dactylophone

CONT: Le Pr. Boris Rybak, [...] vient de présenter devant l'Académie des sciences, le dactylophone, appareil portatif qui synthétise la parole. Ce petit dispositif, lourd de 1.600 g seulement, que l'on peut mettre dans une poche, et doté d'un clavier d'une trentaine de touches. Vingt-six d'entre elles peuvent émettre des phonèmes, et donc, reconstituer des phrases. Le dactylophone, [...] pourrait devenir l'instrument indispensable des sourds ou des plongeurs en profondeur.

CONT: Boris Rybak, professor of phonetics at the University of Paris III, has just demonstrated, to the Academy of Sciences, the ""typophone"" which is capable of synthesizing speech. The small device weighing only 1.6 kg (3 1/2 lb), which can be put in one's pocket, is equipped with a keyboard with about 30 keys. Twenty-six of them are capable of emitting phonemes and hence of recreating phrases. The ""typophone"" can express itself intelligibly although with a rather dead tone of voice. It could become an indispensable instrument for communication by mute persons or by divers under water.