Cross platform speech API

  • From: "QuentinC" <quentinc@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 22:36:29 +0100

Hello everybody,
I would like to know if somebody knows of a trully cross platform API to make simple speech. I don't find what I want on google. Some months ago there was saytool, but I believe that it is only for windows (correct me if I'm wrong)

I need only one thing in fact : say a particular string, with ability to choose if it should do it interruptibly or not, that is, if it has to stop all previous speech before saying the specified string or not. The thing must respond fast enough to be used in a gam Of course, if we can do more (set volume/rate/pitch/change voice/select language/record to buffer, etc.) it is even cooler ! but it is not strictly required right now.

The best would be to
1. Detect if a popular screen reader (like jaws/NVDA/windows eye on windows, voice over on mac, etc.) is running, and use it if possible 2. Else detect if a speech synthesizer alone is present (eloquence, espeak, etc.), and use it if possible, and if it is of course not illegal (thinking about recent eloquence discussions) 3. IF all that isn't possible, try a general fallback mechanism (like SAPI on windows, speech dispatcher on linux, etc.)

IF such an API doesn't yet exist, I would be happy to collaborate in making it if I can be useful (ony in windows side). I find that important because there are now many cross platforms APIs for many things but not for speech. It could be interesting to accessibilize applications via plugins, make audio games, or other tings... The best language to do that is probably C/C++ or even only C, because it is the universal language. From C you can afterwards add bindings to other languages (java, python, C#, etc.). I love java but that's not a problem.

Please let know what you think and share links if you have.
Thank you.

__________
View the list's information and change your settings at //www.freelists.org/list/programmingblind

Other related posts: