Though I just put up these links where I’ve found the Ivona useful for audible pronunciation and the Cysill for correcting written stuff. They’ve both helped me a lot. The two voices in the Ivona, Gwyneth and Geraint are very clear…The Ivona has been useful for my learning long words.
Well I see you finally discovered this TTS! When I’ve put questions on twitter (quite long time ago) to Welsh people what they think about accuracy of the pronunciation of this TTS I’ve got no opinion and no replies at all.
Now, I own IVONA TTS for a long time in full version and I’ve bought both Welsh language voices long ago (since I’ve started learning Welsh and I wasn’t here yet), and I agree with you. It can be quite helpful.
It is very useful and both voices are very clear, however pronunciation sometimes still isn’t accurate enough. (I’ve learnt that when I came here). I’ve tried to do some audio materials for one old learners book “Teach yourself Welsh” since book is so old there is no audio materials to be bought (audiocassettes were inclosed with it once), however I stopped doing this the minute I’ve came here as I’ve stopped to use that book too.
Voice Geraint is more accurate in pronunciation then Gwyneth (all female voices in IVONA TTS have those difficulties though (as I poses voices in other languages too).
YIn full programe you also have the possibility to adjust speed of reading and I can say the faster those two are talking the more unacurate prununciation is. This is something you have to be aware of (but on teh links you provided you don’t need to wory as test versions don’t have the possibilities of these adjustments.
Pronunciation support (regarding adjusting how one vocal has to sound) isn’t available for both Welsh voices yet so it’s very hard to adjust pronunciation by yourself (for English voices kind of library and automation does work for you).
But in general IVONA TTS is the best TTS reader of the World by my opinion so general mark is the program with Welsh voices is excellent aid to your learning if you don’t have audio, to disposal, you don’t learn Welsh with SSiW or you have to hear the word which you didn’t encounter yet. Well, but nothing can replace the live spoken word.
However I personally would be cautious here as hearing pronunciation (words) from Welsh speaker like our “teachers” here on SSiW are and then hearing the same text (word) spoken by IVONA TTS can lead into confusion or even to habit of wrong pronunciation.
Well, for fun of it you can listen to what I’ve started (but never finished) to do with IVONA tts. This is kind of spoken dictionary I’ve made out from that book I’ve mentioned. Enjoy: https://soundcloud.com/tatjana-prelog-knightghost/sentences-and-words-in-welsh-1-dictionary
I was in Italy last week, and I occasionally used my android 'phone as a satNav while driving around. Poor old Gwyneth didn’t half struggle with pronouncing Italian place names, bless her!
1 Like
Well, unfortunately each TTS character is designed to only speak the chosen language. All the rest is usually heard very awkward. It’s the same as if I’d “demand” from English Amy which i own too, that she has to speak Slovene. I’ve tried and had endless laugh with what came out. Even English American voices and English UK voices are better not to be mixed due to accent. It can become stressful listening to such thingys - lol
BTW IVONA has two italian voices too - Giorgio and Carla and it also can offer English Welsh which performers are also Geraint and Gwyneth.
It just came to my mind that @Iestyn would be perfect IVONA voice for both, English Welsh and Welsh. He has special accent what concerns my ears and kind of great voice for something like this. (I’m sirious about this).
1 Like
Is there a difference between the two voices?
I stuck in “pedoli pedoli pedoli” and it seemed that Gwyneth was coming up with the long vowel for “o” as in “southern” (very sledgehammer term for things) pronunciation as opposed to the shorter “o” with Geraint.
Pedoli pedoli pe-dinc and all that.
Or is that just me?
This is weird.
I’ve listened to “pedoli pedoli pedoli” a few times, and sometimes with both voices the “o” is long and sometimes it is short.
Forget what I said about this, whatever the difference is in speech, nobody is going to notice the difference and all that!
[One of those “I wish I hadn’t said anything to begin with” moments!]
There is the difference in speach with those two voices, however it seams like it would lmore depend of the “mood” of those two at the day. All male voices in IVONA usually pronunce things more clearly then female no matter what language so i like to use them a lot. The pronunciation almost depends of speed of the speach (you can specify it only with IVONA reader if I’m correct) and also of text itself you want to be readed. So your posts here aren’t so much without meaning.
Well I actually wish Welsh voices would have such base of pronunciation patterns as English (or some other) have so you could adjust the speach more correctly by yourself. Still I found Welsh voices very useful at the time however I’m much happier I found SSiW and am learning Welsh now this way. 
I know it’s old thread but I’d rather use it then creating a new one so I’m bumping this up for some notice to all those who use full version of IVONA TTS.
Well, if anyone maybe using full version of IVONA TTS with any voice (not just Welsh) I’ve just discovered a bit unpleasant thing yesterday since I had to install the whole content once again due to new computer.
IVON doesn’t offer personal purchase from their store anymore and it’s kind of Amazon company now, however if you had acount there it exists but there’s nothing anymore in it. Third parties still provide voices for personal use but not their reader to download separately though.
If you mail them they’ll kindly restore your download linsk but you’ll have to provide them order numbers for each and every purchase you did and you want to have download for again.
I know most of you might be happily using their online “test” reader if in any need to read something but I’m posting this just in case there is someone among you that long time ago purchased their whole pack with reader, voices etc and installers somehow lost in time and computer files mess (which is almost always in place when you have so much content and software installed as I usually tend to have).
Happy TTSing.
P.S.
Links @dinas provided in original post for reading and spellchecking are still working though.
2 Likes
Continuing the discussion from here:
The company which acquired IVONA or better which now developes reader and things related is called HARPO Software and they still might offer similar reader then IVONA on their site aswell. The reader costs $29,00 if I’m correct and the language itself (without which reader is useless though) costs $39.00
So, just for the info if someone is so eager to buy and go with that.
I love that IVONA is free 
1 Like