IVONA Lexicon file for Text to Speech - Page 2

Quinton_Upchurch · 08-01-2014, 11:14 AM

File updated today. Includes several minor improvements/enhancements. Also now contains (mostly) correct pronunciations for all current major leaguers plus top prospects.

pstrickert · 08-01-2014, 02:16 PM

Thanks for the update. I wonder if you could explain the changes to pronunciations. I've compare some of your changes to the originals (in the latest tts_pronunciation file) and I don't see the problems.

Quinton_Upchurch · 08-01-2014, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pstrickert

Thanks for the update. I wonder if you could explain the changes to pronunciations. I've compare some of your changes to the originals (in the latest tts_pronunciation file) and I don't see the problems.

I feel rather mean spirited criticising the tts_pronun file (having just completed the current MLB rosters I can imagine how long it took to capture every name in the entire history of the sport). It works well for non-IVONA voices and is far more comprehensive than my lexicon file will ever be. However I don't think it works well in tandem with IVONA Joey.

It seems to cause some stuttering and also causes the mangling of certain words. For example I just fired up OOTP with the tts_pronun file active and in the first game I noticed Moss, Murphy, Yoenis and Andrus all sounded off.

I think the exhaustive nature of the file also leads to problems. For instance 'backhand snare' sounds strange with the file active. 'Snare' is in the tts_pronun file. With the tts_pronun file inactive 'backhand snare' sounds fine.

There are also inexplicable issues such as we found with 'St. Louis'. Again, with the tts file inactive, St. Louis comes out okay.

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.

pstrickert · 08-01-2014, 07:02 PM

To follow up: I fixed "Yoenis" in the tts_pro file (assuming I now know how to pronounce it!). "Moss" sounded okay if it was followed by another word. It does sound kind of odd when it ends a sentence. That does happen occasionally, as I've noticed before. "Andrus" sounded just fine to my ears. Again, though, the pronunciation can be tweaked in the tts_pro file. Most of the time, at least in my experience, that solves the problem.

Quinton_Upchurch · 08-01-2014, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pstrickert

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.

An on-going, imperfect project for sure. Having spent about an hour today trying to figure out 'Trey Michalczewski' I would argue that unpronounceable players be declared draft ineligible.

Elvis Andrus is Elvis 'Andrews', no?

pstrickert · 08-01-2014, 07:36 PM

I thought it was An-druss!

I'll listen to a Rangers game and find out how they're pronouncing it.

Quinton_Upchurch · 08-01-2014, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pstrickert

I thought it was An-druss!

I'll listen to a Rangers game and find out how they're pronouncing it.

I've heard both but figured the bref listing was correct. Googling 'Elvis Andrus pronunciation' however opens up a whole can of worms! Briefly - sounds like either is acceptable.

pstrickert · 08-01-2014, 07:54 PM

Yes, between the imperfect TTS engine and the nuances in the pronunciation of player names, we've got our work cut out for us.

Quinton_Upchurch · 08-01-2014, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pstrickert

Yes, between the imperfect TTS engine and the nuances in the pronunciation of player names, we've got our work cut out for us.

Indeed. I think we should start a player pronunciation thread somewhere more prominent on the forum in order to ease the task. I'm currently wrestling with Mets' prospect Jack Leathersich. There must be people out there who know whether it is Leather-sick, Leather-seech or some other strange variant.

One problem I expected to run into but haven't yet is players with the same spelling but different pronunciations. Like a player called Gomes is going to come along soon who uses 'Gomez'. I'm guessing there are quite a few examples of this in MLB history though?

RANGER11JP · 03-29-2015, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quinton_Upchurch

This goes (in Windows 7 at least) in (YourName)>AppData>Roaming>IVONA 2 Voice. That folder is hidden by default.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...lish-ivona.rar

Here's a video demonstrating some of the enhancements this lexicon file provides:

OOTP 15 with IVONA Joey TTS - YouTube

If you go to the IVONA home page you can test out pronunciations really easily. That's been a big help. No doubt you'll want to add your own pronunciations, you can do this by going to Control Panel>Speech Recognition>Text To Speech>Settings>Lexicon

File updated on August 21st 2014.

I don't seem to have the folder or IVONA. Does anyone know where to get this?

chicago43055 · 03-29-2015, 10:54 AM

go to the Ivona website and purchase the program it is an excellent....

RANGER11JP · 03-29-2015, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicago43055

go to the Ivona website and purchase the program it is an excellent....

Okay, so it is not a freeware or such. I wanted to check on that. About what is the cost? Thanks.

Quinton_Upchurch · 03-30-2015, 04:16 AM

Joey - Harpo

Available here at about $40. There's a 30 day free trial so you can test it out.

The Game · 03-30-2015, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quinton_Upchurch

Joey - Harpo

Available here at about $40. There's a 30 day free trial so you can test it out.

Would be cool to have Alvin do play-by-play.
Chipmunk - Harpo

Quinton_Upchurch · 03-30-2015, 04:47 AM

Ha, not sure I could stand more than a half inning of that. Although it still beats Hawk Harrelson.

The best IVONA voice, technically, is probably 'Justin' but listening to a small child broadcast the games gets a bit weird quite quickly.

Quinton_Upchurch · 04-02-2015, 10:41 AM

File updated in original post

adion · 06-11-2017, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quinton_Upchurch

File updated today. Includes several minor improvements/enhancements. Also now contains (mostly) correct pronunciations for all current major leaguers plus top prospects.

