Another abandoned server code base... this is kind of an ancestor of taskrambler.
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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">
<html lang=en>
<head>
<title>CSS Speech Module</title>
<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<link href=default.css rel=stylesheet type="text/css">
<style type="text/css">
p
{
padding-bottom : 1em;
}
p + p
{
text-indent : 0;
}
*:target
{
border : 1px dashed #66CC66;
}</style>
<!--
.prod
{
font-family : inherit;
font-size : inherit
}
pre.prod
{
white-space : pre-wrap;
margin : 1em 0 1em 2em
}
code
{
font-size : inherit;
}
#box-shadow-samples td
{
background : white;
color : black;
}
caption
{
text-align : left;
font-weight : bold
}
.note
{
font-style : italic
}
.issue
{
color : maroon;
font-style : italic
}
div.example pre
{
color : green;
margin-left : 2em
}
dl
{
margin-left : 2em
}
caption dfn
{
font-size : 120%
}
-->
<link href="http://www.w3.org/StyleSheets/TR/W3C-WD" rel=stylesheet
type="text/css">
<body>
<div class=head> <!--begin-logo-->
<p><a href="http://www.w3.org/"><img alt=W3C height=48
src="http://www.w3.org/Icons/w3c_home" width=72></a> <!--end-logo-->
<h1 id=top>CSS Speech Module</h1>
<h2 class="no-num no-toc" id=longstatus-date>W3C Working Draft 18 August
2011</h2>
<dl>
<dt>This version:
<dd> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-css3-speech-20110818">http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-css3-speech-20110818</a>
<dt>Latest version:
<dd> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-speech">http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-speech</a>
<dt>Previous versions:
<dd> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-css3-speech-20110419">http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-css3-speech-20110419</a>
<dt id=editors-list>Editor:
<dd><a href="mailto:dweck@daisy.org">Daniel Weck</a> (<a
href="http://www.daisy.org">DAISY Consortium</a>)
<dt>Former editors:
<dd><a href="mailto:dsr@w3.org">Dave Raggett</a> (<a
href="http://www.w3.org/">W3C</a>/<a
href="http://www.canon.com/">Canon</a>)
<dd><a href="mailto:daniel@glazman.org">Daniel Glazman</a> (<a
href="http://www.disruptive-innovations.com/">Disruptive
Innovations</a>)
<dd><a href="mailto:csant@opera.com">Claudio Santambrogio</a> (<a
href="http://www.opera.com/">Opera Software</a>)
</dl>
<!--begin-copyright-->
<p class=copyright><a
href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/ipr-notice#Copyright"
rel=license>Copyright</a> &copy; 2011 <a
href="http://www.w3.org/"><acronym title="World Wide Web
Consortium">W3C</acronym></a><sup>&reg;</sup> (<a
href="http://www.csail.mit.edu/"><acronym title="Massachusetts Institute
of Technology">MIT</acronym></a>, <a href="http://www.ercim.eu/"><acronym
title="European Research Consortium for Informatics and
Mathematics">ERCIM</acronym></a>, <a
href="http://www.keio.ac.jp/">Keio</a>), All Rights Reserved. W3C <a
href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/ipr-notice#Legal_Disclaimer">liability</a>,
<a
href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/ipr-notice#W3C_Trademarks">trademark</a>
and <a
href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/copyright-documents">document
use</a> rules apply.</p>
<!--end-copyright-->
<hr title="Separator for header">
</div>
<h2 class="no-num no-toc" id=abstract>Abstract</h2>
<p>CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a language that describes the rendering
of markup documents (e.g. HTML, XML) on various supports, such as screen,
paper, speech, etc. The Speech module defines aural CSS properties that
enable authors to declaratively control the rendering of documents via
speech synthesis, and using optional audio cues. The feature set exposed
by this specification is designed to match the model described by the
Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) Version 1.1 <a href="#SSML"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>. Note that this standard was
developed in cooperation with the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Voice/">Voice
Browser Activity</a>.
<h2 class="no-num no-toc" id=status>Status of this document</h2>
<!--begin-status-->
<p><em>This section describes the status of this document at the time of
its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list of
current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report
can be found in the <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/">W3C technical reports
index at http://www.w3.org/TR/.</a></em>
<p>Publication as a Working Draft does not imply endorsement by the W3C
Membership. This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or
obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this
document as other than work in progress.
<p>The (<a
href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/">archived</a>) public
mailing list <a href="mailto:www-style@w3.org">www-style@w3.org</a> (see
<a href="http://www.w3.org/Mail/Request">instructions</a>) is preferred
for discussion of this specification. When sending e-mail, please put the
text &#8220;css3-speech&#8221; in the subject, preferably like this:
&#8220;[<!---->css3-speech<!---->] <em>&hellip;summary of
comment&hellip;</em>&#8221;
<p>This document was produced by the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/members">CSS Working Group</a> (part of
the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Style/">Style Activity</a>).
<p>This document was produced by a group operating under the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy-20040205/">5 February
2004 W3C Patent Policy</a>. W3C maintains a <a
href="http://www.w3.org/2004/01/pp-impl/32061/status"
rel=disclosure>public list of any patent disclosures</a> made in
connection with the deliverables of the group; that page also includes
instructions for disclosing a patent. An individual who has actual
knowledge of a patent which the individual believes contains <a
href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy-20040205/#def-essential">Essential
Claim(s)</a> must disclose the information in accordance with <a
href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy-20040205/#sec-Disclosure">section
6 of the W3C Patent Policy</a>.</p>
<!--end-status-->
<p>This is a “last call” working draft, i.e., the working group expects
this to be the last call for comments before the document becomes a W3C
Candidate Recommendation. The <strong>deadline for comments</strong> is
<strong>30 September 2011</strong>.</p>
<!-- div class="issue">
<p>The following issues need to be discussed and require working group resolutions:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="#issue-xxx">xxx</a>
</li>
</ul>
<p>The CSS WG maintains a separate <a href="http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/Tracker/products/29"
>list of issues</a> for this module.</p>
</div -->
<p>The following features are at-risk and may be dropped at the end of the
CR period if there has not been enough interest from implementers:
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo;, &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-duration"><code
class=property>voice-duration</code></a>&rsquo;, &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-pitch"><code class=property>voice-pitch</code></a>&rsquo;,
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-range"><code
class=property>voice-range</code></a>&rsquo;, and &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-stress"><code class=property>voice-stress</code></a>&rsquo;.
<p>The CSS Speech module is a community effort and if you would like to
help with implementation and driving the specification forward along the
W3C Recommendation track, please contact the editors.
<h2 class="no-num no-toc" id=contents>Table of contents</h2>
<!--begin-toc-->
<ul class=toc>
<li><a href="#introduction"><span class=secno>1. </span>Introduction</a>
<ul class=toc>
<li><a href="#design-goals"><span class=secno>1.1. </span>Design goals,
motivations</a>
<li><a href="#css21-rel"><span class=secno>1.2. </span>Relationship with
CSS2.1</a>
</ul>
<li><a href="#values"><span class=secno>2. </span>CSS values</a>
<li><a href="#example"><span class=secno>3. </span>Example</a>
<li><a href="#aural-model"><span class=secno>4. </span>The aural
formatting model</a>
<li><a href="#mixing-props"><span class=secno>5. </span>Mixing
properties</a>
<ul class=toc>
<li><a href="#mixing-props-voice-volume"><span class=secno>5.1.
</span>The &lsquo;<code class=property>voice-volume</code>&rsquo;
property</a>
<li><a href="#mixing-props-voice-balance"><span class=secno>5.2.
</span>The &lsquo;<code class=property>voice-balance</code>&rsquo;
property</a>
</ul>
<li><a href="#speaking-props"><span class=secno>6. </span>Speaking
properties</a>
<ul class=toc>
<li><a href="#speaking-props-speak"><span class=secno>6.1. </span>The
&lsquo;<code class=property>speak</code>&rsquo; property</a>
<li><a href="#speaking-props-speak-as"><span class=secno>6.2. </span>The
&lsquo;<code class=property>speak-as</code>&rsquo; property</a>
</ul>
<li><a href="#pause-props"><span class=secno>7. </span>Pause properties
</a>
<ul class=toc>
<li><a href="#pause-props-pause-before-after"><span class=secno>7.1.
</span>The &lsquo;<code class=property>pause-before</code>&rsquo; and
&lsquo;<code class=property>pause-after</code>&rsquo; properties</a>
<li><a href="#pause-props-pause"><span class=secno>7.2. </span>The
&lsquo;<code class=property>pause</code>&rsquo; shorthand property</a>
<li><a href="#collapsing"><span class=secno>7.3. </span>Collapsing
pauses</a>
</ul>
<li><a href="#rest-props"><span class=secno>8. </span>Rest properties</a>
<ul class=toc>
<li><a href="#rest-props-rest-before-after"><span class=secno>8.1.
</span>The &lsquo;<code class=property>rest-before</code>&rsquo; and
&lsquo;<code class=property>rest-after</code>&rsquo; properties</a>
<li><a href="#rest-props-rest"><span class=secno>8.2. </span>The
&lsquo;<code class=property>rest</code>&rsquo; shorthand property</a>
</ul>
<li><a href="#cue-props"><span class=secno>9. </span>Cue properties</a>
<ul class=toc>
<li><a href="#cue-props-cue-before-after"><span class=secno>9.1.
</span>The &lsquo;<code class=property>cue-before</code>&rsquo; and
&lsquo;<code class=property>cue-after</code>&rsquo; properties</a>
<li><a href="#cue-props-cue"><span class=secno>9.2. </span>The
&lsquo;<code class=property>cue</code>&rsquo; shorthand property</a>
</ul>
<li><a href="#voice-char-props"><span class=secno>10. </span>Voice
characteristic properties</a>
<ul class=toc>
<li><a href="#voice-props-voice-family"><span class=secno>10.1.
</span>The &lsquo;<code class=property>voice-family</code>&rsquo;
property</a>
<li><a href="#voice-props-voice-rate"><span class=secno>10.2. </span>The
&lsquo;<code class=property>voice-rate</code>&rsquo; property</a>
<li><a href="#voice-props-voice-pitch"><span class=secno>10.3.
</span>The &lsquo;<code class=property>voice-pitch</code>&rsquo;
property</a>
<li><a href="#voice-props-voice-range"><span class=secno>10.4.
</span>The &lsquo;<code class=property>voice-range</code>&rsquo;
property</a>
<li><a href="#voice-props-voice-stress"><span class=secno>10.5.
</span>The &lsquo;<code class=property>voice-stress</code>&rsquo;
property</a>
</ul>
<li><a href="#duration-props"><span class=secno>11. </span>Voice duration
property</a>
<ul class=toc>
<li><a href="#mixing-props-voice-duration"><span class=secno>11.1.
</span>The &lsquo;<code class=property>voice-duration</code>&rsquo;
property</a>
</ul>
<li><a href="#lists"><span class=secno>12. </span>List items and counters
styles</a>
<li><a href="#content"><span class=secno>13. </span>Inserted and replaced
content</a>
<li><a href="#pronunciation"><span class=secno>14. </span> Pronunciation,
phonemes </a>
<li class=no-num><a href="#property-index">Appendix A &mdash; Property
index</a>
<li class=no-num><a href="#index">Appendix B &mdash; Index</a>
<li class=no-num><a href="#definitions">Appendix C &mdash; Definitions</a>
<ul class=toc>
<li class=no-num><a href="#glossary">Glossary</a>
<li class=no-num><a href="#conformance">Conformance</a>
<li class=no-num><a href="#exit">CR exit criteria</a>
</ul>
<li class=no-num><a href="#ack">Appendix D &mdash; Acknowledgements</a>
<li class=no-num><a href="#changes">Appendix E &mdash; Changes from
previous draft</a>
<li class=no-num><a href="#references">Appendix F &mdash; References</a>
<ul class=toc>
<li class=no-num><a href="#normative-references">Normative
references</a>
<li class=no-num><a href="#other-references">Other references</a>
</ul>
</ul>
<!--end-toc-->
<h2 id=introduction><span class=secno>1. </span>Introduction</h2>
<p class=note>Note that this entire section is non-normative.
<h3 id=design-goals><span class=secno>1.1. </span>Design goals, motivations</h3>
<p>The aural rendering of a document combines speech synthesis (also known
as "TTS", the acronym for "Text to Speech") and auditory icons (which we
refer to as "audio cues" in this specification). The aural presentation of
information is common amongst communities of users who are blind or
visually-impaired. For instance, "screen readers" enable control of visual
user-interfaces that would otherwise be inaccessible. There are other
cases whereby listening to textual information (as opposed to reading it)
is a necessity. Typical examples include in-car use of an e-book reader,
industrial and medical documentation systems, home entertainment, helping
users to learn reading, or supporting users who have reading difficulties
(print disabilities).
<p> When it comes to documents, the quality of the speech rendition depends
on the structure and semantics authored within the content itself. The CSS
Speech module provides properties that enable authors to declaratively
control presentational aspects of the aural dimension (e.g. TTS voice,
pitch, rate, and volume levels). These style sheet properties can be used
together with visual properties (mixed media), or as a complete aural
alternative to a visual presentation.
<p> Content creators can conditionally include CSS properties dedicated to
user-agents with text to speech synthesis capabilities, by specifying the
"speech" media type via the <code>media</code> attribute of the
<code>link</code> element, or with the <code>@media</code> at-rule, or
within an <code>@import</code> statement. When doing so, the styles
authored within the scope of such conditional statements are ignored by
user-agents that do not support this module.
<h3 id=css21-rel><span class=secno>1.2. </span>Relationship with CSS2.1</h3>
<p> The CSS Speech module is a re-work of the informative CSS2.1 Aural
appendix, within which the "aural" media type was described, but also
deprecated (in favor of the "speech" media type). Although the <a
href="#CSS21" rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a> specification
reserves the "speech" media type, it doesn't actually define the
corresponding properties. This module describes the CSS properties that
apply to the "speech" media type, and defines a new "box" model
specifically for the aural dimension.
