PLS - what is it, what “gap” does it fill?

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What PLS did is this:

  • First, it provided a single, standard XML-based language for describing pronunciations, both for speech recognizers and for speech synthesizers.
  • Second, it requires support for IPA, the International Phonetic Alphabet. This Alphabet is a standard symbol set for representing pronunciations of all the languages of the world.

With PLS it is now possible to write one lexicon document that can be used by any speech recognizer and/or any speech synthesizer that supports it. One document for all of your pronunciations, independent of your voice technology vendor.  [click heading for more]

W3C Standard Simplifies Creation of Speech-Enabled Web Applications

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W3C published today a standard that will simplify the development of Web applications that speak and listen to users. The Pronunciation Lexicon Specification (PLS) 1.0 is the newest piece of W3C's Speech Interface Framework for creating Web applications driven by voice and speech. PLS can reduce the cost of developing these applications by allowing people to share and reuse pronunciation dictionaries. In addition, PLS can make it easier to localize applications by separating pronunciation concerns from other parts of the application. [click heading for more]

W3C examines the next generation of speech technology

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[nik's note:]

The W3C on Tuesday said the next generation of VoiceXML will include specifications for speaker verification.

"Speaker verification and identification is not only the best biometric for securing telephone transactions and communications, it can work seamlessly with speech recognition and speech synthesis in VoiceXML deployments," Ken Rehor, newly elected chairman of the VoiceXML Forum, said in a statement.
The W3C has now completed its desired requirements for VoiceXML 3.0 and expects to have a working draft of the specifications by the end of the first quarter, said James Larson, co-chair of the W3C Voice Browser Working Group.
In addition to the speaker identification requirements for VoiceXML 3.0, the W3C addressed the issue of extending its Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) functionality to certain languages including Mandarin, Japanese and Korean.

[click heading for more]