eSpeak¶
eSpeak is a compact open source software speech synthesizer for English and other languages, for Linux and Windows.
eSpeak uses a “format synthesis” method. This allows many languages to be provided in a small size. The speech is clear, and can be used at high speeds, but not as natural or smooth as larger synthesizers which are based on human speech recordings.
Features¶
- Includes different voices, whose characteristics can be altered.
- Can produce speech output as a WAV file.
- SSML (Speech Synthesis Markup Language) is supported (not complete), and also HTML.
- Compact size. The program and its data, including many languages, total about 2 MB.
- Can be used as a front-end MBROLA diphone voices. eSpeak converts text to phonemes with pitch and length information.
- Can translate text into phoneme codes, so it could be adapted as a front end for other speech synthesis engines.
- Potential for other languages. Several are included in varying stages of progress.
Configuration Options¶
| Variable | Default Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
male |
true |
Voice gender, male or female |
voice_number |
1 |
Male supports voices 1-4, Female, 1-7 |