<h2 id=values><span class=secno>2. </span>CSS values</h2>
<p>This specification follows the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/about.html#property-defs">CSS property
definition conventions</a> from <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>. Value types not defined in
this specification are defined in CSS Value and Units Level 3 <a
href="#CSS3VAL" rel=biblioentry>[CSS3VAL]<!--{{!CSS3VAL}}--></a>.
<p>In addition to the property-specific values listed in their definitions,
all properties defined in this specification also accept the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/cascade.html#value-def-inherit">inherit</a>
keyword as their property value. For readability it has not been repeated
explicitly.
<h2 id=example><span class=secno>3. </span>Example</h2>
<div class=example>
<p>This example shows how authors can tell the speech synthesizer to speak
HTML headings with a voice called "paul", using "moderate" emphasis
(which is more than normal) and how to insert an audio cue (pre-recorded
audio clip located at the given URL) before the start of TTS rendering
for each heading. In a stereo-capable sound system, paragraphs marked
with the CSS class "heidi" are rendered on the left audio channel (and
with a female voice, etc.), whilst the class "peter" corresponds to the
right channel (and to a male voice, etc.). The volume level of text spans
marked with the class "special" is lower than normal, and a prosodic
boundary is created by introducing a strong pause after it is spoken
(note how the <code>span</code> inherits the voice-family from its parent
paragraph).</p>
<pre>
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6
{
voice-family: paul;
voice-stress: moderate;
cue-before: url(../audio/ping.wav);
voice-volume: medium 6dB;
}
p.heidi
{
voice-family: female;
voice-balance: left;
voice-pitch: high;
voice-volume: -6dB;
}
p.peter
{
voice-family: male;
voice-balance: right;
voice-rate: fast;
}
span.special
{
voice-volume: soft;
pause-after: strong;
}
...
&lt;h1&gt;I am Paul, and I speak headings.&lt;/h1&gt;
&lt;p class="heidi"&gt;Hello, I am Heidi.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="peter"&gt;
&lt;span class="special"&gt;Can you hear me ?&lt;/span&gt;
I am Peter.
&lt;/p&gt;</pre>
</div>
<h2 id=aural-model><span class=secno>4. </span>The aural formatting model</h2>
<p>The CSS formatting model for aural media is based on a sequence of
sounds and silences that occur within a nested context similar to the <a
href="#box-model-def">visual box model</a>, which we name the <dfn
id=aural-box-model>aural "box" model</dfn>. The aural "canvas" consists of
a two-channel (stereo) space and of a temporal dimension, within which
synthetic speech and audio cues coexist. The selected element is
surrounded by &lsquo;<a href="#rest"><code
class=property>rest</code></a>&rsquo;, &lsquo;<a href="#cue"><code
class=property>cue</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a href="#pause"><code
class=property>pause</code></a>&rsquo; properties (from the innermost to
the outermost position). These can be seen as aural equivalents to
&lsquo;<code class=property>padding</code>&rsquo;, &lsquo;<code
class=property>border</code>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<code
class=property>margin</code>&rsquo;, respectively. When used, the
&lsquo;<code class=css>:before</code>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<code
class=css>:after</code>&rsquo; pseudo-elements <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a> get inserted between the
element's contents and the &lsquo;<a href="#rest"><code
class=property>rest</code></a>&rsquo;.
<p> The following diagram illustrates the equivalence between properties of
the visual and aural box models, applied to the selected &lt;element&gt;:
<p> <img alt="A graph depicting the aural 'box' model." id=aural-box
src=aural-box.png>
<h2 id=mixing-props><span class=secno>5. </span>Mixing properties</h2>
<h3 id=mixing-props-voice-volume><span class=secno>5.1. </span>The
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-volume"><code
class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo; property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=voice-volume>voice-volume</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>silent | [[x-soft | soft | medium | loud | x-loud] ||
&lt;decibel&gt;]
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>medium
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>yes
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>a keyword value, and optionally also a decibel offset (if not zero)
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#voice-volume"><code
class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo; property allows authors to
control the amplitude of the audio waveform generated by the speech
synthesiser, and is also used to adjust the relative volume level of <a
href="#cue-props">audio cues</a> within the <a href="#aural-model">audio
"box" model</a>.
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property is
related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_prosody"><code>volume</code>
attribute of the <code>prosody</code> element</a> from the SSML markup
language <a href="#SSML" rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl><!-- dt>
<strong>normal</strong>
</dt>
<dd>
<p> Corresponds to +0.0dB, which means that there is no modification of volume level. This
value overrides the inherited value.</p>
</dd -->
<dt> <strong>silent</strong>
<dd>
<p> Specifies that no sound is generated (the text is read "silently").
Corresponds to negative infinity in dB units.</p>
<p class=note> Note that there is a difference between an element whose
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-volume"><code
class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo; property has a value of
&lsquo;<code class=property>silent</code>&rsquo;, and an element whose
&lsquo;<a href="#speak"><code class=property>speak</code></a>&rsquo;
property has the value &lsquo;<code class=property>none</code>&rsquo;.
With the former, the selected element takes up the same time as if it
was spoken, including any pause before and after the element, but no
sound is generated (descendants can override the &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-volume"><code class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo;
value and may therefore generate audio output). With the latter, the
selected element is not rendered in the aural dimension and no time is
allocated for playback (descendants can override the &lsquo;<a
href="#speak"><code class=property>speak</code></a>&rsquo; value and may
therefore generate audio output).</p>
<dt><strong>x-soft</strong>, <strong>soft</strong>,
<strong>medium</strong>, <strong>loud</strong>, <strong>x-loud</strong>
<dd>
<p> This sequence of keywords corresponds to monotonically non-decreasing
volume levels, mapped to implementation-dependent values (i.e. inferred
by the user-agent) that meet the user's requirements in terms of
perceived sound loudness . The keyword &lsquo;<code
class=property>x-soft</code>&rsquo; maps to the user's <em>minimum
audible</em> volume level, &lsquo;<code
class=property>x-loud</code>&rsquo; maps to the user's <em>maximum
tolerable</em> volume level, &lsquo;<code
class=property>medium</code>&rsquo; maps to the user's
<em>preferred</em> volume level, &lsquo;<code
class=property>soft</code>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<code
class=property>loud</code>&rsquo; map to intermediary values.</p>
<dt> <strong>&lt;decibel&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p>A <a href="#number-def">number</a> immediately followed by "dB"
(decibel unit). This represents a change (positive or negative) relative
to the given keyword value (see enumeration above), or to the default
value for the root element, or otherwise to the inherited volume level
(which may itself be a combination of a keyword value and of a decibel
offset, in which case the decibel values are combined additively). When
the inherited volume level is &lsquo;<code
class=property>silent</code>&rsquo;, this &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-volume"><code class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo;
resolves to &lsquo;<code class=property>silent</code>&rsquo; too,
regardless of the specified &lt;decibel&gt; value. Decibels represent
the ratio of the squares of the new signal amplitude (a1) and the
current amplitude (a0), as per the following logarithmic equation:
volume(dB) = 20 log10 (a1 / a0)</p>
<p class=note> Note that -6.0dB is approximately half the amplitude of
the audio signal, and +6.0dB is approximately twice the amplitude.</p>
</dl>
<p class=note>Note that the actual perceived volume levels depend on
various factors, such as the listening environment and personal user
preferences. The effective volume variation between &lsquo;<code
class=property>x-soft</code>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<code
class=property>x-loud</code>&rsquo; represents the dynamic range (in terms
of loudness) of the speech output. Typically, this range would be
compressed in a noisy context, i.e. the perceived loudness corresponding
to &lsquo;<code class=property>x-soft</code>&rsquo; would effectively be
closer to &lsquo;<code class=property>x-loud</code>&rsquo; than it would
be in a quiet environment. There may also be situations where both
&lsquo;<code class=property>x-soft</code>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<code
class=property>x-loud</code>&rsquo; would map to low volume levels, such
as in listening environments requiring discretion (e.g. library,
night-reading).
<h3 id=mixing-props-voice-balance><span class=secno>5.2. </span>The
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=voice-balance>voice-balance</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;number&gt; | left | center | right | leftwards | rightwards
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>center
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>yes
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>the specified value resolved to a &lt;number&gt; between
&lsquo;<code class=css>-100</code>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<code
class=css>100</code>&rsquo; (inclusive)
</table>
<p> The &lsquo;<a href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; property controls the
spatial distribution of audio output across a lateral sound stage: one
extremity is on the left, the other extremity is on the right hand side,
relative to the listener's position. Authors can specify intermediary
steps between left and right extremities, to represent the audio
separation along the resulting left-right axis.
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property has no
match in the SSML markup language <a href="#SSML"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>&lt;number&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p>A <a href="#number-def">number</a> between &lsquo;<code
class=css>-100</code>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<code
class=css>100</code>&rsquo; (inclusive). Values smaller than
&lsquo;<code class=css>-100</code>&rsquo; are clamped to &lsquo;<code
class=css>-100</code>&rsquo;. Values greater than &lsquo;<code
class=css>100</code>&rsquo; are clamped to &lsquo;<code
class=css>100</code>&rsquo;. The value &lsquo;<code
class=css>-100</code>&rsquo; represents the left side, and the value
&lsquo;<code class=css>100</code>&rsquo; represents the right side. The
value &lsquo;<code class=css>0</code>&rsquo; represents the center point
whereby there is no discernible audio separation between left and right
sides (in a stereo sound system, this corresponds to equal distribution
of audio signals between left and right speakers).</p>
<dt> <strong>left</strong>
<dd>
<p>Same as &lsquo;<code class=css>-100</code>&rsquo;.</p>
<dt> <strong>center</strong>
<dd>
<p>Same as &lsquo;<code class=css>0</code>&rsquo;.</p>
<dt> <strong>right</strong>
<dd>
<p>Same as &lsquo;<code class=css>100</code>&rsquo;.</p>
<dt> <strong>leftwards</strong>
<dd>
<p>Moves the sound to the left, by subtracting 20 from the inherited
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; value, and by clamping
the resulting number to &lsquo;<code class=css>-100</code>&rsquo;.</p>
<dt> <strong>rightwards</strong>
<dd>
<p>Moves the sound to the right, by adding 20 to the inherited &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; value, and by clamping
the resulting number to &lsquo;<code class=css>100</code>&rsquo;.</p>
</dl>
<p> User agents may be connected to different kinds of sound systems,
featuring varying audio mixing capabilities. The expected behavior for
mono, stereo, and surround sound systems is defined as follows:
<ul>
<li> When user-agents produce audio via a mono-aural sound system (i.e.
single-speaker setup), the &lsquo;<a href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; property has no effect.
<li> When user-agents produce audio through a stereo sound system (e.g.
two speakers, a pair of headphones), the left-right distribution of audio
signals can precisely match the authored values for the &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; property.
<li> When user-agents are capable of mixing audio signals through more
than 2 channels (e.g. 5-speakers surround sound system, including a
dedicated center channel), the physical distribution of audio signals
resulting from the application of the &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; property should be
performed so that the listener perceives sound as if it was coming from a
basic stereo layout. For example, the center channel as well as the
left/right speakers may be used altogether in order to emulate the
behavior of the &lsquo;<code class=property>center</code>&rsquo; value.
</ul>
<p> Future revisions of the CSS Speech module may include support for
three-dimensional audio, which would effectively enable authors to specify
"azimuth" and "elevation" values. In the future, content authored using
the current specification may therefore be consumed by user-agents which
are compliant with the version of CSS Speech that supports
three-dimensional audio. In order to prepare for this possibility, the
values enabled by the current &lsquo;<a href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; property are designed to
remain compatible with "azimuth" angles. More precisely, the mapping
between the current left-right audio axis (lateral sound stage) and the
envisioned 360 degrees plane around the listener's position is defined as
follows:
<ul>
<li>The value &lsquo;<code class=css>0</code>&rsquo; maps to zero degrees
(&lsquo;<code class=property>center</code>&rsquo;). This is in "front" of
the listener, not from "behind".
<li>The value &lsquo;<code class=css>-100</code>&rsquo; maps to -40
degrees (&lsquo;<code class=property>left</code>&rsquo;). Negative angles
are in the counter-clockwise direction (the audio stage is seen from the
top).
<li>The value &lsquo;<code class=css>100</code>&rsquo; maps to 40 degrees
(&lsquo;<code class=property>right</code>&rsquo;). Positive angles are in
the clockwise direction (the audio stage is seen from the top).
<li>Intermediary values on the scale from &lsquo;<code
class=css>-100</code>&rsquo; to &lsquo;<code class=css>100</code>&rsquo;
map to the angles between -40 and 40 degrees in a numerically
linearly-proportional manner. For example, &lsquo;<code
class=css>-50</code>&rsquo; maps to -20 degrees.
</ul>
<p class=note> Note that sound systems may be configured by users in such a
way that it would interfere with the left-right audio distribution
specified by document authors. Typically, the various "surround" modes
available in modern sound systems (including systems based on basic stereo
speakers) tend to greatly alter the perceived spatial arrangement of audio
signals. The illusion of a three-dimensional sound stage is often achieved
using a combination of phase shifting, digital delay, volume control
(channel mixing), and other techniques. Some users may even configure
their system to "downgrade" any rendered sound to a single mono channel,
in which case the effect of the &lsquo;<a href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; property would obviously
not be perceivable at all. The rendering fidelity of authored content is
therefore dependent on such user customizations, and the &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-balance"><code class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo;
property merely specifies the desired end-result.
<p class=note> Note that many speech synthesizers only generate mono sound,
and therefore do not intrinsically support the &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-balance"><code class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo;
property. The sound distribution along the left-right axis consequently
occurs at post-synthesis stage (when the speech-enabled user-agent mixes
the various audio sources authored within the document)
<h2 id=speaking-props><span class=secno>6. </span>Speaking properties</h2>
<h3 id=speaking-props-speak><span class=secno>6.1. </span>The &lsquo;<a
href="#speak"><code class=property>speak</code></a>&rsquo; property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=speak>speak</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>auto | none | normal
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>auto
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>yes
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>specified value
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#speak"><code class=property>speak</code></a>&rsquo;
property determines whether or not to render text aurally.
