SAPI is a Microsoft-developed audio interface for text-to-speech and recognition in Windows applications. It broadens accessibility and quality of speech reproduction, with advanced features in the latest version. New versions are released every few years with improvements.
Speech Application Programming Interface (SAPI) is an audio interface developed by Microsoft. Designed for use within Windows operating systems, the idea behind SAPI was to make it possible to use text-to-speech and recognition within the function of various Windows applications. Several versions of the Speech API have been released since the first version appeared in 1995. Some are standard with all Windows operating systems, while others are customized for use with specific programs.
The application of SAPI broadens the range of consumers who can enjoy using Windows-based programs. Because of the speech recognition aspect of SAPI, it is possible for people who may be physically limited by temporary or permanent conditions to continue working with word processing programs and other basics. At the same time, SAPI has the ability to translate text into spoken word. This feature can be especially useful for people with low vision, as it allows them to interact with content on a website or simply be able to receive emails from friends and family.
In early versions of SAPI, the interface capability was quite low quality compared to the versions in use today. Programming has allowed for the creation of sound reproduction that is somewhat robotic in nature. While effective for the time, innovations in later versions improved the quality of speech reproduction to include words spoken by humans and stored for use by the program when needed. When a SAPI entry is not created electronically, people trained in voice work are often used to create these archives. For example, an artist who makes a living doing radio announcements or voice-overs for commercials on television would be a prime candidate for creating text-to-speech archives that can be used by SAPI.
The latest version of SAPI includes a number of advanced features. Among them is the ability to adjust the speed, volume and pitch of the voice, as well as improve pronunciation. Semantic interpretations allow you to get definitions of words that are not easily understood. New versions of SAPI are released every few years, with each version offering improvements or refinements to existing functions that make the interface more and more useful in a number of applications.
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