Say something, Alexa!

Today, Teaching HTML, I mentioned that it is a Markup Language, and that there are others.. and I was reminded that the one I’ve been wanting to learn more about is SSML, or Speech Synthesis Markup Language. This is the language that will be used by Alexa, Google Assistant, and have been used for YEARS by assistant services to folks with different visibility needs. Here are a few resources I hope to dive into more when I get a chance:

  • Wikipedia for SSML - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_Synthesis_Markup_Language
  • Google SSML tutorial - https://developers.google.com/actions/reference/ssml
  • Tutorial for manipulating terminal’s ‘say’ command with SSML - https://www.tropo.com/docs/scripting/advanced-speech-control/manipulating-say-ssml#tabs-6
  • Speech Synthesis Web API - https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/SpeechSynthesisUtterance/text
  • converse.ai - https://get.converse.ai/v2/docs/send-ssml-message
  • Clay service for Alexa Skills - https://medium.com/clay-labs/code-your-first-alexa-skill-in-30-ish-seconds-using-clay-ready-go-8293ee1761ac
  • mac2Speech OS app - http://mac2speech.com/styled-2/