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property has no
match in the SSML markup language <a href="#SSML"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>auto</strong>
<dd>
<p>Resolves to a computed value of &lsquo;<code
class=property>none</code>&rsquo; when <a
href="#display-def">&lsquo;<code
class=property>display</code>&rsquo;</a> is &lsquo;<code
class=property>none</code>&rsquo;, otherwise resolves to a computed
value of &lsquo;<code class=property>auto</code>&rsquo; which yields a
used value of &lsquo;<code class=property>normal</code>&rsquo;.</p>
<p class=note> Note that the &lsquo;<code
class=property>none</code>&rsquo; value of the <a
href="#display-def">&lsquo;<code
class=property>display</code>&rsquo;</a> property cannot be overridden
by descendants of the selected element, but the &lsquo;<code
class=property>auto</code>&rsquo; value of &lsquo;<a href="#speak"><code
class=property>speak</code></a>&rsquo; can however be overridden using
either of &lsquo;<code class=property>none</code>&rsquo; or &lsquo;<code
class=property>normal</code>&rsquo;.</p>
<dt> <strong>none</strong>
<dd>
<p> This value causes an element (including pauses, cues, rests and
actual content) to not be rendered (i.e., the element has no effect in
the aural dimension).</p>
<p class=note> Note that any of the descendants of the affected element
are allowed to override this value, so descendants can actually take
part in the aural rendering despite using &lsquo;<code
class=property>none</code>&rsquo; at this level. However, the pauses,
cues, and rests of the ancestor element remain "deactivated" in the
aural dimension, and therefore do not contribute to the <a
href="#collapsing">collapsing of pauses</a> or additive behavior of
adjoining rests.</p>
<dt> <strong>normal</strong>
<dd>
<p> The element is rendered aurally (regardless of its <a
href="#display-def">&lsquo;<code
class=property>display</code>&rsquo;</a> value and the <a
href="#display-def">&lsquo;<code
class=property>display</code>&rsquo;</a> and &lsquo;<a
href="#speak"><code class=property>speak</code></a>&rsquo; values of its
ancestors).</p>
<p class=note> Note that using this value can result in the element being
rendered in the aural dimension even though it would not be rendered on
the visual canvas.</p>
</dl>
<h3 id=speaking-props-speak-as><span class=secno>6.2. </span>The &lsquo;<a
href="#speak-as"><code class=property>speak-as</code></a>&rsquo; property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=speak-as>speak-as</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>normal | spell-out || digits || [ literal-punctuation |
no-punctuation ]
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>normal
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>yes
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>specified value
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#speak-as"><code
class=property>speak-as</code></a>&rsquo; property determines in what
manner text gets rendered aurally, based upon a basic predefined list of
possible values.
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property is
related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_say-as"><code>say-as</code>
element</a> from the SSML markup language <a href="#SSML"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>, whose values are described in
the <a href="#SSML-SAYAS"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML-SAYAS]<!--{{SSML-SAYAS}}--></a> W3C Note.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>normal</strong>
<dd>
<p>Uses language-dependent pronunciation rules for rendering the
element's content. For example, punctuation is not spoken as-is, but
instead rendered naturally as appropriate pauses.</p>
<dt> <strong>spell-out</strong>
<dd>
<p>Spells the text one letter at a time (useful for acronyms and
abbreviations). In languages where accented characters are rare, it is
permitted to drop accents in favor of alternative unaccented spellings.
As as example, in English, the word "r&ocirc;le" can also be written as
"role". A conforming implementation would thus be able to spell-out
"r&ocirc;le" as "R O L E".</p>
<dt> <strong>digits</strong>
<dd>
<p>Speak numbers one digit at a time, for instance, "twelve" would be
spoken as "one two", and "31" as "three one".</p>
<p class=note>Speech synthesizers are knowledgeable about what is and
what is not a number. The &lsquo;<a href="#speak-as"><code
class=property>speak-as</code></a>&rsquo; property enables authors to
control how the user-agent renders numbers, and may be implemented as a
preprocessing step before passing the text to the actual speech
synthesizer.</p>
<dt> <strong>literal-punctuation</strong>
<dd>
<p> Punctuation such as semicolons, braces, and so on is named aloud
(i.e. spoken literally) rather than rendered naturally as appropriate
pauses.</p>
<dt> <strong>no-punctuation</strong>
<dd>
<p>Punctuation is not rendered: neither spoken nor rendered as pauses.</p>
</dl>
<h2 id=pause-props><span class=secno>7. </span>Pause properties</h2>
<h3 id=pause-props-pause-before-after><span class=secno>7.1. </span>The
&lsquo;<a href="#pause-before"><code
class=property>pause-before</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#pause-after"><code class=property>pause-after</code></a>&rsquo;
properties</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=pause-before>pause-before</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;time&gt; | none | x-weak | weak | medium | strong | x-strong
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>none
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>no
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>specified value
</table>
<p>&nbsp;
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=pause-after>pause-after</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;time&gt; | none | x-weak | weak | medium | strong | x-strong
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>none
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>no
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>specified value
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#pause-before"><code
class=property>pause-before</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#pause-after"><code class=property>pause-after</code></a>&rsquo;
properties specify a prosodic boundary (silence with a specific duration)
that occurs before (or after) the speech synthesis rendition of the
selected element, or if any &lsquo;<a href="#cue-before"><code
class=property>cue-before</code></a>&rsquo; (or &lsquo;<a
href="#cue-after"><code class=property>cue-after</code></a>&rsquo;) is
specified, before (or after) the cue within the <a
href="#aural-model">audio "box" model</a>.
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property is
related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_break"><code>break</code>
element</a> from the SSML markup language <a href="#SSML"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>&lt;time&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p>Expresses the pause in absolute <a href="#time-def">time</a> units
(seconds and milliseconds, e.g. "+3s", "250ms"). Only non-negative
values are allowed.</p>
<dt> <strong>none</strong>
<dd>
<p> Equivalent to 0ms (no prosodic break is produced by the speech
processor).</p>
<dt> <strong>x-weak</strong>, <strong>weak</strong>,
<strong>medium</strong>, <strong>strong</strong>, and
<strong>x-strong</strong>
<dd>
<p> Expresses the pause by the strength of the prosodic break in speech
output. The exact time is implementation-dependent. The values indicate
monotonically non-decreasing (conceptually increasing) break strength
between elements.</p>
</dl>
<p class=note> Note that stronger content boundaries are typically
accompanied by pauses. For example, the breaks between paragraphs are
typically much more substantial than the breaks between words within a
sentence.
<div class=example>
<p> This example illustrates how the default strengths of prosodic breaks
for specific elements (which are defined by the user-agent stylesheet)
can be overridden by authored styles.</p>
<pre>
p { pause: none } /* pause-before: none; pause-after: none */</pre>
</div>
<h3 id=pause-props-pause><span class=secno>7.2. </span>The &lsquo;<a
href="#pause"><code class=property>pause</code></a>&rsquo; shorthand
property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=pause>pause</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;&lsquo;<a href="#pause-before"><code
class=property>pause-before</code></a>&rsquo;&gt; &lt;&lsquo;<a
href="#pause-after"><code
class=property>pause-after</code></a>&rsquo;&gt;?
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>N/A (see individual properties)
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>no
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>N/A (see individual properties)
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#pause"><code class=property>pause</code></a>&rsquo;
property is a shorthand property for &lsquo;<a href="#pause-before"><code
class=property>pause-before</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#pause-after"><code class=property>pause-after</code></a>&rsquo;. If
two values are given, the first value is &lsquo;<a
href="#pause-before"><code class=property>pause-before</code></a>&rsquo;
and the second is &lsquo;<a href="#pause-after"><code
class=property>pause-after</code></a>&rsquo;. If only one value is given,
it applies to both properties.
<div class=example>
<p> Examples of property values:</p>
<pre>
h1 { pause: 20ms; } /* pause-before: 20ms; pause-after: 20ms */
h2 { pause: 30ms 40ms; } /* pause-before: 30ms; pause-after: 40ms */
h3 { pause-after: 10ms; } /* pause-before: <i>unspecified</i>; pause-after: 10ms */</pre>
</div>
<h3 id=collapsing><span class=secno>7.3. </span>Collapsing pauses</h3>
<p> The pause defines the minimum distance of the aural "box" to the aural
"boxes" before and after it. Adjoining pauses are merged by selecting the
strongest named break and the longest absolute time interval. For example,
"strong" is selected when comparing "strong" and "weak", "1s" is selected
when comparing "1s" and "250ms", and "strong" and "250ms" take effect
additively when comparing "strong" and "250ms".
<p>The following pauses are adjoining:
<ol>
<li>The &lsquo;<a href="#pause-after"><code
class=property>pause-after</code></a>&rsquo; of an aural "box" and the
&lsquo;<a href="#pause-after"><code
class=property>pause-after</code></a>&rsquo; of its last child, provided
the former has no &lsquo;<a href="#rest-after"><code
class=property>rest-after</code></a>&rsquo; and no &lsquo;<a
href="#cue-after"><code class=property>cue-after</code></a>&rsquo;.
<li>The &lsquo;<a href="#pause-before"><code
class=property>pause-before</code></a>&rsquo; of an aural "box" and the
&lsquo;<a href="#pause-before"><code
class=property>pause-before</code></a>&rsquo; of its first child,
provided the former has no &lsquo;<a href="#rest-before"><code
class=property>rest-before</code></a>&rsquo; and no &lsquo;<a
href="#cue-before"><code class=property>cue-before</code></a>&rsquo;.
<li>The &lsquo;<a href="#pause-after"><code
class=property>pause-after</code></a>&rsquo; of an aural "box" and the
&lsquo;<a href="#pause-before"><code
class=property>pause-before</code></a>&rsquo; of its next sibling.
<li>The &lsquo;<a href="#pause-before"><code
class=property>pause-before</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#pause-after"><code class=property>pause-after</code></a>&rsquo; of
an aural "box", if the the "box" has a &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-duration"><code
class=property>voice-duration</code></a>&rsquo; of "0ms" and no &lsquo;<a
href="#rest-before"><code class=property>rest-before</code></a>&rsquo; or
&lsquo;<a href="#rest-after"><code
class=property>rest-after</code></a>&rsquo; and no &lsquo;<a
href="#cue-before"><code class=property>cue-before</code></a>&rsquo; or
&lsquo;<a href="#cue-after"><code
class=property>cue-after</code></a>&rsquo;, or if the the "box" has no
rendered content at all (see &lsquo;<a href="#speak"><code
class=property>speak</code></a>&rsquo;).
</ol>
<p>A collapsed pause is considered adjoining to another pause if any of its
component pauses is adjoining to that pause.
<p class=note> Note that &lsquo;<a href="#pause"><code
class=property>pause</code></a>&rsquo; has been moved from between the
element's contents and any &lsquo;<a href="#cue"><code
class=property>cue</code></a>&rsquo; to outside the &lsquo;<a
href="#cue"><code class=property>cue</code></a>&rsquo;. This is not
backwards compatible with the informative CSS2.1 Aural appendix <a
href="#CSS21" rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>.
<h2 id=rest-props><span class=secno>8. </span>Rest properties</h2>
<h3 id=rest-props-rest-before-after><span class=secno>8.1. </span>The
&lsquo;<a href="#rest-before"><code
class=property>rest-before</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#rest-after"><code class=property>rest-after</code></a>&rsquo;
properties</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=rest-before>rest-before</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;time&gt; | none | x-weak | weak | medium | strong | x-strong
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>none
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>no
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>specified value
</table>
<p>&nbsp;
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=rest-after>rest-after</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;time&gt; | none | x-weak | weak | medium | strong | x-strong
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>none
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>no
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>specified value
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#rest-before"><code
class=property>rest-before</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#rest-after"><code class=property>rest-after</code></a>&rsquo;
properties specify a prosodic boundary (silence with a specific duration)
that occurs before (or after) the speech synthesis rendition of an element
within the <a href="#aural-model">audio "box" model</a>.
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property is
related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_break"><code>break</code>
element</a> from the SSML markup language <a href="#SSML"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>&lt;time&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p>Expresses the rest in absolute <a href="#time-def">time</a> units
(seconds and milliseconds, e.g. "+3s", "250ms"). Only non-negative
values are allowed.</p>
<dt> <strong>none</strong>
<dd>
<p> Equivalent to 0ms (no prosodic break is produced by the speech
processor).</p>
<dt> <strong>x-weak</strong>, <strong>weak</strong>,
<strong>medium</strong>, <strong>strong</strong>, and
<strong>x-strong</strong>
<dd>
<p> Expresses the rest by the strength of the prosodic break in speech
output. The exact time is implementation-dependent. The values indicate
monotonically non-decreasing (conceptually increasing) break strength
between elements.</p>
</dl>
<p>As opposed to <a href="#pause-props">pause properties</a>, the rest is
inserted between the element's content and any &lsquo;<a
href="#cue-before"><code class=property>cue-before</code></a>&rsquo; or
&lsquo;<a href="#cue-after"><code
class=property>cue-after</code></a>&rsquo; content. Adjoining rests are
treated additively, and do not collapse.
<h3 id=rest-props-rest><span class=secno>8.2. </span>The &lsquo;<a
href="#rest"><code class=property>rest</code></a>&rsquo; shorthand
property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=rest>rest</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;&lsquo;<a href="#rest-before"><code
class=property>rest-before</code></a>&rsquo;&gt; &lt;&lsquo;<a
href="#rest-after"><code
class=property>rest-after</code></a>&rsquo;&gt;?
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>N/A (see individual properties)
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>no
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>N/A (see individual properties)
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#rest"><code class=property>rest</code></a>&rsquo;
property is a shorthand for &lsquo;<a href="#rest-before"><code
class=property>rest-before</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#rest-after"><code class=property>rest-after</code></a>&rsquo;. If
two values are given, the first value is &lsquo;<a
href="#rest-before"><code class=property>rest-before</code></a>&rsquo; and
the second is &lsquo;<a href="#rest-after"><code
class=property>rest-after</code></a>&rsquo;. If only one value is given,
it applies to both properties.
<h2 id=cue-props><span class=secno>9. </span>Cue properties</h2>
<h3 id=cue-props-cue-before-after><span class=secno>9.1. </span>The
&lsquo;<a href="#cue-before"><code
class=property>cue-before</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#cue-after"><code class=property>cue-after</code></a>&rsquo;
properties</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=cue-before>cue-before</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;uri&gt; &lt;decibel&gt;? | none
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>none
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>no
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>specified value
</table>
<p>&nbsp;
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=cue-after>cue-after</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;uri&gt; &lt;decibel&gt;? | none
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>none
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>no
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>specified value
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#cue-before"><code
class=property>cue-before</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#cue-after"><code class=property>cue-after</code></a>&rsquo;
properties specify auditory icons (i.e. pre-recorded / pre-generated sound
clips) to be played before (or after) the selected element within the <a
href="#aural-model">audio "box" model</a>.
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property is
related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_audio"><code>audio</code>
element</a> from the SSML markup language <a href="#SSML"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>&lt;uri&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p>The URI designates an auditory icon resource. When a user agent is not
able to render the specified auditory icon (e.g. missing file resource,
or unsupported audio codec), it is recommended to produce an alternative
cue, such as a bell sound.</p>
<dt> <strong>none</strong>
<dd>
<p>Specifies that no auditory icon is used.</p>
<dt> <strong>&lt;decibel&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p>A <a href="#number-def">number</a> immediately followed by "dB"
(decibel unit). This represents a change (positive or negative) relative
to the computed value of the &lsquo;<a href="#voice-volume"><code
class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo; property within the <a
href="#aural-model">aural "box" model</a> of the selected element.
Decibels express the ratio of the squares of the new signal amplitude
(a1) and the current amplitude (a0), as per the following logarithmic
equation: volume(dB) = 20 log10 (a1 / a0)</p>
<p> When the &lsquo;<a href="#voice-volume"><code
class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo; property is set to
&lsquo;<code class=property>silent</code>&rsquo;, the audio cue is also
set to &lsquo;<code class=property>silent</code>&rsquo; (regardless of
this specified &lt;decibel&gt; value). Otherwise (when not &lsquo;<code
class=property>silent</code>&rsquo;), &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-volume"><code class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo;
values are always specified relatively to the volume level keywords,
which map to a user-configured scale of "preferred" loudness settings
(see the definition of &lsquo;<a href="#voice-volume"><code
class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo;). If the inherited
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-volume"><code
class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo; value already contains a
decibel offset, the dB offset specific to the audio cue is combined
additively.
<p> The desired effect of an audio cue set at +0dB is that the volume
level during playback of the pre-recorded / pre-generated audio signal
is effectively the same as the loudness of live (i.e. real-time) speech
synthesis rendition. In order to achieve this effect, speech processors
are capable of directly controlling the waveform amplitude of generated
text-to-speech audio, user agents must be able to adjust the volume
output of audio cues (i.e. amplify or attenuate audio signals based on
the intrinsic waveform amplitude of digitized sound clips), and last but
not least, authors must ensure that the "normal" volume level of
pre-recorded audio cues (on average, as there may be discrete loudness
variations due to changes in the audio stream, such as intonation,
stress, etc.) matches that of a "typical" TTS voice output (based on the
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-family"><code
class=property>voice-family</code></a>&rsquo; intended for use), given
standard listening conditions (i.e. default system volume levels,
centered equalization across the frequency spectrum). This latter
prerequisite sets a baseline that enables a user agent to align the
volume outputs of both TTS and cue audio streams within the same aural
"box" model. Due to the complex relationship between perceived audio
characteristics and the processing applied to the digitized audio
signal, we will simplify the definition of "normal" volume levels by
referring to a canonical recording scenario, whereby the attenuation is
typically indicated in decibels, ranging from 0dB (maximum audio input,
near clipping threshold) to -60dB (total silence). In this common
context, a "standard" audio clip would oscillate between these values,
the loudest peak levels would be close to -3dB (to avoid distortion),
and the relevant audible passages would have average (RMS) volume levels
as high as possible (i.e. not too quiet, to avoid background noise
during amplification). This would roughly provide an audio experience
that could be seamlessly combined with text-to-speech output (i.e. there
would be no discernible difference in volume levels when switching from
pre-recorded audio to speech synthesis). Although there exists no
industry-wide standard to support such convention, TTS engines usually
generate comparably-loud audio signals when no gain or attenuation is
specified. For voice and soft music, -15dB RMS seems to be pretty
standard.</p>
<p class=note> Note that -6.0dB is approximately half the amplitude of
the audio signal, and +6.0dB is approximately twice the amplitude.</p>
<p class=note> Note that there is a difference between an audio cue whose
volume is set to &lsquo;<code class=property>silent</code>&rsquo; and
one whose value is &lsquo;<code class=property>none</code>&rsquo;. In
the former case, the audio cue takes up the same time as if it had been
played, but no sound is generated. In the latter case, the there is no
manifestation of the audio cue at all (i.e. no time is allocated for the
cue in the aural dimension).</p>
</dl>
<div class=example>
<p> Examples of property values:</p>
<pre>
a
{
cue-before: url(/audio/bell.aiff) -3dB;
cue-after: url(dong.wav);
}
h1
{
cue-before: url(../clips-1/pop.au) +6dB;
cue-after: url(../clips-2/pop.au) 6dB;
}
div.caution { cue-before: url(./audio/caution.wav) +8dB; }</pre>
</div>
<h3 id=cue-props-cue><span class=secno>9.2. </span>The &lsquo;<a
href="#cue"><code class=property>cue</code></a>&rsquo; shorthand property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=cue>cue</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;&lsquo;<a href="#cue-before"><code
class=property>cue-before</code></a>&rsquo;&gt; &lt;&lsquo;<a
href="#cue-after"><code class=property>cue-after</code></a>&rsquo;&gt;?
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>N/A (see individual properties)
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>no
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>N/A (see individual properties)
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#cue"><code class=property>cue</code></a>&rsquo;
property is a shorthand for &lsquo;<a href="#cue-before"><code
class=property>cue-before</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#cue-after"><code class=property>cue-after</code></a>&rsquo;. If two
values are given the first value is &lsquo;<a href="#cue-before"><code
class=property>cue-before</code></a>&rsquo; and the second is &lsquo;<a
href="#cue-after"><code class=property>cue-after</code></a>&rsquo;. If
only one value is given, it applies to both properties.
<div class=example>
<p> Example of shorthand notation:</p>
<pre>
h1
{
cue-before: url(pop.au);
cue-after: url(pop.au);
}
/* ...is equivalent to: */
h1
{
cue: url(pop.au);
}</pre>
</div>
<h2 id=voice-char-props><span class=secno>10. </span>Voice characteristic
properties</h2>
<h3 id=voice-props-voice-family><span class=secno>10.1. </span>The
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-family"><code
class=property>voice-family</code></a>&rsquo; property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=voice-family>voice-family</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td> [[&lt;name&gt; | &lt;generic-voice&gt;],]* [&lt;name&gt; |
&lt;generic-voice&gt;] | preserve
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>implementation-dependent
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>yes
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>specified value
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#voice-family"><code
class=property>voice-family</code></a>&rsquo; property specifies a
prioritized list of component values that are separated by commas to
indicate that they are alternatives (this is analogous to &lsquo;<code
class=css><a href="#font-family-def"><code
class=property>font-family</code></a></code>&rsquo; in visual style
sheets). Each component value potentially designates a speech synthesis
voice instance, by specifying match criteria (see the <a
href="#voice-selection">voice selection</a> section on this topic).
<p> <strong>&lt;generic-voice&gt;</strong> = [&lt;age&gt;? &lt;gender&gt;
&lt;integer&gt;?]
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property is
related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_voice"><code>voice</code>
element</a> from the SSML markup language <a href="#SSML"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>&lt;name&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p>Values are specific voice instances (e.g., Mike, comedian, mary,
carlos2, "valley girl"). Voice names must either be given quoted as <a
href="#strings-def">strings</a>, or unquoted as a sequence of one or
more <a href="#identifier-def">identifiers</a>.</p>
<p class=note>Note that as a result, most punctuation characters, or
digits at the start of each token, must be escaped in unquoted voice
names.</p>
<p> If a sequence of identifiers is given as a voice name, the computed
value is the name converted to a string by joining all the identifiers
in the sequence by single spaces.</p>
<p> Voice names that happen to be the same as the gender keywords
(&lsquo;<code class=property>male</code>&rsquo;, &lsquo;<code
class=property>female</code>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<code
class=property>neutral</code>&rsquo;) or that happen to match the
keywords &lsquo;<code class=property>inherit</code>&rsquo; or
&lsquo;<code class=property>preserve</code>&rsquo; must be quoted to
disambiguate with these keywords. The keywords &lsquo;<code
class=property>initial</code>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<code
class=property>default</code>&rsquo; are reserved for future use and
must also be quoted when used as voice names.</p>
<p class=note> Note that in <a href="#SSML"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>, voice names are
space-separated and cannot contain whitespace characters.</p>
<p> It is recommended to quote voice names that contain white space,
digits, or punctuation characters other than hyphens - even if these
voice names are valid in unquoted form - in order to improve code
clarity. For example: <code>voice-family: "john doe", "Henry
the-8th";</code></p>
<dt> <strong>&lt;age&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p> Possible values are &lsquo;<code class=property>child</code>&rsquo;,
&lsquo;<code class=property>young</code>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<code
class=property>old</code>&rsquo;, indicating the preferred age category
to match during voice selection. The mapping with <a href="#SSML"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a> ages is defined as follows:
&lsquo;<code class=property>child</code>&rsquo; = 6 y/o, &lsquo;<code
class=property>young</code>&rsquo; = 24 y/o, &lsquo;<code
class=property>old</code>&rsquo; = 75 y/o (note that more flexible age
ranges may be used by the processor-dependent voice-matching algorithm).
</p>
<p class=note> Note that the interpretation of the relationship between a
person's age and a recognizable type of voice cannot realistically be
defined in a universal manner, as it effectively depends on numerous
criteria (cultural, linguistic, biological, etc.). The values provided
by this specification therefore represent a simplified model that can be
reasonably applied to a broad variety of speech contexts, albeit at the
cost of a certain degree of approximation. Future versions of this
specification may refine the level of precision of the voice-matching
algorithm, as speech processor implementations become more standardized.
</p>
<dt> <strong>&lt;gender&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p> One of the keywords &lsquo;<code class=property>male</code>&rsquo;,
&lsquo;<code class=property>female</code>&rsquo;, or &lsquo;<code
class=property>neutral</code>&rsquo;, specifying a male, female, or
neutral voice, respectively.</p>
<dt> <strong>&lt;integer&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p>An <a href="#integer-def">integer</a> indicating the preferred variant
(e.g. "the second male child voice"). Only positive integers (i.e.
excluding zero) are allowed. The value "1" refers to the first of all
matching voices.</p>
<dt> <strong>preserve</strong>
<dd>
<p>Indicates that the &lsquo;<a href="#voice-family"><code
class=property>voice-family</code></a>&rsquo; value gets inherited and
used regardless of any potential language change within the content
markup (see the section below about voice selection and language
handling). This value behaves as &lsquo;<code
class=property>inherit</code>&rsquo; when applied to the root element.</p>
<p class=note> Note that descendants of the selected element
automatically inherit the &lsquo;<code
class=property>preserve</code>&rsquo; value, unless it is explicitly
overridden by other &lsquo;<a href="#voice-family"><code
class=property>voice-family</code></a>&rsquo; values (e.g. name, gender,
age).</p>
</dl>
<div class=example>
<p> Examples of invalid declarations:</p>
<pre>
voice-family: john/doe; /* forward slash character should be escaped */
voice-family: john "doe"; /* identifier sequence cannot contain strings */
voice-family: john!; /* exclamation mark should be escaped */
voice-family: john@doe; /* "at" character should be escaped */
voice-family: #john; /* identifier cannot start with hash character */
voice-family: john 1st; /* identifier cannot start with digit */</pre>
</div>
<h4 class=no-toc id=voice-selection><span class=secno>10.1.1. </span>Voice
selection, content language</h4>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#voice-family"><code
class=property>voice-family</code></a>&rsquo; property is used to guide
the selection of the speech synthesis voice instance. As part of this
selection process, speech-capable user agents must also take into account
the language of the selected element within the markup content. The
"name", "gender", "age", and preferred "variant" (index) are voice
selection hints that get carried down the content hierarchy as the
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-family"><code
class=property>voice-family</code></a>&rsquo; property value gets
inherited by descendant elements. At any point within the content
structure, the language takes precedence (i.e. has a higher priority) over
the specified CSS voice characteristics.
<p> The following list outlines the voice selection algorithm (note that
the definition of "language" is loose here, in order to cater for
dialectic variations):
<ol>
<li> If only a single voice instance is available for the language of the
selected content, then this voice must be used, regardless of the
specified CSS voice characteristics.
<li> If several voice instances are available for the language of the
selected content, then the chosen voice is the one that most closely
matches the specified name, or gender, age, and preferred voice variant.
The actual definition of "best match" is processor-dependent. For
example, in a system that only has male and female adult voices
available, a reasonable match for "voice-family: young male" may well be
a higher-pitched female voice, as this tone of voice would be close to
that of a young boy. If no voice instance matches the characteristics
provided by any of the &lsquo;<a href="#voice-family"><code
class=property>voice-family</code></a>&rsquo; component values, the first
available voice instance (amongst those suitable for the language of the
selected content) must be used.
<li> If no voice is available for the language of the selected content, it
is recommended that user-agents let the user know about the lack of
appropriate TTS voice.
</ol>
<p>The speech synthesizer voice must be re-evaluated (i.e. the selection
process must take place once again) whenever any of the CSS voice
characteristics change within the content flow. The voice must also be
re-calculated whenever the content language changes, unless the
&lsquo;<code class=property>preserve</code>&rsquo; keyword is used (this
may be useful in cases where embedded foreign language text can be spoken
using a voice not designed for this language, as demonstrated by the
example below).
<p class=note>Note that dynamically computing a voice may lead to
unexpected lag, so user-agents should try to resolve concrete voice
instances in the document tree before the playback starts.
<div class=example>
<p>Examples of property values:</p>
<pre>
h1 { voice-family: announcer, old male; }
p.romeo { voice-family: romeo, young male; }
p.juliet { voice-family: juliet, young female; }
p.mercutio { voice-family: young male; }
p.tybalt { voice-family: young male; }
p.nurse { voice-family: amelie; }
...
&lt;p class="romeo" xml:lang="en-US"&gt;
The French text below will be spoken with an English voice:
&lt;span style="voice-family: preserve;" xml:lang="fr-FR"&gt;Bonjour monsieur !&lt;/span&gt;
The English text below will be spoken with a voice different
than that corresponding to the class "romeo"
(which is inherited from the "p" parent element):
&lt;span style="voice-family: female;"&gt;Hello sir!&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;</pre>
</div>
<h3 id=voice-props-voice-rate><span class=secno>10.2. </span>The &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-rate"><code class=property>voice-rate</code></a>&rsquo;
property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=voice-rate>voice-rate</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>[normal | x-slow | slow | medium | fast | x-fast] ||
&lt;percentage&gt;
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>normal
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>yes
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>refer to default value
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>a keyword value, and optionally also a percentage relative to the
keyword (if not 100%)
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#voice-rate"><code
class=property>voice-rate</code></a>&rsquo; property manipulates the rate
of generated synthetic speech in terms of words per minute.
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property is
related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_prosody"><code>rate</code>
attribute of the <code>prosody</code> element</a> from the SSML markup
language <a href="#SSML" rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>normal</strong>
<dd>
<p>Represents the default rate produced by the speech synthesizer for the
currently active voice. This is processor-specific and depends on the
language, dialect and on the "personality" of the voice.</p>
<dt><strong>x-slow</strong>, <strong>slow</strong>,
<strong>medium</strong>, <strong>fast</strong> and
<strong>x-fast</strong>
<dd>
<p>A sequence of monotonically non-decreasing speaking rates that are
implementation and voice -specific. For example, typical values for the
English language are (in words per minute) x-slow = 80, slow = 120,
medium = between 180 and 200, fast = 500.</p>
<dt> <strong>&lt;percentage&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p>Only non-negative <a href="#percentage-def">percentage</a> values are
allowed. This represents a change relative to the given keyword value
(see enumeration above), or to the default value for the root element,
or otherwise to the inherited speaking rate (which may itself be a
combination of a keyword value and of a percentage, in which case
percentages are combined multiplicatively). For example, 50% means that
the speaking rate gets multiplied by 0.5 (half the value).</p>
</dl>
<div class=example>
<p>Examples of inherited values:</p>
<pre>
&lt;body&gt;
&lt;e1&gt;
&lt;e2&gt;
&lt;e3&gt;
...
&lt;/e3&gt;
&lt;/e2&gt;
&lt;/e1&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;
body { voice-rate: inherit; } /* the initial value is 'normal'
(the actual speaking rate value
depends on the active voice) */
e1 { voice-rate: +50%; } /* the computed value is
['normal' and 50%], which will resolve
to the rate corresponding to 'normal'
multiplied by 0.5 (half the speaking rate) */
e2 { voice-rate: fast 120%; } /* the computed value is
['fast' and 120%], which will resolve
to the rate corresponding to 'fast'
multiplied by 1.2 (one and a half times the speaking rate) */
e3 { voice-rate: normal; /* "resets" the speaking rate to the intrinsic voice value,
the computed value is 'normal' (see comment below for actual value) */
voice-family: "another-voice"; } /* because the voice is different,
the calculated speaking rate may vary
compared to "body" (even though the computed
'voice-rate' value is the same) */
</pre>
</div>
<h3 id=voice-props-voice-pitch><span class=secno>10.3. </span>The &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-pitch"><code class=property>voice-pitch</code></a>&rsquo;
property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=voice-pitch>voice-pitch</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;frequency&gt; &amp;&amp; absolute | [[x-low | low | medium |
high | x-high] || [&lt;frequency&gt; | &lt;semitones&gt; |
&lt;percentage&gt;]]
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>medium
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>yes
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>refer to inherited value
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td> one of the predefined pitch keywords if only the keyword is
specified by itself, otherwise an absolute frequency calculated by
converting the keyword value (if any) to a fixed frequency based on the
current voice-family and by applying the specified relative offset (if
any)
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#voice-pitch"><code
class=property>voice-pitch</code></a>&rsquo; property specifies the
"baseline" pitch of the generated speech output, which depends on the used
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-family"><code
class=property>voice-family</code></a>&rsquo; instance, and varies across
speech synthesis processors (it approximately corresponds to the average
pitch of the output). For example, the common pitch for a male voice is
around 120Hz, whereas it is around 210Hz for a female voice.
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property is
related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_prosody"><code>pitch</code>
attribute of the <code>prosody</code> element</a> from the SSML markup
language <a href="#SSML" rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>&lt;frequency&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p> A value in <a href="#frequency-def">frequency</a> units (Hertz or
kiloHertz, e.g. "100Hz", "+2kHz"). Values are restricted to positive
numbers when the &lsquo;<code class=property>absolute</code>&rsquo;
keyword is specified. Otherwise (when the &lsquo;<code
class=property>absolute</code>&rsquo; keyword is not specified), a
negative value represents a decrement, and a positive value represents
an increment, relative to the inherited value. For example, "2kHz" is a
positive offset (strictly equivalent to "+2kHz"), and "+2kHz absolute"
is an absolute frequency (strictly equivalent to "2kHz absolute").</p>
<dt> <strong>absolute</strong>
<dd>
<p> If specified, this keyword indicates that the specified frequency
represents an absolute value. If a negative frequency is specified, the
computed frequency will be zero.</p>
<dt> <strong>&lt;semitones&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p> Specifies a relative change (decrement or increment) to the inherited
value. The syntax of allowed values is a &lt;<a
href="#number-def">number</a>&gt; followed immediately by "st"
(semitones). A semitone interval corresponds to the step between each
note on an equal temperament chromatic scale. A semitone can therefore
be quantified as the difference between two consecutive pitch
frequencies on such scale. The ratio between two consecutive frequencies
separated by exactly one semitone is the twelfth root of two
(approximately 11011/10393, which equals exactly 1.0594631). As a
result, the value in Hertz corresponding to a semitone offset is
relative to the initial frequency the offset is applied to (in other
words, a semitone doesn't correspond to a fixed numerical value in
Hertz).</p>
<dt> <strong>&lt;percentage&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p> Positive and negative <a href="#percentage-def">percentage</a> values
are allowed, to represent an increment or decrement (respectively)
relative to the inherited value. Computed values are calculated by
adding (or subtracting) the specified fraction of the inherited value,
to (from) the inherited value. For example, 50% (which is equivalent to
+50%) with a inherited value of 200Hz results in <code>200 +
(200*0.5)</code> = 300Hz. Conversely, -50% results in
<code>200-(200*0.5)</code> = 100Hz.</p>
<dt><strong>x-low</strong>, <strong>low</strong>, <strong>medium</strong>,
<strong>high</strong>, <strong>x-high</strong>
<dd>
<p>A sequence of monotonically non-decreasing pitch levels that are
implementation and voice specific. When the computed value for a given
element is only a keyword (i.e. no relative offset is specified), then
the corresponding absolute frequency will be re-evaluated on a voice
change. Conversely, the application of a relative offset requires the
calculation of the resulting frequency based on the current voice at the
point at which the relative offset is specified, so the computed
frequency will inherit absolutely regardless of any voice change further
down the style cascade. Authors should therefore only use keyword values
in cases where they wish that voice changes trigger the re-evaluation of
the conversion from a keyword to a concrete, voice-dependent frequency.</p>
</dl>
<p> Computed absolute frequencies that are negative are clamped to zero
Hertz. Speech-capable user agents are likely to support a specific range
of values rather than the full range of possible calculated numerical
values for frequencies. The actual values in user agents may therefore be
clamped to implementation-dependent minimum and maximum boundaries. For
example: although the 0Hz frequency can be legitimately calculated, it may
be clamped to a more meaningful value in the context of the speech
synthesizer.
<div class=example>
<p>Examples of property values:</p>
<pre>
h1 { voice-pitch: 250Hz; } /* positive offset relative to the inherited absolute frequency */
h1 { voice-pitch: +250Hz; } /* identical to the line above */
h2 { voice-pitch: +30Hz absolute; } /* not an increment */
h2 { voice-pitch: absolute 30Hz; } /* identical to the line above */
h3 { voice-pitch: -20Hz; } /* negative offset (decrement) relative to the inherited absolute frequency */
h4 { voice-pitch: -20Hz absolute; } /* illegal syntax => value ignored ("absolute" keyword not allowed with negative frequency) */
h5 { voice-pitch: -3.5st; } /* semitones, negative offset */
h6 { voice-pitch: 25%; } /* this means "add a quarter of the inherited value, to the inherited value" */
h6 { voice-pitch: +25%; } /* identical to the line above */
</pre>
</div>
<h3 id=voice-props-voice-range><span class=secno>10.4. </span>The &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-range"><code class=property>voice-range</code></a>&rsquo;
property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=voice-range>voice-range</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>&lt;frequency&gt; &amp;&amp; absolute | [[x-low | low | medium |
high | x-high] || [&lt;frequency&gt; | &lt;semitones&gt; |
&lt;percentage&gt;]]
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>medium
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>yes
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>refer to inherited value
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td> one of the predefined pitch keywords if only the keyword is
specified by itself, otherwise an absolute frequency calculated by
converting the keyword value (if any) to a fixed frequency based on the
current voice-family and by applying the specified relative offset (if
any)
</table>
<p> The &lsquo;<a href="#voice-range"><code
class=property>voice-range</code></a>&rsquo; property specifies the
variability in the "baseline" pitch, i.e. how much the fundamental
frequency may deviate from the average pitch of the speech output. The
dynamic pitch range of the generated speech generally increases for a
highly animated voice, for example when variations in inflection are used
to convey meaning and emphasis in speech. Typically, a low range produces
a flat, monotonic voice, whereas a high range produces an animated voice.
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property is
related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_prosody"><code>range</code>
attribute of the <code>prosody</code> element</a> from the SSML markup
language <a href="#SSML" rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>&lt;frequency&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p> A value in <a href="#frequency-def">frequency</a> units (Hertz or
kiloHertz, e.g. "100Hz", "+2kHz"). Values are restricted to positive
numbers when the &lsquo;<code class=property>absolute</code>&rsquo;
keyword is specified. Otherwise (when the &lsquo;<code
class=property>absolute</code>&rsquo; keyword is not specified), a
negative value represents a decrement, and a positive value represents
an increment, relative to the inherited value. For example, "2kHz" is a
positive offset (strictly equivalent to "+2kHz"), and "+2kHz absolute"
is an absolute frequency (strictly equivalent to "2kHz absolute").</p>
<dt> <strong>absolute</strong>
<dd>
<p> If specified, this keyword indicates that the specified frequency
represents an absolute value. If a negative frequency is specified, the
computed frequency will be zero.</p>
<dt> <strong>&lt;semitones&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p> Specifies a relative change (decrement or increment) to the inherited
value. The syntax of allowed values is a &lt;<a
href="#number-def">number</a>&gt; followed immediately by "st"
(semitones). A semitone interval corresponds to the step between each
note on an equal temperament chromatic scale. A semitone can therefore
be quantified as the difference between two consecutive pitch
frequencies on such scale. The ratio between two consecutive frequencies
separated by exactly one semitone is the twelfth root of two
(approximately 11011/10393, which equals exactly 1.0594631). As a
result, the value in Hertz corresponding to a semitone offset is
relative to the initial frequency the offset is applied to (in other
words, a semitone doesn't correspond to a fixed numerical value in
Hertz).</p>
<dt> <strong>&lt;percentage&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p> Positive and negative <a href="#percentage-def">percentage</a> values
are allowed, to represent an increment or decrement (respectively)
relative to the inherited value. Computed values are calculated by
adding (or subtracting) the specified fraction of the inherited value,
to (from) the inherited value. For example, 50% (which is equivalent to
+50%) with a inherited value of 200Hz results in <code>200 +
(200*0.5)</code> = 300Hz. Conversely, -50% results in
<code>200-(200*0.5)</code> = 100Hz.</p>
<dt><strong>x-low</strong>, <strong>low</strong>, <strong>medium</strong>,
<strong>high</strong>, <strong>x-high</strong>
<dd>
<p>A sequence of monotonically non-decreasing pitch levels that are
implementation and voice specific. When the computed value for a given
element is only a keyword (i.e. no relative offset is specified), then
the corresponding absolute frequency will be re-evaluated on a voice
change. Conversely, the application of a relative offset requires the
calculation of the resulting frequency based on the current voice at the
point at which the relative offset is specified, so the computed
frequency will inherit absolutely regardless of any voice change further
down the style cascade. Authors should therefore only use keyword values
in cases where they wish that voice changes trigger the re-evaluation of
the conversion from a keyword to a concrete, voice-dependent frequency.</p>
</dl>
<p> Computed absolute frequencies that are negative are clamped to zero
Hertz. Speech-capable user agents are likely to support a specific range
of values rather than the full range of possible calculated numerical
values for frequencies. The actual values in user agents may therefore be
clamped to implementation-dependent minimum and maximum boundaries. For
example: although the 0Hz frequency can be legitimately calculated, it may
be clamped to a more meaningful value in the context of the speech
synthesizer.
<div class=example>
<p>Examples of inherited values:</p>
<pre>
&lt;body&gt;
&lt;e1&gt;
&lt;e2&gt;
&lt;e3&gt;
&lt;e4&gt;
&lt;e5&gt;
&lt;e6&gt;
...
