written into memory buffers rather than sent to an audio device. The TextToSpeechAddBuffer() function supplies the text-to-speech system with the memory buffers that it needs. The TextToSpeechOpenInMemory() function causes the text-to-speech system to enter speech-to-memory mode. The TextToSpeechCloseInMemory() function returns the text-to-speech system to the startup state.
startup function
Startup function refers to either the TextToSpeechStartup() function or the TextToSpeechStartupEx() function.
startup state
Startup state indicates that the TextToSpeechStartup() function or the TextToSpeechStartupEx() function has been successfully called and the text-to-speech system is not in one of the three special modes; wave-file, log-file, or speech-to-memory mode. While DECtalk Software is in the startup state, speech samples are sent to an audio device or ignored, depending on whether the DO_NOT_USE_AUDIO_DEVICE flag is set in the dwDeviceOptions parameter of the startup function. If the text-to-speech system is in one of its special modes, the speech samples are handled accordingly.
static engine
A text-to-speech engine that accesses .lib files without using dynamic link libraries (DLLs). See also dynamic engine.
syntactic function words
A set of words that are either unstressed or have secondary stress. They include prepositions, conjunctions, determiners, auxiliary verbs, pronouns, the question mark, and clause introducers. DECtalk Software uses stress and syntactic symbols to control aspects of rhythm, stress, and intonation patterns. These symbols include punctuation marks such as commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points.
.tab file
The source file used to build a user dictionary.	
user dictionary	
The dictionary that you create for DECtalk Software to load and use with an application to control the pronunciation of specific words processed by the application.
user dictionary builder	
An applet included with DECtalk Software to build and compile user dictionaries.
voice-control command
A DECtalk Software in-line command inserted into text strings and used to control basic and special Text-To-Speech attributes, such as speaking voice and speaking rate.
WAVE file
A Microsoft standard file format for storing waveform audio data. WAVE files have a .wav file extension.
wave-file mode
Wave-file mode indicates that the speech samples are to be written to a wave file rather than sent to an audio device. The TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile() function enters the text-to-speech system into a wave-file mode. The TextToSpeechCloseWaveOutFile() function returns the text-to-speech system to the startup state.
wave form output
The digitized reproduction of a sound wave form. DECtalk Software produces wave form output from the Speak applet and the API, both of which allow you to save an ASCII text file to .wav file format. 
word boundary 
A white space character (space, tab, or carriage return) in the text that indicates a boundary between words. DECtalk Software uses word boundary symbols to select the word-beginning or word-ending allophone of a phoneme.
word mode
A text-processing mode in which DECtalk Software speaks one word at a time. A blank space or equivalent after a character or string of characters causes that string to be spoken in word mode.

Index

[ + ] syntactic symbol, 5-11
abbreviations, 2-1
Access32, 1-48
age, 5-2
aged female voice, 2-15
aged male voice, 2-15
alternate pronunciations, 2-21
ap option, 5-13
API calls
TextToSpeechAddBuffer, 1-3
TextToSpeechCloseInMemory, 1-5
TextToSpeechCloseLang, 1-6
TextToSpeechCloseWaveOutFile, 1-8
TextToSpeechEnumLangs, 1-9
TextToSpeechGetCaps, 1-10
TextToSpeechGetFeatures, 1-11
TextToSpeechGetLanguage, 1-12
TextToSpeechGetRate, 1-13
TextToSpeechGetSpeaker, 1-14
TextToSpeechGetStatus, 1-15
TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary, 1-16
TextToSpeechOpenInMemory, 1-17
TextToSpeechOpenLogFile, 1-19
TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile, 1-21
TextToSpeechPause, 1-23
TextToSpeechReset, 1-25
TextToSpeechResume, 1-27
TextToSpeechReturnBuffer, 1-28
TextToSpeechSelectLang, 1-29
TextToSpeechSetLanguage, 1-30
TextToSpeechSetRate, 1-31
TextToSpeechSetSpeaker, 1-32
TextToSpeechShutdown, 1-33
TextToSpeechSpeak, 1-34
TextToSpeechStartLang, 1-36
TextToSpeechStartup (Linux & UNIX), 1-41
TextToSpeechStartup (Windows), 1-38
TextToSpeechStartupEx, 1-44
TextToSpeechSync, 1-47
TextToSpeechTyping, 1-48
TextToSpeechUnloadUserDictionary, 1-49
TextToSpeechVersion, 1-50
TextToSpeechVersionEx, 1-51
API function calls
TextToSpeechCloseLogFile, 1-7
applet
userdict, 1-16
windict, 1-16
Application development
electronic mail, 3-2
arpabet alphabet, 1-19
as option, 5-13
aspiration, 5-16
Assertiveness (as option), 5-13
audio output, 1-23, 1-25
audio system gain, 2-29
Average pitch (ap option), 5-13
background noise level, 5-15
baseline, 5-11
Baseline fall (bf option), 5-11
bf option, 5-11
bitmask, 1-11
br option, 5-8
Breathiness (br option), 5-8
breathy, whispering speaker, 5-8
brilliance, 5-9
brilliant, rich voices, 5-9
callback routine, 1-44
Calls. See API calls
characters, 2-11
child's voice, 5-6
child's voice, 2-15
comma pause, 2-4
Comma Pause [:comma] or [:cp] command, 2-4
Comma Pause duration
control of, 3-8
command names, 2-1
commands
Comma Pause [:comma] or [:cp], 2-4
Design Voice, :dv, 2-5, 5-2
Dial Tones [:dial], 2-6
Error [:error], 2-7
Index mark [:index mark], 2-8
Log [:log], 2-9
Mode [:mode], 2-10
Name [:name], 2-15
Period Pause [:period] or [:pp], 2-16
Phoneme Interpretation [:phoneme], 2-17
Pitch [
pitch], 2-19
Play Wave Files [:play], 2-20
Pronounce [:pronounce], 2-21
Punctuation [:punct], 2-22
Rate Selection [:rate], 2-24
Say [:say], 2-25
Skip [:skip], 2-26
Sync [:sync], 2-27
Tone [:tone], 2-28
Volume [:volume], 2-29
common errors, 3-11
compatibility, 1-50
contour, 5-12
contour, limits, 5-14
correct an overload, 5-16
current buffer, 1-28
DAPI compatibility, 1-50
DECtalk
developing an application, 3-2
DECtalk calls. See API calls
DECtalk Multi-Language (ML) engine, 1-6, 1-36
DECtalk Software API calls, 1-1
DECtalk Software voices
aged female voice [:nu], 2-15
aged male voice [:nf], 2-15
child's voice [:nk], 2-15
default male voice [:np], 2-15
female voice [:nr], 2-15
full female voice [:nb], 2-15
full male voice [:nh], 2-15
male voice [:nd], 2-15
Val's voice [:nv], 2-15
whispering female voice [:nw], 2-15
DECtalk Software voices, 2-15, 5-2
deep voice, 5-6
default male voice, 2-15
default rate for DECtalk Software, 3-6
default speaking rate, 2-24, 3-6
delimiters, 2-17
Design Voice [:dv] command, 2-5, 2-15, 5-2. See also speaker-definition options
Dial Tones [:dial] command, 2-6
dialect, 5-2
dictionary
main, 1-38, 1-41
user pronunciation, 1-38, 1-41
dramatic voice changes, 5-6
duration and pitch attributes, 4-2
dwBufferLength element, 1-28
dwDeviceOptions parameter, 1-5, 1-7, 1-8
dynamic fundamental frequency contour, 5-12
email
headers, 2-12
email
parser, 3-2
parsing, 6-1
email
text, 2-12
English UK,
parsing, 6-4
English US, UK,
parsing, 6-4
Error [:error] command, 2-7
error mode, 2-7
errors, 3-11
excitement, 5-14
fastest usable rate, 3-6
features of DECtalk, 1-11
female voice, 2-15, 5-5, 5-6, 5-8
formant, 5-6
formant filter, 5-7
formant resonances, 5-6
frequencies, 4-21
frequency contour, 5-11, 5-12
frequency contour, limits, 5-14
frication, 5-16
full female voice, 2-15
full male voice, 2-15
Function calls. See API calls
fundamental frequency, 5-11, 5-13
fundamental frequency contour, 5-12
fundamental frequency contour, limits, 5-14
g1 through g4 options, 5-16
g5 option, 5-15
Gain of aspiration source (gh option), 5-16
Gain of cascade formant resonator (g1 through g4 options), 5-16
Gain of frication (gf option), 5-16
Gain of nasalization (gn option), 5-16
Gain of voicing source (gv option), 5-16
German
parsing, 6-3
gf option, 5-16
gh option, 5-16
gn option, 5-16
gv option, 5-16
Hat rise (hr option), 5-12
Head size (hs option), 5-6
head size and shape, 5-2, 5-5
headers, email, 2-12
higher voice, 5-6
homographs, 4-1, 4-23
hr option, 5-12
hs option, 5-6
Index mark [:index mark] command, 2-8
Index Mark command, 3-5
index marks, 3-5
information, version, 1-51
in-line commands, 2-1. See commands
interpretation, 2-1, 2-17
intonation and stress, 2-1
intonation patterns, 3-2
la option, 5-10
language, 1-6
Laryngealization (la option), 5-10
larynx size and behavior, 5-2
Lax breathiness (lx option), 5-8
lexical stress pattern, 5-12
Log [:log] command, 2-9
log file, 1-19, 2-9
log-file mode, 1-19
Loudness of the voice (g5 option), 5-15
loudspeaker application, 5-15
low-pass filter, 5-9
lx option, 5-8
main dictionary, 1-38, 1-41
male voice, 2-15, 5-5, 5-6, 5-8, 5-13
markers, 2-8
math equations, 3-6
ML engine, 1-6, 1-36
mode
error, 2-7
log file, 1-19
wave-file, 1-21
Mode [:mode] command, 2-10
Mode command options
Email, 2-12
Europe, 2-10
Math, 2-11
Name, 2-11
monaural volume, 2-29
monotone voice, 5-14
musical sounds, 4-21
musical tones, 4-21
Name [:name] command, 2-15
names, 2-1
nasalization, 5-16
nb voice, 2-15
ndvoice, 2-15
nf option, 5-9
nf voice, 2-15
nh voice, 2-15
nk voice, 2-15
noise level, 5-15
nonbreathy, tense voice, 5-8
Nopen Fixed (nf option), 5-9
notes, 4-21
np voice, 2-15
nr voice, 2-15
nu voice, 2-15
nv voice, 2-15
nw voice, 2-15
option names, 2-1
overload, 5-16
overload squawk, 5-15
parsing, 6-1
email, 6-1
English UK, 6-4
English US, UK, 6-4
punctuation, 6-2
rules, 6-3
Spanish, 6-3
parsing, German, 6-3
pause, 2-4
paused state, 1-21
Period Pause [:period] command, 2-16
Period Pause duration
control of, 3-8
phone numbers, 3-6
phoneme delimiters, 2-17
phoneme interpretation, 2-1, 2-17
Phoneme Interpretation [:phoneme] command, 2-17
phonemes
listed in Unicode sequence, 4-1
phonemic symbols, 4-1
phonemicizing text, 2-17
phrasing requirements, 3-2
pitch range, 5-2
Pitch [pitch] command, 2-19
pitch and timing habits, 5-2
pitch attributes, 4-2
pitch numbers, 4-21
pitch range, 5-14
Play Wave Files [:play] command, 2-20
pleasant, intelligible voices, 5-5
position markers, 2-8
pitch
range (pr option), 5-13
ppTTSbuffer, 1-28
pr option, 5-13
preprocessor, 6-1
preprocessor rules for parsing, 6-1
primary pronunciations, 2-21
prominent resonant peaks, 5-6
Pronounce [:pronounce] command, 2-21
pronunciation dictionary, 1-16
pronunciations
alternate, 2-21
primary, 2-21
punctuation
parsing, 6-2
Punctuation [:punct] command, 2-22
punctuation modes, 2-22
qu option, 5-13
queued text, 1-47
Quickness (qu option), 5-13
Rate command, 3-6
Rate Selection [:rate] command, 2-24
reference baseline, 5-11
resonant peaks, 5-6
rhythm patterns, 3-2
ri option, 5-9
rich voices, 5-9
Richness (ri option), 5-9
right bracket ( ] ), 2-1, 2-18
robot-like voice, 5-14
rules
parsing, 6-1
parsing, 6-3
sadness, 5-14
SAPI functions, 4-1
Save (save) option, 5-18
save option, 5-18
save voice changes, 5-18
Say [:say] command, 2-25
sex, 5-2
Sex (sx option), 5-5
Silence phonemes, 3-3
sing songs, 4-21
singing tones, 4-1
Skip [:skip] command, 2-26
sm option, 5-9
smooth, soft voices, 5-9
Smoothness (sm option), 5-9
smoothness and brilliance, 5-9
smoothness and richness, 5-9
soft voices, 5-9
software voices. See DECtalk Software voices
sounds, musical, 4-21
Spanish, parsing, 6-3
speaker-definition options, 2-5, 5-2, 5-5, 5-8, 5-11, 5-15
Assertiveness (as option), 5-13
Average pitch (ap option), 5-13
Baseline fall (bf option), 5-11
Breathiness (br option), 5-8
formants, 5-6
Gain of aspiration source (gh option), 5-16
Gain of cascade formant resonators (g1 through g4 options), 5-16
Gain of friction source (gf option), 5-16
Gain of nasalization (gn option), 5-16
Gain of voicing source (gv option), 5-16
Hat rise (hr option), 5-12
Head size (hs option), 5-6
Laryngealization (la option), 5-10
Lax breathiness (lx option), 5-8
Loudness of the voice (g5 option), 5-15
Nopen Fixed (nf option), 5-9
pitch range (pr option), 5-13
Quickness (qu option), 5-13
Richness (ri option), 5-9
Save (save option), 5-18
Sex (sx option), 5-5
Smoothness (sm option), 5-9
Stress rise (sr option), 5-12
speaking math equations, 3-6
speaking rate, 1-13, 1-31, 2-1, 2-24, 3-6
speaking voice, 2-1
special characters, 2-11
special phrasing requirements, 3-2
special symbols, 2-11
spectral change, 5-9
speech production, 5-16
speech samples, 1-3
speech-to-memory mode, 1-3, 1-17
spoken language and written text, 3-9
squawk, 5-15, 5-16
sr option, 5-12
startup function, 1-5, 1-7, 1-8, 2-8
startup state, 1-5
status, 1-15
stereo volume, 2-29
store speech samples, 1-3
store voice changes, 5-2
stress and syntactic symbols, 3-2, 4-1
stress pattern, 5-12
stress patterns, 3-2
Stress rise (sr option), 5-12
stress symbols, 4-2, 4-16
supported SAPI functions, 4-1
sx option, 5-5
symbols, 2-11, 4-16
Sync [:sync] command, 2-27
syntactic structure, 5-12
syntactic symbols, 3-2, 4-1, 4-16
synthesizer, 2-1
system parameters, 1-15
system resources, 1-33
telephone conversation, 5-15
tense voice, 5-8
text tuning, 3-9
TextToSpeechAddBuffer, 1-3
TextToSpeechCloseInMemory, 1-5
TextToSpeechCloseLang, 1-6
TextToSpeechCloseLogFile, 1-7
TextToSpeechCloseWaveOutFile, 1-8
TextToSpeechEnumLangs, 1-9
TextToSpeechGetCaps, 1-10
TextToSpeechGetFeatures, 1-11
TextToSpeechGetLanguage, 1-12
TextToSpeechGetRate, 1-13
TextToSpeechGetSpeaker, 1-14
TextToSpeechGetStatus, 1-15
TextToSpeechLoadUserDictionary, 1-16
TextToSpeechOpenInMemory, 1-17
TextToSpeechOpenLogFile, 1-19
TextToSpeechOpenWaveOutFile, 1-21
TextToSpeechPause, 1-23
TextToSpeechReset, 1-25
TextToSpeechResume, 1-27
TextToSpeechReturnBuffer, 1-28
TextToSpeechSelectLang, 1-29
TextToSpeechSetLanguage, 1-30
TextToSpeechSetRate, 1-31
TextToSpeechSetSpeaker, 1-32
TextToSpeechShutdown, 1-33
TextToSpeechSpeak, 1-34
TextToSpeechStartLang, 1-36
TextToSpeechStartup (Linux & UNIX), 1-41
TextToSpeechStartup (Windows), 1-38
TextToSpeechStartupEx, 1-44
TextToSpeechSync, 1-47
TextToSpeechTyping, 1-48
TextToSpeechUnloadUserDictionary, 1-49
TextToSpeechVersion, 1-50
TextToSpeechVersionEx, 1-51
timing habits, 5-2
Tone [:tone] command, 2-28
tones, 2-6, 2-28, 4-21
TTS_BUFFER_T structure, 1-28
TTS_CAPS_T structure, 1-10
TTS_MSG_BUFFER, 3-5
TTS_MSG_INDEX_MARK, 3-5
typical male voice, 5-13
user dictionary, 1-49
user pronunciation dictionary, 1-38, 1-41
user-defined pronunciation dictionary, 1-16
userdict applet, 1-16
Val, 5-2, 5-18
Val's voice, 2-15
valid licenses, 1-44
version information, 1-51
vocal fold vibrations, 5-9
voice changes, 5-2, 5-18
voice contour, 5-11
voice quality, 5-8
voices, 5-5. See DECtalk Software voices
breathy, 5-8
brilliant, rich, 5-9
child, 5-6
female, 5-5, 5-6
male, 5-5, 5-6
monotone, 5-14
nonbreathy, 5-8
DECtalk, 5-2
pleasant, intelligible, 5-5
robot-like, 5-14
smooth, soft, 5-9
tense, 5-8
whispering, 5-8
voice-selection, 3-11
voicing, 5-16
Volume command, 2-29
Volume command, 5-16
option
Down, 2-29
Set, 2-29
Up, 2-29
volume control, 2-29
volume control knob, 5-16
volume settings, 2-29
wave file, 1-8, 2-20
wave output device, 1-44
WAVE_MAPPER, 1-44
wave-file mode, 1-21
whispering female voice, 2-15
whispering speaker, 5-8
windict applet, 1-16


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