Speak (Unix)
Encyclopedia
speak was a Unix
utility that used a predefined set of rules to turn a file of English text into phoneme data compatible with a Federal Screw Works (later Votrax
) model VS4 "Votrax" Speech Synthesizer. It was first included in Unix
v3 and possibly later ones, with the OS-end support files and help files persisting until v6. Neither the original binaries nor the source code for speak have been found yet, though at least three versions of the man page are known to still exist.
The main program (speak) was around 4500 bytes, the rule tables (/etc/speak.m) were around 11000 bytes, and the table viewer (speakm) was around 1900 bytes.
in the early 1970s at AT&T
Bell Labs
in Murray Hill, New Jersey. It was included with the 1st Edition of Unix in 1973. In 1974, Douglas McIlroy
published a paper describing the workings of this algorithm.
According to the McIlroy paper, "K. Thompson
and D. M. Ritchie
integrated the device smoothly into the operating system", which is evident from /usr/sys/dev/vs.c "Screw Works Interface via DC-11".
The intention of the algorithm is to convert any English text into Votrax Phoneme codes, which could be played back/recited by a Federal Screw Works "Votrax" speech synthesizer.
A later (1976), simpler text-to-speech algorithm developed jointly by Votrax
and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, known as the "NRL Algorithm", serves a similar purpose.
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
utility that used a predefined set of rules to turn a file of English text into phoneme data compatible with a Federal Screw Works (later Votrax
Votrax
Votrax International, Inc. , or just Votrax, was a speech synthesis company located in the Detroit, Michigan area from 1971 to about 1996 It began as a division of Federal Screw Works from 1971 to 1973...
) model VS4 "Votrax" Speech Synthesizer. It was first included in Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
v3 and possibly later ones, with the OS-end support files and help files persisting until v6. Neither the original binaries nor the source code for speak have been found yet, though at least three versions of the man page are known to still exist.
The main program (speak) was around 4500 bytes, the rule tables (/etc/speak.m) were around 11000 bytes, and the table viewer (speakm) was around 1900 bytes.
History
The speak utility was developed by Douglas McIlroyDouglas McIlroy
Malcolm Douglas McIlroy is a mathematician, engineer, and programmer. As of 2007 he is an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Dartmouth College. Dr...
in the early 1970s at AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
Bell Labs
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
in Murray Hill, New Jersey. It was included with the 1st Edition of Unix in 1973. In 1974, Douglas McIlroy
Douglas McIlroy
Malcolm Douglas McIlroy is a mathematician, engineer, and programmer. As of 2007 he is an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Dartmouth College. Dr...
published a paper describing the workings of this algorithm.
According to the McIlroy paper, "K. Thompson
Ken Thompson
Kenneth Lane Thompson , commonly referred to as ken in hacker circles, is an American pioneer of computer science...
and D. M. Ritchie
Dennis Ritchie
Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie , was an American computer scientist who "helped shape the digital era." He created the C programming language and, with long-time colleague Ken Thompson, the UNIX operating system...
integrated the device smoothly into the operating system", which is evident from /usr/sys/dev/vs.c "Screw Works Interface via DC-11".
McIlroy Algorithm
The McIlroy Algorithm is a large set of rules, sub-rules, and sub-sub-rules, applied to a word to isolate long vowels, silent 'e's, and slowly convert each letter into its "Screw Works" equivalent phoneme code.The intention of the algorithm is to convert any English text into Votrax Phoneme codes, which could be played back/recited by a Federal Screw Works "Votrax" speech synthesizer.
A later (1976), simpler text-to-speech algorithm developed jointly by Votrax
Votrax
Votrax International, Inc. , or just Votrax, was a speech synthesis company located in the Detroit, Michigan area from 1971 to about 1996 It began as a division of Federal Screw Works from 1971 to 1973...
and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, known as the "NRL Algorithm", serves a similar purpose.