KB: Changing how TruVoice pronounces words

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KB#: 142
Last updated: March 01 2006

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The information in this article applies to:

• TruVoice speech synthesizers
• ZoomText 9.0 and earlier

PROBLEM

Occasionally, the TruVoice speech synthesizer will incorrectly pronounce a word. Most often, this problem occurs with words that have unusual spellings – such as proper names, acronyms, and abbreviations.

SOLUTION

With TruVoice, you can modify how words are pronounced as follows:

1. From the ZoomText menu bar, select Reader > Synthesizer...

   The Speech dialog will open to the Synthesizer tab.

2. In the Synthesizer combo box, select TruVoice.
3. If you are running ZoomText 9.0, click the Options... button.
   If you are running ZoomText 8 or earlier, click the Pronunciation... button.

   The TruVoice Pronunciation Manager dialog opens.

4. In the Word field, type in the word, acronym or abbreviation that you would like to add. For example: "Mr." (without the quotes).
5. In the Sounds Like field, type in phonetically how the word should sound. For this example, type “mister” (without the quotes).
6. To test the pronunciation, click the speaker button to the right of the Sounds Like field.
7. If you are satisfied with the new pronunciation, click the Add button. Otherwise, repeat steps 2 and 3 to refine the pronunciation.
8. To delete a word from the pronunciation manager; click the Word List... button. Select the word you want to delete from the list, then click the Delete button.
9. Click the Close button.
10. Click the OK button to close the Speech dialog box.