Project 02: Pronunciation Guide

:rocket: Project Time!

Time needed: 45-60 minutes

Ready to build something amazing? Today you're going to create your very own Pronunciation Guide app that can speak in different accents!

Watch this video to see the magic in action! :sparkles:

What You'll Build

Imagine having a personal language teacher in your pocket! Your Pronunciation Guide app will:

• :emoji: Listen to what you say and convert it to text
• 🇺🇸 Speak words in an American accent
• 🇬🇧 Speak the same words in a British accent
• :iphone: Help you learn how words sound differently around the world!

Project Goals

By the end of this project, you'll have:

• Created a speech recognition system
• Built buttons that make your phone talk
• Added smart features that check if there's text to speak
• Made an app that works with different accents
• Tested your app like a real developer!

Inspiration Gallery

Fun ways to use your Pronunciation Guide:

• Practice saying "schedule" (American vs British - so different!)
• Learn how to say "tomato" like a Brit
• Impress your friends with different accents
• Create a language learning game with your family
• Record funny words and hear them in different voices!

Getting Started

What You'll Need

Here's your toolkit for today's project:

Sample UI	Components You'll Use
	Layouts: • Vertical Arrangement • Horizontal Arrangement Visible components: • Labels • Text box • Buttons Non-visible components: • Speech Recognizer • Text-to-speech

Let's Build Your App!

Time to bring your Pronunciation Guide to life! We'll program 3 magical buttons that each do something special.

Step One: Create the Microphone Button :emoji:

Let's make your app listen to YOU!

What this button does: When you tap it, your phone starts listening and turns your voice into text.

1. Make the Mic button clickable:

   • Find the when Mic.Click block
   • Add the speech recognizer block to start listening
   • Pro tip: You only need 2 blocks for this!

2. Capture the speech:

   • Use the when SpeechRecognizer.AfterGettingText block
   • Put the recognized text into your Textbox
   • Test it out - say "Hello World!" and watch it appear!

Stuck? Remember: First the button starts listening, then the speech recognizer captures what you said!

Step 2: Program the US Button 🇺🇸

Time to make your app speak with an American accent!

What this button does: Reads the text in your textbox with an American voice.

1. Set up the American voice:

   • Use the when US_Button.Click block
   • Set the language to "en" (English)
   • Set the country to "US" (United States)

2. Add smart checking:

   • Use an if-then-else block to check if the textbox has text
   • If empty: Make it say "The text box is empty"
   • If not empty: Make it speak whatever's in the textbox!

Cool fact: American English says "zee" for the letter Z, while British says "zed"!

Step 3: Program the UK Button 🇬🇧

Let's add a British accent to your app!

What this button does: Same as the US button, but with a fancy British accent!

1. Set up the British voice:

   • Use the when UK_Button.Click block
   • Set the language to "en" (English)
   • Set the country to "GB" (Great Britain)

2. Add the same smart checking:

   • Check if the textbox is empty
   • If empty: Say "The text box is empty" (in a British accent!)
   • If not empty: Speak the text with British pronunciation

Try this: Type "water" and listen to how differently the US and UK buttons say it!

Testing Your Amazing App! :tada:

Test Checklist

• Tap the mic button and say a word - does it appear in the textbox?
• Tap the US button - does it speak in an American accent?
• Tap the UK button - does it sound British?
• Clear the textbox and tap a speak button - does it tell you it's empty?
• Try fun words like "aluminum" or "vitamin" - hear the difference!

Challenge Yourself! :star2:

Level up your app with these cool features:

1. Add more accent buttons (Australian, Canadian, Indian English!)
2. Create a "Clear" button to empty the textbox
3. Add a list of fun words to try
4. Make the buttons change color when pressed
5. Add sound effects when recording starts!

Show Off Your Work!

You've just built an AMAZING pronunciation guide! Here's how to share it:

1. Test with friends: Let them try different words
2. Create a demo video: Show how US and UK accents differ
3. Make it educational: Use it to help younger kids learn pronunciation
4. Start a collection: Keep a list of words that sound really different!

Celebrate Your Success! :emoji:

You did it! You've created an app that:

• Listens to your voice
• Converts speech to text
• Speaks in different accents
• Checks for empty input like a pro!

You're not just a student anymore - you're an app developer who made something that helps people learn languages!

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Technical Support

Using Bluestacks Emulator?

If you're using Bluestacks emulator, follow these steps to enable text-to-speech and speech recognition:

For Text-to-Speech:

1. Download "Google Text-To-Speech" from the Play Store or APK
2. Go to Android Settings > Accessibility > Text-To-Speech output
3. Select "Google Text-To-Speech Engine"

For Speech Recognizer:

1. Install the Google app in your Bluestacks emulator

Helpful Resources

Want to explore more accents and languages?

• Country codes reference: UN Statistics
• Detailed lesson notes: Google Doc
• Language codes guide: MIT App Inventor Community

What's Next?

Ready for your next adventure? In the next project, you'll create even more amazing apps that combine everything you've learned! Keep coding, keep creating, and keep being AWESOME! :rocket: