CSS Aural Reference Manual
Auditory style sheets use a combination of speech synthesis and sound effects to let users listen to information rather than read it.
Aural display can be used for:
- Blind People
- Help users learn to read
- Help users with reading problems
- Home Entertainment
- in the car
Auditory presentation typically converts the document to plain text and then passes it to a screen reader (a program that reads all characters on the screen).
An example of an aural style sheet:
Example
h1,h2,h3,h4
{
voice-family:male;
richness:80;
cue-before:url("beep.au")
}
{
voice-family:male;
richness:80;
cue-before:url("beep.au")
}
The example above uses a speech synthesizer to play sounds, with a male voice speaking at the beginning.
CSS Aural Reference Manual
The "CSS" column indicates the CSS version in which the property is defined (CSS1 or CSS2).
| Property | Description | Values | CSS |
|---|---|---|---|
| azimuth | Set where the sound should come from | angle left-side far-left left center-left center center-right right far-right right-side behind leftwards rightwards |
2 |
| cue | Set the cue properties in one declaration | cue-before cue-after |
2 |
| cue-after | Specifies the sound to be played after an element's content. | none url |
2 |
| cue-before | Specifies the sound to be played before an element's content. | none url |
2 |
| elevation | Set where the sound should come from | angle below level above higher lower |
2 |
| pause | Sets the pause properties in one declaration. | pause-before pause-after |
2 |
| pause-after | Specifies the pause after an element's content. | time % |
2 |
| pause-before | Specifies the pause before an element's content. | time % |
2 |
| pitch | Specify speaking voice | frequency x-low low medium high x-high |
2 |
| pitch-range | Specifies the variation in speaking voice. (Monotonous voice or dynamic voice?) | number | 2 |
| play-during | Specifies the sound to be played while reading an element's content. | auto none url mix repeat |
2 |
| richness | Specifies the richness of the speaking voice. (Rich voice or thin voice?) | number | 2 |
| speak | Specify whether content is provided in an aural manner | normal none spell-out |
2 |
| speak-header | This property sets or retrieves whether the table caption is voiced before all cells, or whether the voicing ends when a cell that is not associated with it is reached. | always once |
2 |
| speak-numeral | Set or retrieve how numbers are pronounced. | digits continuous |
2 |
| speak-punctuation | Set or retrieve how punctuation characters are pronounced | none code |
2 |
| speech-rate | Specify speaking speed | number x-slow slow medium fast x-fast faster slower |
2 |
| stress | Where the speaking voice "stresses" at the specified place | number | 2 |
| voice-family | Set or retrieve the current voice type | specific-voice generic-voice |
2 |
| volume | Specify speaking volume | number % silent x-soft soft medium loud x-loud |
2 |