TalknType

This will eventually be an Activity based on the 1970s toy, [Speak & Spell].

The original Speak & Spell toy from the 1970s.

Initial Activity Idea

• User opens the activity, and is presented with a skill level (1 to 4).
• The activity speaks, using the eSpeak Speech Synthesis software, which will soon be included in OLPC builds.
• The activity asks the user to spell a word from the dictionary (one of four, based on the skill level).
• As the user types each letter, the activity reads the letters out loud.
• When the user presses Enter, the activity reads the entered letters as a word.
• The activity compares the entered letters with the real word, and informs the user whether the word was spelt correctly or not.
• Another random word is offered for the user, etc, etc.

Installing

The code at the bottom of this page isn't ready for general use yet - it doesn't use the Sugar user interface, and only uses the terminal within sugar.

• You will need to save the code at the bottom of the page as talkntype.py in a directory.
• You will need a copy of the sugar-speechd speech server.
• You will need three audio files for the correct.wav incorrect.wav and begin.wav.
• Make sure your loudspeaker volume is turned up, using the keyboard keys.
• Open a copy of the Terminal activity. Change to root user:

su -

• Then run the sugar-speechd speech server:

./sugar-speechd

• The terminal will appear frozen, but this is ok. It means the server is running. Go back to the desktop (Home), and open another Terminal activity.
• As user OLPC, go to the directory that talkntype.py is stored in, and make it executable by typing:

chmod a+x talkntype.py

• Then run it by typing:

python talkntype.py

• You will need to type quite slowly.
• There is no Backspace key
• To exit the program, press 1 instead of entering a word.

To do

• Sugarise the idea into something usable by normal people! I have no real programming knowledge, so all help would be greatly appreciated! Please contact me via my userpage.
• Make an icon
• Include collaborative elements - spelling against a friend?
• Upload the code somewhere (but I don't know how git and dev.laptop really operate...)
• Upload the 3 audio files called in the code below.

Code

Below is the code for the talkntype.py program.

#!/bin/env python
import sys
import os
import dbus
import random
import time

wordlist = [ "above","angel","answer","calf","does","earth","echo","extra","for","four","guess","half","health","iron","learn","ocean","once","one","oven","pint","pull","range","says","ski","sure","swap","talk","to","touch","two","view","warm","was","wash","word" ]
bus = dbus.SessionBus()
APLAY = "/usr/bin/aplay"

size = len(wordlist)
index = random.randint(0, size-1)
elem = wordlist[index] 
espeak_object = bus.get_object('org.laptop.Speech','/org/laptop/Speech')
answer = ""
clearit = ""                                              # Because I couldn't null a string 

# My class for key detection
class _Getch:
    """Gets a single character from standard input.  Does not echo to the screen."""
    def __init__(self):
        try:
            self.impl = _GetchWindows()
        except ImportError:
            self.impl = _GetchUnix() 

    def __call__(self): return self.impl() 

class _GetchUnix:
    def __init__(self):
        import tty, sys

    def __call__(self):
        import sys, tty, termios
        fd = sys.stdin.fileno()
        old_settings = termios.tcgetattr(fd)
        try:
            tty.setraw(sys.stdin.fileno())
            ch = sys.stdin.read(1)
        finally:
            termios.tcsetattr(fd, termios.TCSADRAIN, old_settings)
        return ch

class _GetchWindows:
    def __init__(self):
        import msvcrt

    def __call__(self):
        import msvcrt
        return msvcrt.getch() 

getch = _Getch()




# MAIN LOOP

os.popen("aplay --quiet begin.wav")                # play sound


for x in range(35):
    index = random.randint(0, size-1)
    elem = wordlist[index]
    answer = clearit                               # null the string again 
    print "Spell..."
    espeak_object.SayText("Spell " + elem)

# get an answer
    print 'Type your answer, or press the spacebar to repeat the word, or 1 to quit'
    for longestinput in range(15):
        inkey = _Getch()
        import sys
        for i in xrange(sys.maxint):
            k=inkey()
            if k<>:break
        print k,
        espeak_object.SayText(k)
        answer = answer + k
        if k == " ":                                 # if the user wants the word repeated
            espeak_object.SayText(elem)
            answer = clearit + k                     # because I don't know how to null a string
            print
        if k == "1":
            espeak_object.SayText("goodbye")
            sys.exit()                               # quit the program
        if k == "\r":break 
 

# say the answer
    answer = answer.strip()                          # remove any whitespace from the user's answer
    print                                            # because I don't know how to do linebreaks
    print "You typed", answer
    espeak_object.SayText("You typed " + answer) 

# check for correct
    if answer == elem:
        os.popen("aplay --quiet correct.wav")                # play sound
        print "Correct!"
        espeak_object.SayText("Correct")
        answer = clearit                             # null the string again

# check for incorrect
    else:
        os.popen("aplay --quiet incorrect.wav")                # play sound
        print "Incorrect answer."
        espeak_object.SayText("Incorrect answer...") 

        print "The correct spelling of " + elem + " is "
        espeak_object.SayText("The correct spelling of " + elem + "... is ") 

        def shout(string):
            for character in string:
                print character + " "
                espeak_object.SayText(character)

        shout(elem)
        time.sleep(0.5)
        print elem
        espeak_object.SayText(elem)                  # say the word again in full with some pauses at each end
        time.sleep(0.5)
        print
        answer = clearit                             # null the string again

Other links

• Screen_Reader Another OLPC activity using the eSpeak modules.
• Speech_synthesis Speech Synthesis on the OLPC.
• [[1]] Flash version of the Speak & Spell
• [[2]] Another Speak & Spell emulator
• [Speak&Spell Wikipedia article]