Short: Huge USA English Accent File. Author: mbarlow@pacific.telebyte.net Uploader: mbarlow pacific telebyte net Type: util/libs Version: 2.1 Requires: Translator43.0 (See Tran43pch.lha) Architecture: m68k-amigaos Distribution: Aminet This is an extensive USA American accent developed new from scratch. It is almost 12 times the size of the standard "American accent." Note: Translator43.0 (See Tran43pch.lha to upgrade Translator42.4) is required. The goal is to approximate the USA Broadcast Standard Accent. The following features are included: a. Arabic and Roman numeral conversion. b. Silent 'e' detection in many compound words. c. British spelling recognition. d. Strategies to help resolve some common homographs (lead to, lead pipe, live bird, live in, to read, was read, cold wind, wind up). e Recognition of many place and personal names. f. Conversational, non-formal pronunciation. 68000 based systems may experience a 2 second delay per 80 character line of text and a 30 to 60 second (or longer) initial, one-time, accent loading delay while the accent is compiled at first use. However the speech is quite snappy on a 68040 based system at my recommended 210 word per minute speaking rate setting. It is the large size of this accent file that allows much higher accuracy than the standard American accent. The basic reason this file must be so large is because English spelling has become more a matter of tradition than phonetics. The traditional spellings of most basic English words were established in the Middle English period based on a Latin model. Most of the changes in English pronunciation since that time are not reflected in the spelling. These changes include final e silencing, loss of the guttural gh sound, and the Great (Long-)Vowel Shift. Words imported or "borrowed" from other languages tend to retain their native spellings. The rules for spelling and pronouncing importing words from classical Latin and Greek have remained the same. This is why "machine" does not rhyme with "shine". This accent file attacks these problems by providing many special case rules. Installation Copy or move the !USA.accent file to the Locale:accents directory. (which should also be SYS:Locale/accents directory or the HD0:Locale/accents directory.) M. L. Barlow Silverdale, WA mbarlow@Pacific.Telebyte.net