Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ncar!gatech!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!ysub!psuvm!uh2
From: UH2@psuvm.psu.edu (Lee Sailer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.introduction
Subject: Re: why can't the Amiga talk properly
Message-ID: <91119.165012UH2@psuvm.psu.edu>
Date: 29 Apr 91 20:50:11 GMT
References: <1991Apr28.195319.3987@daimi.aau.dk>
Organization: Penn State University
Lines: 29

There are two somewhat separate issues here.   One is how
typed text is automagically translated to phonemes, and the
second concerns how the phonemes get converted to speech.

For the best quality speech, you can send strings of phonemes
synthesiser without any translation.  The little SAY utility is
just a little demo program.  It doesn't show all of the Amiga's
capabilities very well.  For example, even Amiga Basic will translate
ordinary text into strings of phonemes, which you could save
in a file.  Then, see how those sound, and edit them directly
if you feel the need.

As I recall, those phoneme files are in something called the "ARPABET",
which is a "no special characters" version of the widely used IPA, or
International Phonetic Alphabet.  The IPA is supposed to be able to make
all (nearly all??) sounds from any human language, but you have to
know the IPA "spelling."  (In this case, you need the ARPABET spelling.
I think they used to be in the BASIC manual, of all places.)

Probably, the routines that translate text "How are you?" into
the ARPABET "/HAW AAR YEW" is probably tuned to American English.
The synthesis routines shouldn't be, but might be by ommission if the
code was developed in the US.

One last point.  Believe me now and hear me later.  The Amiga does
not do such a good job on English, either.  I'd be surprised if
it could do any worse on Danish.  Ja?  Oui?  Da?  Ano?  Maalob?  Yes?

                                                                  lee