Work with Sinhala texts by converting them into natural-sounding speech by processing the textual data in the dedicated utility with a voice synthesizing engine. It builds and maintains databases with syntax rules and elements, common phrases and sentences, etc.
While there were some experimental TTS systems by the UCSC for Sinhala are already under work, the aim of this project was to produce one that is of commercial quality. To this end, considerable effort was be spent on quality aspects of this activity.
Apart from identifying the phonetic alphabet of the language, recording relevant word sentences in the database and building a text analysis component, the project also produced a synthesizing engine that facilitates natural sounding Sinhala voice.
The basic methodology adopted is based on the diphone concatenation approach to TTS and included following components and procedures in developing them.
1. Text analysis component:
1. Studying types of non-textual content and how to convert them to text
2. Defining the text analysis interface
3. Building the text analysis component
2. Phonetic component:
1. Studying the phonology and phonetics of Sinhala
2. Identifying the phonetic vocabulary
3. Constructing word sentences for recording most common diphones
4. Defining phonetic processor components
5. Building the diphone database
6. Building the phonetic processor
3. Integrating all components and producing the TTS system.
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