Alvin – My Text to Speech Friend

I’ve been spending a lot of time with Alvin—that’s the name I’ve given the TTS (Text to Speech) function on my computer. He sounds like TV personality, Dick Cavett, only mellower. Having Alvin read what I’ve written helps me edit my work. He does a good job, though he pauses too long after commas, and when I use a dash, he speeds through the sentence, taking my breath away. Occasionally, he mispronounces a word. Uncoiled becomes un-co-il-ed.  Inflection is rare; however, he grooves with a fussy-old-lady character I’ve created. When he reads her lines, I could swear she was speaking.