&lt;/e6&gt;
&lt;/e5&gt;
&lt;/e4&gt;
&lt;/e3&gt;
&lt;/e2&gt;
&lt;/e1&gt;
&lt;/body&gt;
body { voice-range: inherit; } /* the initial value is 'medium'
(the actual frequency value
depends on the current voice) */
e1 { voice-range: +25%; } /* the computed value is
['medium' + 25%] which resolves
to the frequency corresponding to 'medium'
plus 0.25 times the frequency
corresponding to 'medium' */
e2 { voice-range: +10Hz; } /* the computed value is
[FREQ + 10Hz] where "FREQ" is the absolute frequency
calculated in the "e1" rule above.
*/
e3 { voice-range: inherit; /* this could be omitted,
but we explicitly specify it for clarity purposes */
voice-family: "another-voice"; } /* this voice change would have resulted in
the re-evaluation of the initial 'medium' keyword
inherited by the "body" element
(i.e. conversion from a voice-dependent keyword value
to a concrete, absolute frequency),
but because relative offsets were applied down the style
cascade, the inherited value is actually the frequency
calculated at the "e2" rule above. */
e4 { voice-range: 200Hz absolute; } /* override with an absolute frequency
which doesn't depend on the current voice */
e5 { voice-range: 2st; } /* the computed value is an absolute frequency,
which is the result of the
calculation: 200Hz + two semitones
(reminder: the actual frequency corresponding to a semitone
depends on the base value to which it applies) */
e6 { voice-range: inherit; /* this could be omitted,
but we explicitly specify it for clarity purposes */
voice-family: "yet-another-voice"; } /* despite the voice change,
the computed value is the same as
for "e5" (i.e. an absolute frequency value,
independent from the current voice) */
</pre>
</div>
<h3 id=voice-props-voice-stress><span class=secno>10.5. </span>The
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-stress"><code
class=property>voice-stress</code></a>&rsquo; property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=voice-stress>voice-stress</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>normal | strong | moderate | none | reduced
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td>normal
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>yes
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>specified value
</table>
<p>The &lsquo;<a href="#voice-stress"><code
class=property>voice-stress</code></a>&rsquo; property manipulates the
strength of emphasis, which is normally applied using a combination of
pitch change, timing changes, loudness and other acoustic differences. The
precise meaning of the values therefore depend on the language being
spoken.
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property is
related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_emphasis"><code>emphasis</code>
element</a> from the SSML markup language <a href="#SSML"
rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>normal</strong>
<dd>
<p>Represents the default emphasis produced by the speech synthesizer.</p>
<dt> <strong>none</strong>
<dd>
<p>Prevents the synthesizer from emphasizing text it would normally
emphasize.</p>
<dt><strong>moderate</strong> and <strong>strong</strong>
<dd>
<p>These values are monotonically non-decreasing in strength. Their
application results in more emphasis than what the speech synthesizer
would normally produce (i.e. more than the value corresponding to
&lsquo;<code class=property>normal</code>&rsquo;).</p>
<dt> <strong>reduced</strong>
<dd>
<p>Effectively the opposite of emphasizing a word.</p>
</dl>
<div class=example>
<p>Examples of property values, with HTML sample:</p>
<pre>
span.default-emphasis { voice-stress: normal; }
span.lowered-emphasis { voice-stress: reduced; }
span.removed-emphasis { voice-stress: none; }
span.normal-emphasis { voice-stress: moderate; }
span.huge-emphasis { voice-stress: strong; }
...
&lt;p&gt;This is a big car.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;!-- The speech output from the line above is identical to the line below: --&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;span class="default-emphasis"&gt;big&lt;/span&gt; car.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This car is &lt;span class="lowered-emphasis"&gt;massive&lt;/span&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;!-- The "span" below is totally de-emphasized, whereas the emphasis in the line above is only reduced: --&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This car is &lt;span class="removed-emphasis"&gt;massive&lt;/span&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;!-- The lines below demonstrate increasing levels of emphasis: --&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;span class="normal-emphasis"&gt;big&lt;/span&gt; car!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is a &lt;span class="huge-emphasis"&gt;big&lt;/span&gt; car!!!&lt;/p&gt;</pre>
</div>
<h2 id=duration-props><span class=secno>11. </span>Voice duration property</h2>
<h3 id=mixing-props-voice-duration><span class=secno>11.1. </span>The
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-duration"><code
class=property>voice-duration</code></a>&rsquo; property</h3>
<table class=propdef summary="name: syntax">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Name:
<td> <dfn id=voice-duration>voice-duration</dfn>
<tr>
<td> <em>Value:</em>
<td>auto | &lt;time&gt;
<tr>
<td> <em>Initial:</em>
<td> <em>auto</em>
<tr>
<td> <em>Applies&nbsp;to:</em>
<td>all elements
<tr>
<td> <em>Inherited:</em>
<td>no
<tr>
<td> <em>Percentages:</em>
<td>N/A
<tr>
<td> <em>Media:</em>
<td>speech
<tr>
<td> <em>Computed value:</em>
<td>specified value
</table>
<p> The &lsquo;<a href="#voice-duration"><code
class=property>voice-duration</code></a>&rsquo; property specifies how
long it should take to render the selected element's content (not
including <a href="#cue-props">audio cues</a>, <a href="#pause-props">
pauses</a> and <a href="#rest-props">rests</a> ). Unless the value
&lsquo;<code class=property>auto</code>&rsquo; is specified, this property
takes precedence over the &lsquo;<a href="#voice-rate"><code
class=property>voice-rate</code></a>&rsquo; property, and should be used
to determine a suitable speaking rate for the voice. An element for which
the &lsquo;<a href="#voice-duration"><code
class=property>voice-duration</code></a>&rsquo; property value is not
&lsquo;<code class=property>auto</code>&rsquo; may have descendants for
which the &lsquo;<a href="#voice-duration"><code
class=property>voice-duration</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-rate"><code class=property>voice-rate</code></a>&rsquo;
properties are specified, but these must be ignored. In other words, when
a &lsquo;<code class=property>time</code>&rsquo; is specified for the
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-duration"><code
class=property>voice-duration</code></a>&rsquo; of a selected element, it
applies to the entire element subtree (children cannot override the
property).
<p class=note> Note that the functionality provided by this property is
related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_prosody"><code>duration</code>
attribute of the <code>prosody</code> element</a> from the SSML markup
language <a href="#SSML" rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>auto</strong>
<dd>
<p>Resolves to a used value corresponding to the duration of the speech
synthesis when using the inherited &lsquo;<a href="#voice-rate"><code
class=property>voice-rate</code></a>&rsquo;.</p>
<dt> <strong>&lt;time&gt;</strong>
<dd>
<p> Specifies a value in absolute <a href="#time-def">time</a> units
(seconds and milliseconds, e.g. "+3s", "250ms"). Only non-negative
values are allowed.</p>
</dl>
<h2 id=lists><span class=secno>12. </span>List items and counters styles</h2>
<p>The &lsquo;<code class=css><a href="#list-style-type-def"> <code
class=property>list-style-type</code></a></code>&rsquo; property of <a
href="#CSS21" rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a> specifies three
types of list item markers: glyphs, numbering systems, and alphabetic
systems. The values allowed for this property are also used for the
counter() function of the &lsquo;<a href="#content-def"><code
class=property>content</code></a>&rsquo; property. The CSS Speech module
defines how to render these styles in the aural dimension, using speech
synthesis. The &lsquo;<code class=css><a
href="#list-style-image-def"><code
class=property>list-style-image</code></a></code>&rsquo; property of <a
href="#CSS21" rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a> is ignored, and
instead the &lsquo;<code class=css><a href="#list-style-type-def"><code
class=property>list-style-type</code></a></code>&rsquo; is used.
<p class=note> Note that the speech rendering of new features from the CSS
Lists and Counters Module Level 3 <a href="#CSS3LIST"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS3LIST]<!--{{CSS3LIST}}--></a> is not covered in this
level of CSS Speech, but may be defined in a future specification.
<dl>
<dt> <strong>disc, circle, square</strong>
<dd>
<p> For these list item styles, the user-agent defines (possibly based on
user preferences) what equivalent phrase is spoken or what audio cue is
played. List items with graphical bullets are therefore announced
appropriately in an implementation-dependent manner.</p>
<dt> <strong>decimal, decimal-leading-zero, lower-roman, upper-roman,
georgian, armenian</strong>
<dd>
<p> For these list item styles, corresponding numbers are spoken as-is by
the speech synthesizer, and may be complemented with additional audio
cues or speech phrases in the document's language (i.e. with the same
TTS voice used to speak the list item content) in order to indicate the
presence of list items. For example, when using the English language,
the list item counter could be prefixed with the word "Item", which
would result in list items being announced with "Item one", "Item two",
etc.</p>
<dt> <strong>lower-latin, lower-alpha, upper-latin, upper-alpha,
lower-greek</strong>
<dd>
<p> These list item styles are spelled out letter-by-letter by the speech
synthesizer, in the document language (i.e. with the same TTS voice used
to speak the list item content). For example, &lsquo;<code
class=property>lower-greek</code>&rsquo; in English would be read out as
"alpha", "beta", "gamma", etc. Conversely, &lsquo;<code
class=property>upper-latin</code>&rsquo; in French would be read out as
/a/, /be/, /se/, etc. (phonetic notation)</p>
</dl>
<p class=note>Note that it is common for user-agents such as screen readers
to announce the nesting depth of list items, or more generally, to
indicate additional structural information pertaining to complex
hierarchical content. The verbosity of these additional audio cues and/or
speech output can usually be controlled by users, and contribute to
increasing usability. These navigation aids are implementation-dependent,
but it is recommended that user-agents supporting the CSS Speech module
ensure that these additional audio cues and speech output don't generate
redundancies or create inconsistencies (for example: duplicated or
different list item numbering scheme).
<h2 id=content><span class=secno>13. </span>Inserted and replaced content</h2>
<p class=note>Note that this entire section is non-normative.
<p>Sometimes, authors will want to specify a mapping from the source text
into another string prior to the application of the regular pronunciation
rules. This may be used for uncommon abbreviations or acronyms which are
unlikely to be recognized by the synthesizer. The &lsquo;<a
href="#content-def"><code class=property>content</code></a>&rsquo;
property can be used to replace one string by another. The functionality
provided by this property is related to the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#edef_sub"><code>alias</code>
attribute of the <code>sub</code> element</a> from the SSML markup
language <a href="#SSML" rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>.
<div class=example>
<p> In this example, the abbreviation is rendered using the content of the
title attribute instead of the element's content.</p>
<pre>
/* This replaces the content of the selected element
by the string "World Wide Web Consortium". */
abbr { content: attr(title); }
...
&lt;abbr title="World Wide Web Consortium"&gt;W3C&lt;/abbr&gt;</pre>
</div>
<p>In a similar way, text strings in a document can be replaced by a
previously recorded version.
<div class=example>
<p>In this example - assuming the format is supported, the file is
available and the UA is configured to do so - a recording of Sir John
Gielgud's declamation of the famous monologue is played. Otherwise the UA
falls back to render the text using synthesized speech.</p>
<pre>
.hamlet { content: url(./audio/gielgud.wav); }
...
&lt;div class="hamlet"&gt;
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
&lt;/div&gt;</pre>
</div>
<p>Furthermore, authors (or users via a user stylesheet) may add some
information to ease the understanding of structures during non-visual
interaction with the document. They can do so by using the &lsquo;<code
class=css>::before</code>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<code
class=css>::after</code>&rsquo; pseudo-elements. Note that different
stylesheets can be used to define the level of verbosity for additional
information spoken by screen readers.
<div class=example>
<p>This example inserts the string "Start list: " before a list and the
string "List item: " before the content of each list item. Likewise, the
string "List end: " gets inserted after the list to inform the user that
the list speech output is over.</p>
<pre>
ul::before { content: "Start list: "; }
ul::after { content: "List end. "; }
li::before { content: "List item: "; }</pre>
</div>
<p>Detailed information can be found in the CSS3 Generated and Replaced
Content module <a href="#CSS3GENCON"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS3GENCON]<!--{{CSS3GENCON}}--></a>.
<h2 id=pronunciation><span class=secno>14. </span> Pronunciation, phonemes</h2>
<p class=note>Note that this entire section is non-normative.
<p> CSS does not specify how to define the pronunciation (expressed using a
well-defined phonetic alphabet) of a particular piece of text within the
markup document. A "phonemes" property was described in earlier drafts of
this specification, but objections were raised due to breaking the
principle of separation between content and presentation (the "phonemes"
authored within aural CSS stylesheets would have needed to be updated each
time text changed within the markup document). The "phonemes"
functionality is therefore considered out-of-scope in CSS (the
presentation layer) and should be addressed in the markup / content layer.
<p> The <a
href="http://microformats.org/wiki/rel-pronunciation">"pronunciation"</a>
<code>rel</code> value allows importing pronunciation lexicons in HTML
documents using the <code>link</code> element (similar to how CSS
stylesheets can be included). The W3C PLS (Pronunciation Lexicon
Specification) <a href="#PRONUNCIATION-LEXICON"
rel=biblioentry>[PRONUNCIATION-LEXICON]<!--{{PRONUNCIATION-LEXICON}}--></a>
is one format that can be used to describe such a lexicon.
<p> Additionally, an attribute-based mechanism can be used within the
markup to author text-pronunciation associations. At the time of writing,
such mechanism isn't formally defined in the W3C HTML standard(s).
However, the <a href="http://idpf.org/epub/30">EPUB 3.0 draft
specification</a> allows (x)HTML5 documents to contain attributes derived
from the <a href="#SSML" rel=biblioentry>[SSML]<!--{{!SSML}}--></a>
specification, that describe how to pronounce text based on a particular
phonetic alphabet.</p>
<!-- p>
One avenue to explore is the use CSS to "bind" HTML text with a
phoneme (also declared in the HTML document). This would maintain a
clear separation between content and presentation, and it would allow
authors to define different pronunciations for one given text token
(Media Queries could drive the switch of stylesheet to import). This
possibility has been mentioned several times by Working Group members
as well as people from the public mailing-list, so it cannot be
ignored. However, there are architectural considerations (e.g.
collision between CSS versus HTML -defined phonemes) which make this a
lot trickier to standardize than it sounds. The
whole "speech synthesis" issue should be tackled globally at the level
of the W3C ecosystem. For example, there are many cross-cutting
concerns with the work done by the HTML-Audio and HTML-Speech
Incubator Groups.
