Note
Functionality:
The speech synthesizer allowed the TI-99/4A to produce human speech using a special chip and a built-in vocabulary. It plugged into the side-car position on the right-hand side of the computer.
Popular titles like Alpiner, Microsurgeon, and Parsec utilized the speech feature when connected to the synthesizer.
Vocabulary:
The speech synthesizer had a specific built-in vocabulary. Words not found in the database could be spelled out phonetically and still be spoken in programs.
Expansion:
Initially, TI planned to sell vocabulary expansion cartridges, but software-based expansion proved more practical. Third-party adaptors allowed moving the synthesizer into the Peripheral Expansion Box (PEB).
Usage in Extended Basic:
The Speech Editor cartridge introduced commands like CALL SAY and CALL SPGET for Extended Basic programs. CALL SAY allowed the synthesizer to say words from its vocabulary. The speech synthesizer was widely available and often given away with software titles near the end of the computer’s life.
