Hi, I'm pretty new to TextAloud and need some help with words that are spelled the same, but pronounced differently based on context. Two words in particular that I am having issues with are "read" and "bow."
Read: (1) present tense, pronounced "reed", and (2) past tense, pronounced "red."
Bow: (1) noun, like a bow tie, and (2) verb, like when you bow to someone.
What's the best way of handling these words? Thanks!
Word that are spelled the same
Moderator: Jim Bretti
Re: Word that are spelled the same
I have a short list of the most common homonyms and for long articles/books tend to use the TA text editor to search for these problem words and edit the spelling according to context.The appropriate pronunciation is usually easily identified from visual inspection. I find that this can be achieved quite quickly and is well worth the effort, especially when creating an audio file..... Good luck!
Quantum aka DaveH
Re: Word that are spelled the same
Thanks for your reply, Quantum. I was hoping there was some sort of automatic solution to this, but it looks like it's a manual job. 
I was able to find a partial solution, which is also manual, by using the PartsOfSpeech tag:
<partofsp part="noun"> bow </partofsp>
<partofsp part="verb"> bow </partofsp>
This is still very helpful when working with pronunciations. Unfortunately, this doesn't work for past tense homophones, since the only tags allowed seem to be "noun," "verb," "modifier, "function," and "interjection." (apart from "noun" and "verb," I am not sure what the others do)
My TA voice (Ivona Joey) pronounces "read" as "reed" by default, but if I make a dictionary entry to make it say past tense "red," then the <partofsp> tag is overridden. I guess, like you, I will keep a list and then it's down to manual respelling words within the text as needed. Thanks again for your reply.
I was able to find a partial solution, which is also manual, by using the PartsOfSpeech tag: <partofsp part="noun"> bow </partofsp>
<partofsp part="verb"> bow </partofsp>
This is still very helpful when working with pronunciations. Unfortunately, this doesn't work for past tense homophones, since the only tags allowed seem to be "noun," "verb," "modifier, "function," and "interjection." (apart from "noun" and "verb," I am not sure what the others do)
My TA voice (Ivona Joey) pronounces "read" as "reed" by default, but if I make a dictionary entry to make it say past tense "red," then the <partofsp> tag is overridden. I guess, like you, I will keep a list and then it's down to manual respelling words within the text as needed. Thanks again for your reply.