[DECtalk] More Gnuspeech demos added

[Tony Baechler]

I noticed that too and you're right.  However, Debian is not an every day 
English word and isn't found in the dictionary.  DECtalk also mispronounces 
it as do most other synths I've heard.

On 10/23/2015 1:51 PM, Alex H. via Dectalk wrote:
> I noticed it pronounced Debian wrong. It should be debbian.
>
> [1] https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-pronunciation
>
>
>
> On 10/23/15, Carlos Fernandez via Dectalk <dectalk at bluegrasspals.com> wrote:
>> I believe the problems with understanding the speech are somewhat
>> related to the technical input, but not entirely. I'm sorry, but I don't
>> agree about the flawless pronunciation. In terms of badly mangling the
>> order of phonemes, you're right, the system manages to avoid that very
>> well. However, the system's intelligibility is harmed by several
>> problems in its processing:
>> 1. The accent is all wrong. The way the word is spoken often badly
>> accents and thus is very unnatural, even if the pronunciation is correct.
>> 2. Bad phonemes for various letters make it very strange. Some are OK,
>> but several more are simply cringeworthy.
>> We will start with L and R, which unnecessarily add prior vowels. For
>> example, take the word "work". In English, it is of course pronounced
>> almost entirely without vowel, as W, R, K, with the R elongated as is
>> typical with -er and -or, -ir, and -ur in some cases. If the system was
>> too literal, it might pronounce the O, making something like woark.
>> However, GNUSpeech generates a sound like wairk, which I'm assuming is a
>> representation of an -er phoneme that is being improperly rendered as
>> first -e and afterword -r.
>>       After this, we have a problem that arises when a C is used with
>> it's softer (similar to S) sound and, to a lesser extent, the actual S
>> itself. This always sounds less like a standard S and lacking in
>> high-frequency noise. It is thus a transitional case between the S and
>> TH (in English). It is much closer to the correct version, and maybe it
>> has something to do with the frequency of audio being used, but it
>> sounds to me when I am not focusing on the sounds individually like the
>> voice has a slight lisp, which does not make it easier to understand.
>> 3. The voice seems hesitant on beginning to speak another word, but
>> quickly builds up steam while crossing the word, such that, to me, the
>> word is begun slowly but babbled out quickly. This creates a jerky
>> aspect that is a bit difficult to handle. I am very used to using
>> high-speed synthesizers, but they at least stay at one speed. Sometimes
>> the voice will continue at its previous speed if the words are in the
>> same sentence, but sometimes not.
>>
>> You mentioned DecTalk, Eloquence, and eSpeak in the failure to pronounce
>> section, so I decided to try these on the same passage (I didn't make it
>> all the way through, of course, but quite a ways in).
>> Eloquence mispronounced one word, and it was copyleft. As this is more
>> of a play on words than an actual dictionary term, I understand and
>> accept this as a less-seen word, especially in the 1990s.
>> eSpeak pronounced everything impeccably. I could not find a single
>> error. It even pronounced GNU the way I do, with the G enunciated. I did
>> not regard the silencing of the G for other synthesizers as an error, as
>> a word gnu exists with this silent letter. The sound quality may not be
>> everyone's cup of tea, but the pronunciation is clearly not lacking.
>> Dectalk had a few words that were not quite mispronounced as
>> misaccented. It was understandable completely through my section despite
>> minor glitches that might make it slightly less desirable.
>> All three, in other words, could be listened to naturally and understood
>> completely, which I do not find true of GNUSpeech at this time.
>>
>>
>> On NeXT, it is true that OS X was mostly based on the NextSTEP Operating
>> System, but it has been independent of that original codebase and
>> updated by apple for sixteen years. Programs that functioned for
>> NextSTEP do not compile and work on OS X; the operating systems are
>> similar but very different. Therefore, when the page says that the NeXT
>> version is complete but the Linux one is not and gives information about
>> obtaining a computer on which to run the original 1990s versions of
>> NextSTEP, I do worry slightly on the logic behind this. This also leads
>> me to wonder from where the 1990s code was received, as it doesn't
>> purport to be from NeXT but some other company, and how (and indeed
>> whether) the project got the rights to use it. As OSX and Linux are my
>> most frequently-used operating systems, I have downloaded the code and
>> will further investigate.
>> Here are some quotes about NextSTEP that induced my questions. I have
>> bracketed some notes inside these as well:
>> "gnuspeech is currently fully available as a NextSTEP 3.x version in the
>> SVN repository along with the Gnu/Linux/GNUStep version, which is
>> incomplete though functional."
>> "The original NeXT User and Developer Kits are complete, but do not run
>> under OS X or under GNUStep on GNU/Linux. They also suffer from the
>> limitations of a slow machine, so that shorter TRM lengths (< ~15 cm)
>> cannot be used in real time, though the software synthesis option allows
>> this restriction to be avoided."
>> "In fact, you can use these passwords [why are there passwords at all?
>> Maybe this is a NeXT thing?]. But you need a NeXT computer, of
>> course—try [a commercial company, linked here, that sells vintage NeXT
>> computers and copies of the software. They recommend the latest version,
>> 3.3, in order to avoid Y2K bugs.] if you'd like one.
>>
>> Carlos
>> On 10/23/2015 09:42, Tony Baechler via Dectalk wrote:
>>> For your amusement and interest, I've added two more mp3 Gnuspeech
>>> demos, including one of the female voice.  As always, comments
>>> appreciated.
>>>
>>> http://classicradio.us/iso/
>>>
>>
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Tony Baechler, founder, Baechler Access Technology Services
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