Copyright: ViaVoice Help - © Copyright IBM Corp. 1998


Tested Sound Cards

The Creative Labs SoundBlaster 16 and 100% compatible sound cards support ViaVoice.  Some sound cards that claim to be 100% compatible with SoundBlaster 16 do not have a recording quality equal to the SoundBlaster 16.

The sound cards that were tested and found to work with ViaVoice are listed on the Internet.  To access the ViaVoice web page, type:  http://www.software.ibm.com/is/voicetype in the location field of your Internet browser.

Note

The type of computer a sound card is in and the placement of the sound card within the computer can affect sound quality.  The sound cards listed at this Internet location were not tested on all computers. Therefore, these sound cards are not guaranteed to work with ViaVoice on your particular computer.

Click [image] to return to the Audio Setup Wizard.

SoundBlaster is a trademark of Creative Labs.


accelerator key

A keyboard key or key combination, sometimes called a shortcut key, that invokes a particular command, such as Ctrl+P (print) or Alt+F (open the file menu).


active object

The button, check box, window, text, or other item that you have selected.


Active Program command set

The voice commands that edit and format your text in the active dictation method.


active window

See focus window.


active words

The set of words that a speech-recognition system is listening for at a given time.  The speech recogniser can recognise a spoken word only if that word is active.  See also input focus.


actor

An animated face that you can select to read the text when you use ViaVoice Outloud.


All Commands

The view in the What Can I Say window that assists you in finding the names of commands in ViaVoice.


attention word

The word Computer, which tells ViaVoice to process your next words as a command, not type them as dictation.  Pause briefly, and say “Computer” followed by your command.  Do not pause or hesitate during the command.


audio adapter

See sound card .


audio application

A program that uses the sound card.


audio input device

Any device that you use for speaking to the computer.  The device you use depends on the software you have installed and the enrolments you have completed.  For example, if you have a microphone and a digital recorder, you must complete a separate enrolment for each audio device.


Audio Setup

A program that helps you prepare your microphone or audio input device for use with ViaVoice.  It shows you how to connect and test the microphone and adjust your audio settings.


Audio Setup wizard

A program that helps you prepare your microphone or audio input device for use with ViaVoice.  It shows you how to connect and test the microphone and adjust your audio settings.


base vocabulary

A starter set of words that ViaVoice recognises.  This starter set comes with ViaVoice. You can change to another base vocabulary, but only one can be active at a time.


cardinal numbers

Numbers used for counting, such as one, two, and three.  Contrast with ordinal numbers .


click

To press a mouse button once, usually the left button unless otherwise indicated.


command

A word or phrase that instructs the computer to perform an action.


Command Reference

A reference source of the most commonly used speech commands for ViaVoice.


command sets

Groups of related voice commands that can be used to control a program or perform an action..  They can be selected in ViaVoice Options.


Computer

The attention word that tells ViaVoice to process your next words as a command, not type them as dictation.


continuous general dictation

Dictating using the base vocabulary included in ViaVoice and any added topics, as well as your personal vocabulary.


continuous speech

Speech spoken distinctly, without extra pauses between words.  You can pause between phrases to take a breath or collect your thoughts.


control

To use commands and macros to access program in ViaVoice and perform tasks in your dictation application.


Correction window

The Correction window offers a choice of words similar in sound to a selected, dictated word.  When you correct a dictated word in the correction window, ViaVoice updates your personal speech files and adds the word to your personal vocabulary.

Or you can use the Correction window to display a selected word or phrase (dictated or typed) and correct, format, or delete it from the text.


current user

The user for whom ViaVoice is updating personal speech files.  The current user name appears on VoiceCentre.


customise

To change the behavior or characteristics of a function.


deselect

To remove the check from a feature by clicking the circle or check box.  This turns off the feature until you click it again to select it.  In some cases, you must select an alternative choice to deselect a feature or to clear a highlighted selection by clicking outside the selection.


desktop

Part of the Windows user interface.  It is the background area of your screen where you can drag and drop folders and use shortcuts for quick access.


destination window

The target window where you want to transfer your dictated text after you dictate into SpeakPad.


dictate

In ViaVoice, the process of entering text by speaking into a microphone or audio input device.  All spoken words appear as text in a document, unless you pause to say a ViaVoice command.


Dictation Inline Commands command set

The voice commands that format your dictated text, such as Bold on or Uppercase this, or undo dictation, such as Scratch that.


dictation macro

A macro that is active when you are dictating.  It is typically used to format, punctuate, and insert user-defined text into a dictation document.


Dictation Macro Editor

A program that lets you create dictation macros to format, punctuate, and insert text into a dictation document.


double-click

To press the mouse button twice in rapid succession, usually the left button unless otherwise indicated.


enrol

To teach ViaVoice how you pronounce words.


Enrolment

A program included with ViaVoice for improving speech recognition.

Enrolment is a two-part process.  First, using your microphone or audio input device, you dictate predefined sets of sentences or words, called enrolment scripts, which ViaVoice records.  Then, in Training, ViaVoice analyses the recorded sentences and updates your personal speech files.


enrolment script

The sets of predefined sentences or words that you speak into a microphone or audio input device as part of Enrolment.


enrolment session

One or more invocations of the enrolment process during which a user reads an enrolment script and the system records it.


environment

The working location in which you completed your enrolment for a microphone or audio input device.  Each environment has its own level of ambient noise.  You should enrol separately for each environment to ensure the best recognition.


firm word

A word that is definitely recognised during dictation and will not be changed when subsequent words are recognised.  Contrast with infirm word .


focus

The window you are currently using. You can distinguish the window in focus because the window title bar has colour.


focus window

The window you are currently using. You can distinguish the window in focus because the window title bar has colour.


highlight

To mark a word or phrase to indicate selection.  For example, you can highlight a word using the Select this voice commands.  Or you can double-click on a word to highlight it.  Or you can click and drag the mouse over a selection to highlight it.


infirm word

A word that has been tentatively recognised during dictation, but might be changed in the context of subsequent words.  Contrast with firm word.


input focus

Focus given to the foreground window where dictated or typed text appears.  You can give input focus to a window by clicking on it.  You can distinguish the window in focus because the window title bar has colour.


insertion point

The cursor position that identifies where text will be inserted.


isolated-word speech

Speech that contains brief, deliberate pauses between words to help improve the recognition process.  Contrast with continuous speech.  ViaVoice uses continuous speech for dictation.


language

The language selected in ViaVoice Options on the User page.


macro

A shortcut  used to carry out a series of actions.  A macro typically decreases the number of keystrokes, mouse clicks, or voice commands needed to perform a specific task.


migrate

To move personal speech files from an older ViaVoice or VoiceType product to this product.


Migrate Users

A program that can move your personal speech files from another computer running an older ViaVoice or VoiceType product to this computer.


misrecognised

A dictated  word that ViaVoice recognises as another word.


natural commands

The voice commands that enable you to use a flexible style and everyday language to perform common word-processing tasks while using Microsoft Word 97.


open

To start a program.  It is also used to indicate a program that is currently running.


options

Settings that determine how a particular program or function looks and behaves.  You can view and change the options for ViaVoice by using the ViaVoice Options program.


ordinal numbers

Numbers used to indicate sequence, such as first, second, and third.  Contrast with cardinal numbers .


PCMCIA

Personal Computer Memory Card International Association.


personal speech files

A set of files containing speech information that you accumulated while using ViaVoice as a specific user.  This consists of enrolments, the personal speech vocabulary, statistics of word usage, and macros.  Each user has one set of personal speech files.


personal vocabulary

Words that you add to the base vocabulary using either the correction window or Vocabulary Expander .


phoneme

The smallest unit of sound that is used in the pronunciation of words.


phonetic alphabet

A set of words that you can use to identify letters of the alphabet, such as the word alpha for the letter A.  You can use it to help ViaVoice recognise similar-sounding letters correctly. Refer to the Command Reference card for the complete list of words associated with the phonetic alphabet.


pronunciation

A string of phonemes (units of sound) that represents how a given word is pronounced.  A word can have several pronunciations; for example, the word tomato might have pronunciations toe-MAH-toe and toe-MAY-toe.


Quick Tour

A multimedia, interactive presentation that demonstrates how to use ViaVoice.


right-click

To press the alternate mouse button once, usually the right button unless redefined by the user.


select

To choose menu items, buttons, or icons by moving the mouse pointer to the item or icon, then clicking the left mouse button.  This action selects the item by highlighting it or placing a mark before it.  You can click the item again to deselect it.


selected user

The user for whom ViaVoice is updating personal speech files.  The current user name is shown on VoiceCentre.  If you start to use the VoiceCentre and you are not the selected user, ViaVoice will use and update the wrong personal speech files.  This will result in poor recognition accuracy for both you and the user for whom ViaVoice is erroneously updating personal speech files.


session

All of your dictation data, including recorded audio for your dictated text.  You can save a session when you close the file you are dictating (using SpeakPad or Microsoft Word 97).  When you later reopen the file, you can choose to restore the session data.  This restores the original dictation environment including your original recorded audio, which allows you to continue correction or delegate correction of a saved session to a colleague.


