[DECtalk] Another example

Jayson Smith ratguy at insightbb.com
Wed May 4 20:47:20 EDT 2011


Hi,

Blake sent me the Speak window. I used it, as well as the beloved speak43 
application, to synthesize the exact same text. This is a conversation which 
came from a website called "Computer Stupidities" which I have turned into a 
DECtalk skit. Here, Paul is the store salesperson, and Betty is the 
customer. Certain words have been intentionally misspelled so as to be 
pronounced correctly. I have created a zip file of the two wavs which 
resulted from the synthesis. This zip is at
http://www.bluegrasspals.com/jazz.zip
I'm sure you'll be able to tell the difference. Here is the exact text 
synthesized by both versions.
Jayson

[:np] [:ra 240]
I work in the entertainment department of a huge store. I was restocking CD 
Ars when a middle-aged woman came up to me.

[:nb]
 "Excuse me, but what is in those colorful boxes? I'm looking for toys as a 
present for my nephew, and I just know he'd like a colorful box like that."
[:np]
 "Well, the toy department is upstairs, but"
[:nb]
 "...and in case they're jack-in-the-boxes, could I get one custom made, 
because I bet you don't have the color combination I'd like anyway."
[:np]
 "They're...not jack-in-the-boxes, ma'am. They are c deaz."
[:nb]
 "Oh! Kind of a big box for a CD. Does it come with lots of leaflets, or is 
it just air? I hate that way of--"
[:np]
 "No, no, no, you see, there's ten c deaz in one box."
[:nb]
 "Ten! Oh my goodness, that's a lot of c deaz. What kind c deaz are they?"
[:np]
 "Well, we have CD ars in these, and CD ar double yous over here. These ones 
are scratchproof, so they cost a little more--"
[:nb]
 "Oh, I don't know about these modern things so much. Have you got any 
jazz?"
[:np]
 "Excuse me?"
[:nb]
 "See, an old person like myself, I haven't even heard of scratchproof music 
before. I like jazz."

[:np]
I tried to hold my poker face for every cent of my hourly wage.

 "No, these c deaz are empty. We have jazz over there"
[:nb]
 "Yes, I was over there, and there was nothing new. I already have them all 
at home. But do you have any jazz in these bulk boxes?"
[:np]
 "No, ma'am, I'm afraid we're all sold out of the jazz ones."
[:nb]
 "Well. this box is $8.99, and at the jazz section I'd pay more for only one 
CD!"
[:np]
 "That's true, but these are empty, as I--"
[:nb]
 "This is a pretty good deal, ten c deaz for less than a tenner!"
[:np]
 "Undoubtedly, but--"
[:nb]
 "I'll take this!"
[:np]
 "Ma'am, the c deaz are empty. You won't hear anything."
[:nb]
 "Oh?"
[:np]
 "I buy these myself all the time, and there's nothing on them."
[:nb]
 "Maybe your volume wasn't loud enough. Or you had unplugged your speakers?"

[:np]
When had she become tech support to me?

[:nb]
 "I'll buy these. This is very cheap. You are a good salesperson!"
[:np]
 "Thank you, ma'am, but--"
[:nb]
 "I'll just have to see if my nephew listens to scratchproof."

[:np]
I took a long, long break after that one. 




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