A 1 A A rrrrr 11 A A r r 1 1 A A r r 1 AAAAAAA rrrrr 1 A A r r 1 A A r r 11111 release 1.0 November 1998 ----------------------------------------------------------------- AR1 is a diphone database providing an Arabic male voice. Created by: Nawfal Tounsi, Faculte Polytechnique de Mons - Belgium -------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents -------------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 Description of the AR1 diphone database 2.0 Installation and tests 3.0 Announcement -------------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 Description of the AR1 diphone database -------------------------------------------------------------- The following phoneme symbols are assumed in our diphone sets. With a few exceptions this set uses the SAMPA notation. OBSTRUENTS AND NASALS --------------------- stop(plosive): fricative: nasal: flap: lateral: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- labial: b f, v m -- -- alveolar: t, d s, z n r l alveolar velarized: -- s. -- -- -- palatal: -- S, Z -- -- -- velar: k, g x, G -- -- -- glottal: ? h -- -- -- pharyngeal: -- X, H -- -- -- dental: -- T, D -- -- -- debtal velarized t., d. -- -- -- -- interdental velarized: -- z. -- -- -- uvular: q -- -- -- -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: d. , t. , s. and z. don't exist in the SAMPA notation Examples: phonemes: letters: examples: english translation: ----------------------------------------------------------------- b baa? kalbii [kalbi] "my dog" t taa? tilaawa [tilawa] "reading book" T thaa? tha9lab [TaHlab] "a fox" Z jiim jamaal [Zamal] "beauty" X Haa? Harbun [Xarbun] "a war" x khaa? kharaja [xaraZa] "he went out" d daal dahaba [dahaba] "he left" D dhaal dhi?bun [Di?bun] "a worse" r raa? rajulun [rajulun] "a man" z zayn yazuuru [yazuru] "he visit" s siin samaka [samaka] "a fish" S shiin shajara [SaZara] "a tree" s. Saad Sabaqa [s.a.baqa] "he passed" d. Daad yuDhiru [jud.hiru] "it hurst" t. Taa? muHiiT [muXit.] "sea" z. Zaa? maZluum [maz.lum] "unfairly" H 9ayn 9ilmun [Hilmun] "khowledge" G ghayn ghaabatun [Gabatun] "forest" f faa? faaza [faaza] "he won" q qaaf qalamun [qalamun] "a pencil" k kaaf kalbun [kalbun] "a dog" l laam la9aba [laHaba] "he played" m miim maata [mata] "he dead" n nuun naama [nama] "he slept" h haa? hajama [haZama] "he attacked" w waaw Daw?un [d.a.w?un] "a light" j yaa? yal9abu [jalHabu] "he play" ? hamza bi?run [bi?run] "a well" VOWELS ------ fatha a kasra i Damma u Notes: To have a long vowel just write aa , ii and uu respectively COLORED VOWELS (after /d./ /t./ /z./ and /s./) --------------------------- fatha a. kasra i. Damma u. Notes: Never put /a/, /i/ or /u/ after /d./, /t./, /z./ or /s./. Examples: Suraakh ("a cry") --> [s.u.rax] but [s.urax] is FALSE mbrola us2 phone.pho - | splayer -srate 16000 -l16 Also refer to the readme.txt file provided with the mbrola software for using it. -------------------------------------------------------------- 2.0 Installation and Tests -------------------------------------------------------------- If you have not copied the MBROLA software yet, please consult the MBROLA project homepage and get it: http://tcts.fpms.ac.be/synthesis Copy ar1.zip into your target directory and unzip it : unzip ar1.zip (or pkunzip on PC/DOS) WINDOWS USERS: If you have installed Mbrolatools, and registered ar1 with the Mbrola Wizard in the control panel you can directly double click on the .pho files distributed in the TEST directory. Otherwise, try: mbrola ar1 TEST/assalam.pho test.wav to create a sound file for a short greeting audio file. In this example the audio file follows the RIFF Wave format. But depending on the extension test.au, test.aif, or test.raw other file formats can be obtained. Listen to it with your favorite sound editor, and try the other command files (*.pho) to have a better idea of the quality of speech that can be synthesized with MBROLA and the AR1 database. On Unix systems you can pipe the audio ouput to the sound player as on a HP : mbrola ar1 TEST/assalaam.pho - | splayer -srate 16000 -l16 On SUN: mbrola ar1 TEST/assalaam.pho -.au | audioplay Also refer to the readme.txt file provided with the mbrola software for using it. -------------------------------------------------------------- 3.0 Announcement -------------------------------------------------------------- Other databases, or upgrades will be announced in the mbrola-news mailing list. To subscribe send an e-mail to mbrola-news-request@tcts.fpms.ac.be with the word 'subscribe' in either the header or the main text. ------------------------------------------------------------- Labo. Traitement du Signal et Theorie des Circuits Faculte Polytechnique de Mons 31, bvd Dolez, B-7000 Mons, Belgium tel: +32 65 374133 fax:374129 email : mbrola@tcts.fpms.ac.be web : http://tcts.fpms.ac.be/synthesis --------------------------------------------------------------