Where is this file located?

adion · 07-03-2017, 09:13 AM

If there is anyone else using Ivona text to speech I have updated the lexicon file so it sounds more realistic. Examples: Batting averages: instead of saying dot one hundred and twenty for .120 it will have an adjective in front and the numbers will sound more like a real broadcast like "a weak one twenty" or "an excellent 3 oh 5" I have changed all zeros to sound like 'ohs'. I also changed some other stuff, e.g. K/BB ratio now says strikeout to walk ratio. I also got rid of it saying dot for ., dot dot for .. and dot dot dot for ... with the exception of where ... shows up at the beginning of the game and some other places in the PbP where it says dot. Those don't come from PbP xml file and must be in some other format. I also corrected the pronunciations of some names from games of have been playing. If anyone has any suggestions or questions, let me know. The file goes into: (user)>AppData>Roaming>IVONA 2 Voice. as Quinton says and may be hidden so you will have to set the folder to show hidden files. I also suggest that you rename or copy to another location the original file in case you want to go back. I hope you like the changes. I would like to do this for the Narrator voice that comes with Windows but I can't find the lexicon file for that. If anyone knows where it is, let me know. I know it is a different type of file, i.e. not a .lex file. Here is the link to my Ivona lex file. I will up date it from time to time as I fix more name pronunciations. https://www.mediafire.com/folder/4zg...Speech_and_PbP

adion · 07-14-2017, 06:22 PM

Here is an updated lexicon for Ivona. I corrected a couple of things and deleted my attempt to get to properly pronoun all names. No matter what I do, it pronounces names that way it wants, sometimes two different ways in the same PbP. Maybe some day someone will come up with a good baseball announcer voice that pronounces the names correctly and has a way to modify it's lexicon. I can only hope!

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/4zg...Speech_and_PbP

07-03-2017, 09:13 AM	#39
adion All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 1,376	Ivona lexicon file If there is anyone else using Ivona text to speech I have updated the lexicon file so it sounds more realistic. Examples: Batting averages: instead of saying dot one hundred and twenty for .120 it will have an adjective in front and the numbers will sound more like a real broadcast like "a weak one twenty" or "an excellent 3 oh 5" I have changed all zeros to sound like 'ohs'. I also changed some other stuff, e.g. K/BB ratio now says strikeout to walk ratio. I also got rid of it saying dot for ., dot dot for .. and dot dot dot for ... with the exception of where ... shows up at the beginning of the game and some other places in the PbP where it says dot. Those don't come from PbP xml file and must be in some other format. I also corrected the pronunciations of some names from games of have been playing. If anyone has any suggestions or questions, let me know. The file goes into: (user)>AppData>Roaming>IVONA 2 Voice. as Quinton says and may be hidden so you will have to set the folder to show hidden files. I also suggest that you rename or copy to another location the original file in case you want to go back. I hope you like the changes. I would like to do this for the Narrator voice that comes with Windows but I can't find the lexicon file for that. If anyone knows where it is, let me know. I know it is a different type of file, i.e. not a .lex file. Here is the link to my Ivona lex file. I will up date it from time to time as I fix more name pronunciations. https://www.mediafire.com/folder/4zg...Speech_and_PbP

07-14-2017, 06:22 PM	#40
adion All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 1,376	Ivona lexicon update Here is an updated lexicon for Ivona. I corrected a couple of things and deleted my attempt to get to properly pronoun all names. No matter what I do, it pronounces names that way it wants, sometimes two different ways in the same PbP. Maybe some day someone will come up with a good baseball announcer voice that pronounces the names correctly and has a way to modify it's lexicon. I can only hope! https://www.mediafire.com/folder/4zg...Speech_and_PbP

08-01-2014, 11:14 AM	#21
Quinton_Upchurch All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 779	File updated today. Includes several minor improvements/enhancements. Also now contains (mostly) correct pronunciations for all current major leaguers plus top prospects.

08-01-2014, 02:16 PM	#22
pstrickert Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,738	Thanks for the update. I wonder if you could explain the changes to pronunciations. I've compare some of your changes to the originals (in the latest tts_pronunciation file) and I don't see the problems.

08-01-2014, 06:47 PM	#24
pstrickert Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,738	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, 07:02 PM	#25
pstrickert Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,738	To follow up: I fixed "Yoenis" in the tts_pro file (assuming I now know how to pronounce it!). "Moss" sounded okay if it was followed by another word. It does sound kind of odd when it ends a sentence. That does happen occasionally, as I've noticed before. "Andrus" sounded just fine to my ears. Again, though, the pronunciation can be tweaked in the tts_pro file. Most of the time, at least in my experience, that solves the problem.

08-01-2014, 07:36 PM	#27
pstrickert Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,738	I thought it was An-druss! I'll listen to a Rangers game and find out how they're pronouncing it.

08-01-2014, 07:54 PM	#29
pstrickert Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,738	Yes, between the imperfect TTS engine and the nuances in the pronunciation of player names, we've got our work cut out for us.

03-29-2015, 10:54 AM	#32
chicago43055 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 101	go to the Ivona website and purchase the program it is an excellent....

03-30-2015, 04:16 AM	#34
Quinton_Upchurch All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 779	Joey - Harpo Available here at about $40. There's a 30 day free trial so you can test it out.

03-30-2015, 04:47 AM	#36
Quinton_Upchurch All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 779	Ha, not sure I could stand more than a half inning of that. Although it still beats Hawk Harrelson. The best IVONA voice, technically, is probably 'Justin' but listening to a small child broadcast the games gets a bit weird quite quickly.

04-02-2015, 10:41 AM	#37
Quinton_Upchurch All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 779	File updated in original post