</p -->
<h2 class=no-num id=property-index>Appendix A &mdash; Property index</h2>
<!--begin-properties-->
<table class=proptable>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Property
<th>Values
<th>Initial
<th>Applies&nbsp;to
<th>Inh.
<th>Percentages
<th>Media
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#cue">cue</a>
<td>&lt;&lsquo;cue-before&rsquo;&gt; &lt;&lsquo;cue-after&rsquo;&gt;?
<td>N/A (see individual properties)
<td>all elements
<td>no
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#cue-after">cue-after</a>
<td>&lt;uri&gt; &lt;decibel&gt;? | none
<td>none
<td>all elements
<td>no
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#cue-before">cue-before</a>
<td>&lt;uri&gt; &lt;decibel&gt;? | none
<td>none
<td>all elements
<td>no
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#pause">pause</a>
<td>&lt;&lsquo;pause-before&rsquo;&gt;
&lt;&lsquo;pause-after&rsquo;&gt;?
<td>N/A (see individual properties)
<td>all elements
<td>no
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#pause-after">pause-after</a>
<td>&lt;time&gt; | none | x-weak | weak | medium | strong | x-strong
<td>none
<td>all elements
<td>no
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#pause-before">pause-before</a>
<td>&lt;time&gt; | none | x-weak | weak | medium | strong | x-strong
<td>none
<td>all elements
<td>no
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#rest">rest</a>
<td>&lt;&lsquo;rest-before&rsquo;&gt; &lt;&lsquo;rest-after&rsquo;&gt;?
<td>N/A (see individual properties)
<td>all elements
<td>no
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#rest-after">rest-after</a>
<td>&lt;time&gt; | none | x-weak | weak | medium | strong | x-strong
<td>none
<td>all elements
<td>no
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#rest-before">rest-before</a>
<td>&lt;time&gt; | none | x-weak | weak | medium | strong | x-strong
<td>none
<td>all elements
<td>no
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#speak">speak</a>
<td>auto | none | normal
<td>auto
<td>all elements
<td>yes
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#speak-as">speak-as</a>
<td>normal | spell-out || digits || [ literal-punctuation |
no-punctuation ]
<td>normal
<td>all elements
<td>yes
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#voice-balance">voice-balance</a>
<td>&lt;number&gt; | left | center | right | leftwards | rightwards
<td>center
<td>all elements
<td>yes
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#voice-duration">voice-duration</a>
<td>auto | &lt;time&gt;
<td>auto
<td>all elements
<td>no
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#voice-family">voice-family</a>
<td>[[&lt;name&gt; | &lt;generic-voice&gt;],]* [&lt;name&gt; |
&lt;generic-voice&gt;] | preserve
<td>implementation-dependent
<td>all elements
<td>yes
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#voice-pitch">voice-pitch</a>
<td>&lt;frequency&gt; &amp;&amp; absolute | [[x-low | low | medium |
high | x-high] || [&lt;frequency&gt; | &lt;semitones&gt; |
&lt;percentage&gt;]]
<td>medium
<td>all elements
<td>yes
<td>refer to inherited value
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#voice-range">voice-range</a>
<td>&lt;frequency&gt; &amp;&amp; absolute | [[x-low | low | medium |
high | x-high] || [&lt;frequency&gt; | &lt;semitones&gt; |
&lt;percentage&gt;]]
<td>medium
<td>all elements
<td>yes
<td>refer to inherited value
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#voice-rate">voice-rate</a>
<td>[normal | x-slow | slow | medium | fast | x-fast] ||
&lt;percentage&gt;
<td>normal
<td>all elements
<td>yes
<td>refer to default value
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#voice-stress">voice-stress</a>
<td>normal | strong | moderate | none | reduced
<td>normal
<td>all elements
<td>yes
<td>N/A
<td>speech
<tr>
<th><a class=property href="#voice-volume">voice-volume</a>
<td>silent | [[x-soft | soft | medium | loud | x-loud] ||
&lt;decibel&gt;]
<td>medium
<td>all elements
<td>yes
<td>N/A
<td>speech
</table>
<!--end-properties-->
<p>The following properties are defined in other modules or specifications:
<ul>
<li> <dfn id=display-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/visuren.html#display-prop"> display
</a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=padding-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/box.html#padding-properties"> padding
</a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=border-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/box.html#border-properties"> border
</a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=margin-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/box.html#margin-properties"> margin
</a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=font-family-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/fonts.html#font-family-prop">
font-family </a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>
<li><dfn id=content-def>content</dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS3GENCON"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS3GENCON]<!--{{CSS3GENCON}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=list-style-type-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/generate.html#propdef-list-style-type">
list-style-type </a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=list-style-image-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/generate.html#propdef-list-style-image">
list-style-image </a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>
</ul>
<p>The following definitions are provided by other modules or
specifications:
<ul>
<li> <dfn id=cascade-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/cascade.html#cascade"> cascade
</a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=box-model-def> <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/box.html">
visual box model </a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=time-def> <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-values/#times">
time </a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS3VAL"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS3VAL]<!--{{!CSS3VAL}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=frequency-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-values/#frequencies"> frequency
</a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS3VAL"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS3VAL]<!--{{!CSS3VAL}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=number-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-values/#ltnumbergt"> number </a></dfn>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS3VAL"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS3VAL]<!--{{!CSS3VAL}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=integer-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-values/#ltintegergt"> integer </a></dfn>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS3VAL"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS3VAL]<!--{{!CSS3VAL}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=non-negative-number-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-values/#non-negative">
non-negative-number </a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS3VAL"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS3VAL]<!--{{!CSS3VAL}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=percentage-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-values/#percentages"> percentage
</a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS3VAL"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS3VAL]<!--{{!CSS3VAL}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=identifier-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/syndata.html#value-def-identifier">
identifier </a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>
<li> <dfn id=strings-def> <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/syndata.html#strings"> strings
</a></dfn> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="#CSS21"
rel=biblioentry>[CSS21]<!--{{!CSS21}}--></a>
</ul>
<h2 class=no-num id=index>Appendix B &mdash; Index</h2>
<!--begin-index-->
<ul class=indexlist>
<li>aural "box" model, <a href="#aural-box-model" title="aural
&quot;box&quot; model"><strong>4.</strong></a>
<li>authoring tool, <a href="#authoring-tool" title="authoring
tool"><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>border, <a href="#border-def" title=border><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>cascade, <a href="#cascade-def" title=cascade><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>content, <a href="#content-def" title=content><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>cue, <a href="#cue" title=cue><strong>9.2.</strong></a>
<li>cue-after, <a href="#cue-after"
title=cue-after><strong>9.1.</strong></a>
<li>cue-before, <a href="#cue-before"
title=cue-before><strong>9.1.</strong></a>
<li>display, <a href="#display-def" title=display><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>document, <a href="#document" title=document><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>documents, <a href="#document" title=documents><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>font-family, <a href="#font-family-def"
title=font-family><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>frequency, <a href="#frequency-def"
title=frequency><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>identifier, <a href="#identifier-def"
title=identifier><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>integer, <a href="#integer-def" title=integer><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>list-style-image, <a href="#list-style-image-def"
title=list-style-image><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>list-style-type, <a href="#list-style-type-def"
title=list-style-type><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>margin, <a href="#margin-def" title=margin><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>non-negative-number, <a href="#non-negative-number-def"
title=non-negative-number><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>number, <a href="#number-def" title=number><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>padding, <a href="#padding-def" title=padding><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>pause, <a href="#pause" title=pause><strong>7.2.</strong></a>
<li>pause-after, <a href="#pause-after"
title=pause-after><strong>7.1.</strong></a>
<li>pause-before, <a href="#pause-before"
title=pause-before><strong>7.1.</strong></a>
<li>percentage, <a href="#percentage-def"
title=percentage><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>renderer, <a href="#renderer" title=renderer><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>rest, <a href="#rest" title=rest><strong>8.2.</strong></a>
<li>rest-after, <a href="#rest-after"
title=rest-after><strong>8.1.</strong></a>
<li>rest-before, <a href="#rest-before"
title=rest-before><strong>8.1.</strong></a>
<li>speak, <a href="#speak" title=speak><strong>6.1.</strong></a>
<li>speak-as, <a href="#speak-as" title=speak-as><strong>6.2.</strong></a>
<li>strings, <a href="#strings-def" title=strings><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>style sheet, <a href="#style-sheet" title="style
sheet"><strong>#</strong></a>
<ul>
<li>as conformance class, <a href="#style-sheet0" title="style sheet, as
conformance class"><strong>#</strong></a>
</ul>
<li>time, <a href="#time-def" title=time><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>UA, <a href="#ua" title=UA><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>User Agent, <a href="#user-agent" title="User
Agent"><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>visual box model, <a href="#box-model-def" title="visual box
model"><strong>#</strong></a>
<li>voice-balance, <a href="#voice-balance"
title=voice-balance><strong>5.2.</strong></a>
<li>voice-duration, <a href="#voice-duration"
title=voice-duration><strong>11.1.</strong></a>
<li>voice-family, <a href="#voice-family"
title=voice-family><strong>10.1.</strong></a>
<li>voice-pitch, <a href="#voice-pitch"
title=voice-pitch><strong>10.3.</strong></a>
<li>voice-range, <a href="#voice-range"
title=voice-range><strong>10.4.</strong></a>
<li>voice-rate, <a href="#voice-rate"
title=voice-rate><strong>10.2.</strong></a>
<li>voice-stress, <a href="#voice-stress"
title=voice-stress><strong>10.5.</strong></a>
<li>voice-volume, <a href="#voice-volume"
title=voice-volume><strong>5.1.</strong></a>
</ul>
<!--end-index-->
<h2 class=no-num id=definitions>Appendix C &mdash; Definitions</h2>
<h3 class=no-num id=glossary>Glossary</h3>
<p>The following terms and abbreviations are used in this module.
<dl>
<dt> <dfn id=ua>UA</dfn>
<dt> <dfn id=user-agent>User Agent</dfn>
<dd>
<p>A program that reads and/or writes CSS style sheets on behalf of a
user in either or both of these categories: programs whose purpose is to
render <a href="#document">documents</a> (e.g., browsers) and programs
whose purpose is to create style sheets (e.g., editors). A UA may fall
into both categories. (There are other programs that read or write style
sheets, but this module gives no rules for them.)</p>
<dt> <dfn id=document title="document|documents">document</dfn>
<dd>
<p>A tree-structured document with elements and attributes, such as an
SGML or XML document <a href="#XML11"
rel=biblioentry>[XML11]<!--{{!XML11}}--></a>.</p>
<dt> <dfn id=style-sheet>style sheet</dfn>
<dd>
<p>A <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/conform.html#style-sheet">CSS
style sheet</a></p>
</dl>
<h3 class=no-num id=conformance>Conformance</h3>
<p>Conformance requirements are expressed with a combination of descriptive
assertions and RFC 2119 terminology. The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT",
"REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED",
"MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in the normative parts of this document are to be
interpreted as described in RFC 2119. However, for readability, these
words do not appear in all uppercase letters in this specification. All of
the text of this specification is normative except sections explicitly
marked as non-normative, examples, and notes. <a href="#RFC2119"
rel=biblioentry>[RFC2119]<!--{{!RFC2119}}--></a>
<p>Examples in this specification are introduced with the words "for
example" or are set apart from the normative text with
<code>class="example"</code>, like this:
<div class=example>
<p>This is an example of an informative example.</p>
</div>
<p>Informative notes begin with the word "Note" and are set apart from the
normative text with <code>class="note"</code>, like this:
<p class=note>Note, this is an informative note.
<p>Conformance to the CSS3 Speech module is defined for three classes:
<dl>
<dt> <dfn id=style-sheet0 title="style sheet!!as conformance class">style
sheet</dfn>
<dd>A <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS21/conform.html#style-sheet">CSS
style sheet</a>.
<dt> <dfn id=renderer>renderer</dfn>
<dd>A UA that interprets the semantics of a style sheet and renders <a
href="#document">documents</a> that use them.
<dt> <dfn id=authoring-tool>authoring tool</dfn>
<dd>A UA that writes a style sheet.
</dl>
<p>A style sheet is conformant to the CSS3 Speech module if all of its
declarations that use properties defined in this module have values that
are valid according to the generic CSS grammar and the individual grammars
of each property as given in this module.
<p>A renderer is conformant to the CSS3 Speech module if, in addition to
interpreting the style sheet as defined by the appropriate specifications,
it supports all the properties defined by CSS3 Speech module by parsing
them correctly and rendering the document accordingly. However the
inability of a UA to correctly render a document due to limitations of the
device does not make the UA non-conformant. (For example, a UA is not
required to render color on a monochrome monitor.)
<p>An authoring tool is conformant to CSS3 Speech module if it writes
syntactically correct style sheets, according to the generic CSS grammar
and the individual grammars of each property in this module.</p>
<!-- h3 class="no-num" id="levels">Levels</h3>
<p><em>This section is informative.</em> CSS has different levels of
features, each a subset of the other. (See [[CSSBEIJING]] for a full
explanation.) The lists below describe which features from this
specification are in each level.
