Text-To-Speech Technology :emoji:️

:dart: What We'll Learn Today

In this super cool lesson, you'll discover:

• How to make your app TALK! :emoji:
• The magic behind Text-To-Speech (TTS) technology
• How to use different languages and accents :emoji:
• How Speech Recognition works (making your app listen!) :emoji:
• Creating apps that can have conversations with you!

Let's Get Started! :rocket:

What is Text-To-Speech? :emoji:

Definition: Text-To-Speech (TTS) is like magic technology that turns written words into spoken words - just like having a robot friend read to you!

:bulb: Did you know?

Your phone, tablet, and computer can all talk to you using TTS! Many people use this technology to help them read books, websites, and messages. It's super helpful!

Where Can We Find TTS? :iphone::computer:

TTS tools are everywhere! You can find them on:

• :iphone: Smartphones (like when Siri or Google Assistant talks to you!)
• :computer: Laptops and computers
• :video_game: Tablets and iPads
• :emoji: Even in cars!

How Does TTS Work? :wrench:

1. Step One: TTS systems use something called "speech synthesis" (that's a fancy way of saying "making artificial speech")
2. Step 2: It converts digital text into audio that sounds like a human voice
3. Step 3: Out comes the spoken words!

Graphical Illustration of how Text-To-Speech works

Making Your App Speak Different Languages! :emoji:

In MIT App Inventor, we can make our app super smart! We can:

• :emoji: Change the pitch (make it sound high or low)
• :runner: Adjust the speech rate (make it talk fast or slow)
• :emoji:️ Set different languages (Spanish, French, Chinese, and more!)
• :emoji: Choose different countries for cool accents!

:information_source: Remember! Different countries speak the same language with different accents! British English sounds different from American English - how cool is that? 🇬🇧🇺🇸

Available Languages :emoji:️

Wow! Look at all these amazing languages your app can speak! :emoji:

Abbreviation	Language	Abbreviation	Language
de	German	ja	Japanese
en	English	sl	Slovenian
es	Spanish	sv	Swedish
fr	French	ko	Korean
it	Italian	hu	Hungarian
ru	Russian	hi	Hindi
th	Thai	ar	Arabian
pt	Portuguese	ca	Catalan
ro	Romanian	cs	Czech
uk	Ukrainian	zh	Chinese
et	Estonian	ku	Kurdish
vi	Vietnamese	bn	Bengali
sk	Greek	id	Indonesian

For more abbreviations and languages, go to https://goo.gl/ziHVyT

:bulb: Fun Fact!

Did you know that there are over 7,000 languages spoken in the world? MIT App Inventor supports many of them! Maybe you can make an app that speaks your family's language! :star2:

Country Codes and Pronunciation :emoji:

Here's something super cool: The same language can sound different in different countries!

For example:

• 🇬🇧 British English sounds fancy: "Would you like a cup of tea?"
• 🇺🇸 American English sounds different: "Want some coffee?"

By setting a country code, you can make your app speak with different accents! However, remember that NOT every country code will change every language.

Countries Your App Can Visit! :emoji:️

Country Code	Country	Country Code	Country	Country Code	Country
AUS	Australia	HKG	Hong Kong	NAM	Namibia
AUT	Austria	IND	India	NZL	New Zealand
BEL	Belgium	IRL	Ireland	PAK	Pakistan
BLZ	Belize	ITA	Italy	PHL	Philippines
BWA	Botswana	JAM	Jamaica	SGP	Singapore
CAN	Canada	LIE	Liechtenstein	TTO	Trinidad and Tobago
CHE	Switzerland	LUX	Luxembourg	USA	United States
DEU	Germany	MCO	Monaco	VIR	Virgin Islands, U.S.
ESP	Spain	MHL	Marshall Islands	ZAF	South Africa
FRA	France	MLT	Malta	ZWE	Zimbabwe
GBR	United Kingdom

For more country codes and countries, go to https://goo.gl/5R6wkg

MIT App Inventor TTS Language and Country Settings

Default Settings :iphone:

Here's a cool trick! When you choose "Default" for "Country" and "Language", your app becomes super smart! :emoji:

It will automatically:

• Speak the same language as your phone or tablet
• Use the same accent as your device's settings

:information_source: Remember! If your phone is set to Spanish, and you choose "Default", your app will speak Spanish too! Magic! :sparkles:

Speech Recognizer :emoji:

Now let's learn about the opposite - making your app LISTEN to you! How awesome is that? :tada:

Definition: Speech Recognizer is like giving your app super hearing powers! It listens to what you say and turns your words into text that the app can understand.

Why is Speech Recognition Cool? :emoji:

Electronic devices with speech recognition can:

• :emoji: Listen to what you say
• :emoji: Understand your words
• :zap: Do what you ask them to do!
• :emoji: Make apps super easy and fun to use

:bulb: Did you know?

When you say "Hey Google" or "Hey Siri", you're using speech recognition! Your device is listening and understanding your words. Pretty amazing, right? :emoji:

How Does It Work? :mag:

Let's see the magic behind speech recognition:

Graphical Illustration of how speech recognizer works

How Speech Recognition Works :dart:

Here's the super cool process of how your app understands what you say:

Step One: Voice to Digital :emoji:

First, the speech recognizer takes your voice (which is like a sound wave) and turns it into digital information that computers can understand.

Step 2: Breaking Down Words :emoji:

The recognizer breaks words into tiny sound pieces called phonemes. These are like the building blocks of words!

For example, the word "cat" has three phonemes:

• "c" sound
• "a" sound
• "t" sound

Step 3: Smart Analysis :emoji:

The app is super smart! It:

• Looks at each sound piece
• Checks what sounds come before and after
• Thinks about what words make sense together

Step 4: Words Appear! :sparkles:

Finally, your spoken words appear as text on the screen! Magic! :emoji:

Speech Recognition Process in MIT App Inventor

:information_source: Remember! Speech recognition works best when you:

• Speak clearly :emoji:️
• Are in a quiet place :emoji:
• Talk at a normal speed :emoji:

You Did It! :star2:

Congratulations, young app developer! You've learned about two amazing technologies:

• Text-To-Speech (TTS) - Making your app talk! :emoji:️
• Speech Recognition - Making your app listen! :emoji:

Now you can create apps that can have real conversations with people! How cool is that?

What's Next? :rocket:

With these superpowers, you can create:

• :books: Apps that read stories out loud
• :video_game: Voice-controlled games
• :emoji: Talking robot assistants
• :memo: Apps that write down what you say

Keep practicing and have fun making your apps talk and listen! Remember, the best apps are the ones that help people and make them smile! :emoji:

:bulb: Challenge Time!

Try making an app that listens to you say a word in English, then speaks it back in another language! It's like having your own translation buddy! :emoji: