Using DictionaryEdit

DictionaryEdit is an application which enables you to edit the dictionaries used by the text-to-speech part of the Speech Manager.

Widely available applications which use pronunciation dictionaries are Speecher by P.H. Pedersen (the dictionary is internal, in a ‘dict’ resource), Speaker by Eric Shieh and SoToSpeak by Eric Weidl (both of which can use external dictionaries). Toby Smith’s IRC client Homer also uses the Speech Manager, and contains a ‘dict’ resource (see below).

Dictionaries are used to substitute words in the text to be spoken with others, either to correct idiosyncrasies in pronunciation, for localization purposes, or just for fun! They are kept in resources of type ‘dict’, which are loaded by the speaking application with the UseDictionary command.

DictionaryEdit makes editing these dictionaries very easy. You can open several dictionaries at the same time, cut and copy (or drag) entries between them, add new entries, and fill them by converting text into the phonemic representation that the dictionaries use.

The dictionary in Homer 0.93.4 has an incorrect format, and DictionaryEdit will report errors when opening it, then open an empty window. I have notified the author. Also, the dictionary may be stored in the file ‘Homer Data’ in later releases.