CSS Aural Media or CSS Style Sheets are used to attach specific sound style features to specific document elements. It uses speech synthesis and sound effect to facilitate users to listen to information instead of reading them. So, it is very useful for visually impaired people.

Aural media can be used in following:

  • Used by blind or visually impaired people
  • Help users learning to read and right pronunciation
  • Training
  • Help users who have reading problems
  • Facilitates web access in vehicles
  • Home entertainment
  • Used by print-impaired communities
  • Medical documentation
  • Industrial documentation

Aural Media Properties

Following is a list of aural media properties:

property explanation value
azimuth it is set where the sound should come from.

angle

left-side

far-left

left

center-left

center

center-right

right

far-right

right-side

behind

leftwardsrightwards
cue it is used to set the cue properties in one declaration.
cue-beforecue-after
cue-after it is used to specify a sound to be played after speaking an element’s content.

none

url
cue-before it is used to specify a sound to be played before speaking an element’s content.
noneurl
elevation it is set where the sound should come from.

angle

below

level

above

higherlower
pause it is used to set the pause properties in one declaration.
pause-beforepause-after
pause-after it is used to specify a pause after speaking an element’s content.

time

%
pause-before it is used to specify a pause before speaking an element’s content.

time

%
pitch it is used to specify the pitch of the speaking voice.

frequency

x-low

low

medium

high

x-high
pitch-range it is used to specify the variation of the speaking voice. it specifies whether he speaking voice is monotone voice or animated voice. number
play-during it specifies a sound to be played while speaking an element’s content. auto

none

url

mix

repeat
richness it is used to specifies the sound quality of the speaking voice. it specifies that the voice is rich or thin. number
speak it specifies whether content will render aurally.

normal

nonespell-out
speak-header it is used to specify how to handle table headers. it also specifies whether the headers be spoken before every cell, or only before a cell with a different header than the previous cell.

always

once
speak-numeral it specifies how to speak numbers.

digits

continuous
speak-punctuation it is used to specify how to speak punctuation characters.
nonecode
speech-rate it specifies the speed of the speaking.

number

x-slow

slow

medium

fast

x-fast

fasterslower
stress it is used to specify the “stress” in the speaking voice. number
voice-family it specifies the voice family of the speaking voice.

specific-voice

generic-voice
volume it specifies the volume of the speaking voice.

number

%

silent

x-soft

soft

medium

loud

x-loud