h a l f b a k e r yRight twice a day.
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Insert a hand into a mouth; not from the front, but from the rear. The fingers control the jaw and tongue. A blower is used to recreate the lung function for consonants, and a vibrating device gives the equivalent of a vocal chord sound for vowels.
The other hand controls pitch and blow rate.
Once
mastered (if indeed it ever could be), a more difficult version uses bagpipe type bladders across a real simulated vocal chord, and the vocal chord is stretched to get pitch.
I think it would be fun just to get "Hello" out of it; never mind "A gottle of geer".
Glove-Talk II
http://hct.ece.ubc....esearch/glovetalk2/
Translates hand gestures to formants (without direct mechanism) [jutta, May 20 2008]
Early talking machines
http://www.haskins....eads/simulacra.html
A lot of work in late 18th and early 19th century. This page links to some of the fascinating examples. [jutta, May 20 2008]
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Annotation:
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//lung function for consonants// |
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Huh? Consonants are normally defined by tongue, lips, throat, etc., not by the lungs. |
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But don't they all need the flow of air? |
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Yes, apart from 't Glottal Stop .... |
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A consonant is what happens when something in the vicinity of your mouth constricts or cuts the flow of air - your lungs are still doing much the same thing. More to the point, there is nothing you can do with your lungs which will determine whether you get a guttural stop (such as 'K') or a labial fricative (such as 'V'). |
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There's a long history of trying to build mechanical talking heads starting about 200 years ago. If you're not familiar with Baron von Kempelen, you're in for a treat. And yes, I'd love one of those as a consumer product! |
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I don't know if you're doing it, but people in general tend to underestimate the role of the resonant oral cavity. It's really the shape of the tongue against the roof of your mouth and your teeth, not the vocal chord pitch, that makes the difference between vowels. |
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Hah, Simulacra with bellows, no less. But no midget. |
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I propose a name: Bag-puppet. It should wear a kilt. |
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With bonus points for getting it to speak with a Scottish accent? |
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