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pstrickert · 08-01-2014, 06:47 PM

I believe the same phonetic system is used for Microsoft and IVONA voices. Slight differences occur in pronunciation, not because of the phonemes assigned to a word, but the voice engine itself (or so I would suppose). Neither engine is without pronunciation problems. Either way, OOTP needs a file to assist it with all the different (and unusual) names in the database. Either the one I created or the lexicon you're building.

The tts_pronunciation file is included with the game so that the user can tweak the phonemes for some of the names. Believe me, I had to guess at the pronunciation for many of them. When I find out I've made a mistake, I fix it right away. If users such as yourself notice a mispronunciation, I'm glad to fix it if I can.

I tested the game using a 2013 MLB season, first with the tts_pronunciation file, and second just your IVONA lexicon file. I noticed problems both times. This leads me to believe that using the tts_pronunciation file (or using the IVONA lexicon file) is not the problem. The problem is that some of the names in the file need slight changes. Or new entries need to be added to the IVONA lexicon file. I imagine you would agree that the results are imperfect. Refining the files is an ongoing project.

08-01-2014, 06:47 PM	#24
pstrickert Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,741	I believe the same phonetic system is used for Microsoft and IVONA voices. Slight differences occur in pronunciation, not because of the phonemes assigned to a word, but the voice engine itself (or so I would suppose). Neither engine is without pronunciation problems. Either way, OOTP needs a file to assist it with all the different (and unusual) names in the database. Either the one I created or the lexicon you're building. The tts_pronunciation file is included with the game so that the user can tweak the phonemes for some of the names. Believe me, I had to guess at the pronunciation for many of them. When I find out I've made a mistake, I fix it right away. If users such as yourself notice a mispronunciation, I'm glad to fix it if I can. I tested the game using a 2013 MLB season, first with the tts_pronunciation file, and second just your IVONA lexicon file. I noticed problems both times. This leads me to believe that using the tts_pronunciation file (or using the IVONA lexicon file) is not the problem. The problem is that some of the names in the file need slight changes. Or new entries need to be added to the IVONA lexicon file. I imagine you would agree that the results are imperfect. Refining the files is an ongoing project.