<h4 class="no-num" id="level-1">CSS Level 1</h4>
<ul>
<li>'background-color'
<li>'background-image' only one image (no layers)
<li>'background-repeat': only 'repeat' | 'repeat-x' | 'repeat-y' | 'no-repeat'
<li>'background-attachment': only 'scroll' | 'fixed'
<li>'background-position': only one or two values allowed
<li>'background' shorthand: only color, image, repeat, attachment and position
<li>'border-color' properties
<li>'border-style' properties
<li>'border-width' properties
<li>'border-top', 'border-bottom', 'border-right', 'border-left', and 'border' shorthands
</ul>
<h4 class="no-num" id="level-2">CSS Level 2</h4>
<ul>
<li>'background-color'
<li>'background-image': only one image (no layers)
<li>'background-repeat': only 'repeat' | 'repeat-x' | 'repeat-y' | 'no-repeat'
<li>'background-attachment': only 'scroll' | 'fixed'
<li>'background-position': only one or two values allowed
<li>'background': only color, image, repeat, attachment and position
<li>'border-color' properties
<li>'border-style' properties
<li>'border-width' properties
<li>'border-top', 'border-bottom', 'border-right', 'border-left', and 'border' shorthands
</ul>
<h4 class="no-num" id="level-3">CSS Level 3</h4>
<ul>
<li>All features described in the CSS3 Speech module
</ul -->
<h3 class=no-num id=exit>CR exit criteria</h3>
<p>As described in the W3C process document, a <a
href="http://www.w3.org/2005/10/Process-20051014/tr.html#cfi">Candidate
Recommendation</a> (CR) is a specification that W3C recommends for use on
the Web. The next stage is "Recommendation" when the specification is
sufficiently implemented.
<p>For this specification to be proposed as a W3C Recommendation, the
following conditions shall be met. There must be at least two independent,
interoperable implementations of each feature. Each feature may be
implemented by a different set of products, there is no requirement that
all features be implemented by a single product. For the purposes of this
criterion, we define the following terms:
<dl>
<dt>independent
<dd>each implementation must be developed by a different party and cannot
share, reuse, or derive from code used by another qualifying
implementation. Sections of code that have no bearing on the
implementation of this specification are exempt from this requirement.
<dt>interoperable
<dd>passing the respective test case(s) in the official CSS test suite,
or, if the implementation is not a Web browser, an equivalent test. Every
relevant test in the test suite should have an equivalent test created if
such a user agent (UA) is to be used to claim interoperability. In
addition if such a UA is to be used to claim interoperability, then there
must one or more additional UAs which can also pass those equivalent
tests in the same way for the purpose of interoperability. The equivalent
tests must be made publicly available for the purposes of peer review.
<dt>implementation
<dd>a user agent which:
<ol class=inline>
<li>implements the specification.
<li>is available to the general public. The implementation may be a
shipping product or other publicly available version (i.e., beta
version, preview release, or "nightly build"). Non-shipping product
releases must have implemented the feature(s) for a period of at least
one month in order to demonstrate stability.
<li>is not experimental (i.e., a version specifically designed to pass
the test suite and is not intended for normal usage going forward).
</ol>
</dl>
<p>A minimum of sixth months of the CR period must have elapsed. This is to
ensure that enough time is given for any remaining major errors to be
caught.
<p>Features will be dropped if two or more interoperable implementations
are not found by the end of the CR period.
<p>Features may/will also be dropped if adequate/sufficient (by judgment of
CSS WG) tests have not been produced for those feature(s) by the end of
the CR period.
<h2 class=no-num id=ack>Appendix D &mdash; Acknowledgements</h2>
<p>The editors would like to thank the members of the W3C Voice Browser and
Cascading Style Sheets working groups for their assistance in preparing
this specification. Special thanks to Ellen Eide (IBM) for her detailed
comments, and to Elika Etemad (Fantasai) for her thorough reviews.
<h2 class=no-num id=changes>Appendix E &mdash; Changes from previous draft</h2>
<p> Note that the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-css3-speech-20110419">previous Working
Draft</a> includes <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-css3-speech-20110419#changes">its own
list of changes</a>, which - for succinctness - is not repeated here.
<ul>
<li>Renamed &lsquo;<code class=property>voice-pitch-range</code>&rsquo; to
&lsquo;<a href="#voice-range"><code
class=property>voice-range</code></a>&rsquo;, which is compatible with
SSML's notation, and removes the possibility to interpret this property
as being a subset of &lsquo;<a href="#voice-pitch"><code
class=property>voice-pitch</code></a>&rsquo;.
<li>Fixed "computed value" for &lsquo;<a href="#voice-pitch"><code
class=property>voice-pitch</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-range"><code class=property>voice-range</code></a>&rsquo;
properties, and added the possibility to combine a keyword with a
relative change.
<li>Removed the "phonemes" property (and its associated "@alphabet"
at-rule).
<li>Renamed &lsquo;<code class=property>speakability</code>&rsquo; to
&lsquo;<a href="#speak"><code class=property>speak</code></a>&rsquo;, and
&lsquo;<a href="#speak"><code class=property>speak</code></a>&rsquo; to
&lsquo;<a href="#speak-as"><code
class=property>speak-as</code></a>&rsquo;. Reorganized the &lsquo;<a
href="#speak-as"><code class=property>speak-as</code></a>&rsquo; values
to allow mixing different types.
<li>Added support for lists and counters (item styles, numbering, etc.).
<li>Adjusted the [initial] value for shorthand properties, to be
consistent with other CSS specifications (i.e. "see individual
properties"), and removed the erroneous "inherit" value.
<li>Fixed &lsquo;<a href="#voice-volume"><code
class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo; by conforming to SSML 1.1
(dB scale, etc.).
<li>Fixed the [initial] values for &lsquo;<a href="#pause"><code
class=property>pause</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a href="#rest"><code
class=property>rest</code></a>&rsquo;, which should be zero (were
"implementation-dependent").
<li>Corrected the [initial] values for &lsquo;<a href="#voice-range"><code
class=property>voice-range</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-pitch"><code class=property>voice-pitch</code></a>&rsquo; to
"medium".
<li>Added an "auto" value to &lsquo;<a href="#voice-duration"><code
class=property>voice-duration</code></a>&rsquo;, which is the [initial]
property value as well.
<li>Handling of &lsquo;<a href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; values outside of the
allowed range (clamping).
<li>Fixed &lsquo;<a href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; prose to better explain
the relationship between author intent (stereo sound distribution) and
actual user sound system setup (mono, stereo, or surround speaker layout
/ mixing capabilities).
<li>Added prose for &lsquo;<a href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo; to describe the mapping
between stereo left-right sound axis and three-dimensional sound stage
(azimuth support in future versions of CSS-Speech).
<li>Fixed the "computed value" for &lsquo;<a href="#voice-balance"><code
class=property>voice-balance</code></a>&rsquo;.
<li>Added the &lsquo;<code class=property>normal</code>&rsquo; value for
voice-rate ("default" in SSML 1.1).
<li>Fixed the "computed value" for voice-rate, and added the possibility
to combine keywords and percentages (to be consistent with &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-volume"><code
class=property>voice-volume</code></a>&rsquo;). Added an example to
illustrate inheritance and value resolution.
<li>Renamed voice-family fields to be consistent with SSML.
<li>Improved the &lsquo;<a href="#voice-family"><code
class=property>voice-family</code></a>&rsquo; selection algorithm to
cater for language changes.
<li>Separated definition of semitones (pitch properties).
<li>More consistent behavior when audio cue URI fails (for whatever
reason).
<li>Enabled voice-family names to contain spaces, matching &lsquo;<code
class=property>font-family</code>&rsquo; syntax which is based on quoted
strings and concatenated identifiers.
<li>Added a new section to define the relationship of this specification
with CSS2.1.
<li>Added the missing "Computed value" line to each property definition.
<li>Cleaned-up the list of module dependencies, and removed redundant
"module dependencies" section.
<li> Voice age keywords now mapped to SSML ages.
<li>Improved the pause collapsing prose, removed redundant paragraphs.
<li>Added the missing &lsquo;<code class=property>normal</code>&rsquo;
value for &lsquo;<a href="#voice-stress"><code
class=property>voice-stress</code></a>&rsquo;.
<li>Separated the &lsquo;<code class=property>absolute</code>&rsquo;
keyword for &lsquo;<a href="#voice-pitch"><code
class=property>voice-pitch</code></a>&rsquo; and &lsquo;<a
href="#voice-range"><code class=property>voice-range</code></a>&rsquo;.
<li>Improved document structure by adding sub-sections.
<li>Removed the implicit &lsquo;<code class=property>inherit</code>&rsquo;
value for all properties.
<li>Fixed typos and made other minor edits.
</ul>
<!-- For reference only, changes in previous draft: -->
<!-- ul>
<li>Removed the "mark" property, see the <a href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2011Feb/0029.html">Working Group resolution</a></li>
<li>Added the 'speakability' property and removed the 'none' value of the 'speak' property,
as per this <a href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2011Jan/0483.html">discussion</a></li>
<li>Fixed 'voice-family' grammar as per <a href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-style/2010Dec/0231.html">this discussion</a></li>
<li>The volume level of audio cues can only be set relatively to the inherited 'voice-volume' property (to avoid cues being spoken when the main element is silent, which contradicts the "aural box model").</li>
<li>Added "HTML" to "CSS defines aural properties that give control over rendering
XML to speech" in the abstract.</li>
<li>Removed unused normative links to CSS3 modules (actually moved to informative references), now the only dependency is CSS3 Values and Units.</li>
<li>Removed issue about the 'sub' SSML element given that the CSS "content" replacement functionality addresses the same requirement.</li>
<li>Added support for semitones in pitch alterations.</li>
<li>Added reference to "time" values syntax (s, ms) for 'voice-duration'.</li>
<li>Moved "content" outside of "phonetics", as the ::before and ::after use-cases do not relate to pronunciation rules (this is actually more similar to audio cues, only applied with text rather than audio files)</li>
<li>Added prose to explicitly support alphabet other than IPA, via the "x-" vendor-specific prefix.</li>
<li>Reworked HTML source code to work with the <a href="http://cgi.w3.org/member-bin/process.cgi">members-only W3C pre-processor/generator</a></li>
<li>Added note about the "speech" and "aural" media types.</li>
<li>Harmonized all hyperlinks so that CSS properties get auto-linked by the pre-processor</li>
<li>Clarified computation rules for positive percentages with "+" prefixes (i.e. they do not denote increments, the regular multiplicative behavior is used).</li>
<li>Fixed IPA URL reference</li>
<li>Reorganized appendixes</li>
<li>Fixed minor typos</li>
</ul -->
<h2 class=no-num id=references>Appendix F &mdash; References</h2>
<h3 class=no-num id=normative-references>Normative references</h3>
<!--begin-normative-->
<!-- Sorted by label -->
<dl class=bibliography>
<dt style="display: none"><!-- keeps the doc valid if the DL is empty -->
<!---->
<dt id=CSS21>[CSS21]
<dd>Bert Bos; et al. <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/REC-CSS2-20110607"><cite>Cascading Style
Sheets Level 2 Revision 1 (CSS&#160;2.1) Specification.</cite></a> 7 June
2011. W3C Recommendation. URL: <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/REC-CSS2-20110607">http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/REC-CSS2-20110607</a>
</dd>
<!---->
<dt id=CSS3VAL>[CSS3VAL]
<dd>H&#229;kon Wium Lie; Chris Lilley. <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-css3-values-20060919"><cite>CSS3
Values and Units.</cite></a> 19 September 2006. W3C Working Draft. (Work
in progress.) URL: <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-css3-values-20060919">http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-css3-values-20060919</a>
</dd>
<!---->
<dt id=RFC2119>[RFC2119]
<dd>S. Bradner. <a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt"><cite>Key
words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels.</cite></a> Internet
RFC 2119. URL: <a
href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt">http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt</a>
</dd>
<!---->
<dt id=SSML>[SSML]
<dd>Daniel C. Burnett; &#21452;&#24535;&#20255; (Zhi Wei Shuang). <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2010/REC-speech-synthesis11-20100907/"><cite>Speech
Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) Version 1.1.</cite></a> 7 September
2010. W3C Recommendation. URL: <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2010/REC-speech-synthesis11-20100907/">http://www.w3.org/TR/2010/REC-speech-synthesis11-20100907/</a>
</dd>
<!---->
<dt id=XML11>[XML11]
<dd>Eve Maler; et al. <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/REC-xml11-20060816"><cite>Extensible
Markup Language (XML) 1.1 (Second Edition).</cite></a> 16 August 2006.
W3C Recommendation. URL: <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/REC-xml11-20060816">http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/REC-xml11-20060816</a>
</dd>
<!---->
</dl>
<!--end-normative-->
<h3 class=no-num id=other-references>Other references</h3>
<!--begin-informative-->
<!-- Sorted by label -->
<dl class=bibliography>
<dt style="display: none"><!-- keeps the doc valid if the DL is empty -->
<!---->
<dt id=CSS3GENCON>[CSS3GENCON]
<dd>Ian Hickson. <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/WD-css3-content-20030514"><cite>CSS3
Generated and Replaced Content Module.</cite></a> 14 May 2003. W3C
Working Draft. (Work in progress.) URL: <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/WD-css3-content-20030514">http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/WD-css3-content-20030514</a>
</dd>
<!---->
<dt id=CSS3LIST>[CSS3LIST]
<dd>Tab Atkins Jr. <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-css3-lists-20110524"><cite>CSS Lists
and Counters Module Level 3.</cite></a> 24 May 2011. W3C Working Draft.
(Work in progress.) URL: <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-css3-lists-20110524">http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-css3-lists-20110524</a>
</dd>
<!---->
<dt id=PRONUNCIATION-LEXICON>[PRONUNCIATION-LEXICON]
<dd>Paolo Baggia. <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-pronunciation-lexicon-20081014/"><cite>Pronunciation
Lexicon Specification (PLS) Version 1.0.</cite></a> 14 October 2008. W3C
Recommendation. URL: <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-pronunciation-lexicon-20081014/">http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-pronunciation-lexicon-20081014/</a>
</dd>
<!---->
<dt id=SSML-SAYAS>[SSML-SAYAS]
<dd>Daniel C. Burnett; et al. <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/NOTE-ssml-sayas-20050526"><cite>SSML 1.0
say-as attribute values.</cite></a> 26 May 2005. W3C Working Group Note.
URL: <a
href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/NOTE-ssml-sayas-20050526">http://www.w3.org/TR/2005/NOTE-ssml-sayas-20050526</a>
</dd>
<!---->
</dl>
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