7 Essential Free Speech Tools
Speech synthesizers are text-to-speech systems used with
computers. This type of software is programmed to include phonemes and
the grammatical rules of a language, so that words are pronounced
correctly. This article identifies the finest open source speech
synthesizers that are available for the Linux platform. This category
of
software is particularly useful for increasing the accessibility of
the internet, but there are many other applications for speech
synthesizers.
Although this article focuses on open source software, we
would take this opportunity to mention the IVONA Text to Speech System,
software that is compatible with Linux. IVONA is an incredibly
impressive text-to-speech system, generating exceptionally natural
sounding voices. Unfortunately, the software is released under a
proprietary license. Whilst its open source competitors, eSpeak,
Festival, and Praat Speech Analyser, sound somewhat robotic in
comparison with the human-sounding IVONA, they do provide clear audio
with text documents.
This article also highlights the best speech recognition
software for Linux. Speech recognition is the translation of spoken
words into text. This type of software helps users to operate their
computer by speaking to it, and is a real blessing for anyone who
finds it difficult to type, such as the elderly, or people with
physical disabilities. Using speech recognition software, users can
easily write emails, surf the net, manage their finances, chat to other
users online, and perform many other computer activities.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is
available, we have compiled a list of 7 of the finest speech tools
covering the spectrum of speech synthesizers, speech recognition
software, speech recognition engines, and speech analysis.
Now, let's explore the 7 speech tools at hand.
For each title we have compiled its own portal page, a full description
with an in-depth analysis of its features, a screenshot of the software
in action, together with links to relevant resources and reviews.
| Speech Tools |
| eSpeak |
Speech synthesizer using a formant synthesis method |
| Simon |
Flexible
speech recognition software |
| Julius |
Two-pass large vocabulary continuous speech
recognition engine |
| Jovie |
Text-to-speech
system for KDE |
| Orca
Screen Reader |
Scriptable screen reader |
| Praat
Speech Analyser |
Sofware
for speech analysis and synthesis |
| Festival |
General multi-lingual speech synthesis system |
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Last Updated Monday, March 25 2013 @ 04:11 PM EST
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