# The Core API Calls

The core DECtalk Software API calls are :

· The TextToSpeechStartup and TextToSpeechStartupEx calls are known as the startup functions and allocate system resources.

The TextToSpeechStartup call, which is operating system dependent, has different calling parameters.

- With the TextToSpeechStartup call on UNIX, a callback routine may be defined.

- With the TextToSpeechStartup call on Windows, a window handle can be passed to the TextToSpeechStartup call.

The TextToSpeechStartupEx call works the same way on both the UNIX and Windows platforms and allows a callback routine to be passed.

· TextToSpeechSpeak queues text to the system.

For more information about how theTextToSpeechSpeak call queues text, see:

Controlling queuing with flags

Important text queuing information

Clause-based synthesis

· TextToSpeechShutdown returns all system resources allocated by the startup functions.

The simplest application might only use these calls.