Software Registration

A program for registering ViaVoice software.  You fill out an online form and then have the option of sending it in by modem, fax, or mail.


sound card

An adapter that receives input from a microphone or input line and converts the sound to computer information.  The adapter can play back the information to an external speaker, headphone, or line output.


sounds-like spelling

A way of specifying the pronunciation of a word or phrase whose pronunciation is uncertain.  You do this by pronouncing the parts of the word as though they are separated by hyphens, such as eye-triple-E for IEEE.


SpeakPad

A speech-enabled dictation application included in ViaVoice.  You can review and edit your dictated words, and you can transfer those words to another application, if desired.


speech-enabled application

An application that responds to voice.


speech files

A set of files containing speech information that you accumulated while using ViaVoice as a specific user.  This consists of enrolments, the personal speech vocabulary, statistics of word usage, and macros.  Each user has one set of personal speech files.


speech recogniser

A program that analyses speech and converts it to keystrokes or commands.


spell mode

A dictation mode that enables you to spell words.


system menu

An icon in the upper-left corner of a window.  It displays a menu that contains choices that affect the window.


target application

A program to which you want to transfer a text file.  You can dictate a file into SpeakPad, and then transfer the file to a target application such as WordPerfect.


taskbar

Part of the Windows user interface.  It is the central location where all your currently running programs can be found.


template

A special kind of dictation macro that enables you to provide data-entry fields.


Text Editing command set

The voice commands that control the cursor and select and edit text, such as Cut and Copy.


text-to-speech mode

The state that ViaVoice is in when it reads aloud the text in the focus window.  See also ViaVoice Outloud .


tooltip

A pop-up window that contains general information or the name of a button.


topics

Sets of specialised, add-on words that you can select to narrow the focus of the specialised vocabulary.  You can activate more than one topic at one time, but you should activate only the topics that you need for this session.


train

To teach ViaVoice how you pronounce words.


training

The second part of the enrolment process, during which the computer updates your personal speech files using the voice data collected during the first part of enrolment.  See also Enrolment.

A process by which you update your personal speech files using the Vocabulary Expander, What Can I Say , or Dictation Macro Editor.


transcribe

Use ViaVoice to convert previously recorded speech data into text.  You can generate speech data by using audio devices, such as digital recorders to record your dictation, transfer the speech data to your computer, and then use ViaVoice to transcribe the data.


transcription

The process of using ViaVoice to convert previously-recorded speech data into text.  You can generate speech data by using audio devices, such as digital recorders to record your dictation, transfer the speech data to your computer, and then use ViaVoice to transcribe the data.


user name

A name or identifier that is uniquely associated with a user of ViaVoice.  The current user name is displayed on the VoiceCentre.


User Wizard

The program in ViaVoice that takes you through all the steps you need to get started.  It guides you through setting up your microphone or audio input device and gives you a mini-enrolment exercise to help you practise dictating.


ViaVoice Options

The program that you can use to view and customise the various settings used by ViaVoice.


ViaVoice Outloud

The program that ViaVoice uses to convert text to speech.  A computer-generated voice reads your text aloud.


ViaVoice tour

A multimedia, interactive presentation that demonstrates how to use ViaVoice.


ViaVoice User Guide

The ViaVoice User Guide takes you through installation, setup, and your first experiences with ViaVoice.  There are many new features and improvements in this version of ViaVoice.  Whether you're using ViaVoice for the first time or you're an advanced user, the Guide helps you use the power of ViaVoice to accomplish your work.


vocabulary

A set of words that ViaVoice recognises, including the base vocabulary  and the personal vocabulary. Contrast with topics .


Vocabulary Expander

A program that analyses existing documents or word lists to add words to your vocabulary.


Vocabulary and Topic Installer

A program that helps you install any of the optional vocabularies or topics for ViaVoice.


Vocabulary Manager

A program that lets you delete and record (train) pronunciations of words added to your personal vocabulary.


VoiceCentre

The program through which you access ViaVoice programs, control your dictation application, and begin dictating.


voice command

A spoken word or phrase that invokes a single action or a sequence of actions.  See also macro.


VoiceTip

A pop-up window that contains examples for a word or phrase appearing in brackets in What Can I Say window.


What Can I Say

A program that includes all the words, commands, and macros you can say to control VoiceCentre and to format and edit text while dictating.