Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!mit-eddie!media-lab.media.mit.edu!masaru
From: masaru@media-lab.media.mit.edu.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Masaru Sugai)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.introduction
Subject: Re: why can't the Amiga talk properly
Keywords: talking
Message-ID: <5788@media-lab.media.mit.edu.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Date: 7 May 91 08:41:28 GMT
References: <1991Apr28.195319.3987@daimi.aau.dk> <1991May6.111801.1641@dist.unige.it>
Reply-To: masaru@media-lab.media.mit.edu (Masaru Sugai)
Organization: MIT Media Lab, Cambridge MA
Lines: 43

In article <1991May6.111801.1641@dist.unige.it> monta_l@dist.dist.unige.it (Luciano Montanaro e Marco Gualdi) writes:
>The phonemes are too few!
>I also want phonemes to support foreig(my!) languages.
>I can't get properly spelled r's, double letters, gn(spanish n~) gl(spanish ll)
>etc.
>Then there should be different translator.libray version for the different
>languages ...
>
>(well, the important thing is a larger base of phonemes.)
>
>	Ciao a tutti!
>			Luciano Montanaro
>		monta_l@dist.dist.unige.it

Folks in Europa are much happier than I am!  A few months ago I tried to 
have Amiga speak in Japanese, but I gave it up.  As for the phonem I had 
little problem as Japanese has rather poor language in phonetics, so I could
manage to get my favorite ones combining lots of phonemes.

The difficulty comes from that fact Japanese makes use of changes in pitch
a lot to distinguish words which have the same spelling.  For example,'ha-shi'
means both bridge and chopstick in writing, but we can tell the difference
as bridge changes its pitch from high to low, and chopstick from low to high.
That is the reason English spoken by most Japanese sounds very monotonistic.

I heard Chinese has a more complex articulation system (four voice), and in
general Asian languages have similar characteristics in common.  

I don't demand Amiga engineer to be a linguistist :), but I would be pleased 
if narrator device allowed me to have a lower level control, especially
stress/pitch attenuation in sub-phonemes level.


BTW, this is a good chance to appeal my idea in the world.  What about putting
your ARPABET name in your signatures ? I always find difficulty to imagine
correst pronunciation of people on the other side of the Atlantic.  ARPABET is
really pain in the neck, but far better than nothing...

-- SUW5GAH5IH5 MAH5SAH5WLAXUH5  (Oh! I must have forgotten Japanese :)
-- 
-- Masaru Sugai:Use disclaimer. CIS 72050,2141:NeXT + A3000 = money-eater
NEC Corporation:sugai@ccs.mt.nec.co.jp DORMANT:hardwired logic,machine language
MIT R.Affiliate:masaru@media-lab.media.mit.edu:  "Silicon on Sapphire" by CLASH