CSS Aural Media or CSS Style Sheets are employed to apply distinct audio style characteristics to particular document components. By utilizing speech synthesis and sound effects, users can opt to listen to information rather than reading it. This functionality proves highly beneficial for individuals with visual impairments.
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. | angleleft-sidefar-leftleftcenter-leftcentercenter-rightrightfar-rightright-sidebehindleftwardsrightwards |
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. | noneurl |
| 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. | anglebelowlevelabovehigherlower |
| 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. | frequencyx-lowlowmediumhighx-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. | autononeurlmixrepeat |
| 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. | normalnonespell-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. | alwaysonce |
| speak-numeral | it specifies how to speak numbers. | digitscontinuous |
| speak-punctuation | it is used to specify how to speak punctuation characters. | nonecode |
| speech-rate | it specifies the speed of the speaking. | numberx-slowslowmediumfastx-fastfasterslower |
| 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-voicegeneric-voice |
| volume | it specifies the volume of the speaking voice. | number%silentx-softsoftmediumloudx-loud |