Reference Aural in CSS
? Aural Style Sheets in CSS (CSS2 – Deprecated Feature)
Aural style sheets were introduced in CSS2 to control the speech output of web content for screen readers and other speech-based user agents. While largely obsolete and not supported in modern browsers, understanding them is useful for historical context or for accessibility enthusiasts.
? What Is It?
Aural properties defined how content should sound—pitch, volume, voice, pause, etc.—when read aloud by a speech synthesizer.
? Example Syntax
h1 { voice-family: male; volume: loud; pitch: high; speak: normal; pause-before: medium;}?? Key Aural Properties (CSS2)
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
voice-family | Specifies the speaking voice |
volume | Controls loudness |
pitch | Frequency of the voice (e.g., high/low) |
pitch-range | Variability in pitch |
stress | Emphasis level on syllables |
richness | Timbre or fullness of the voice |
speak | Whether or not content should be spoken |
pause-before | Pause before speaking |
pause-after | Pause after speaking |
cue-before | Plays audio cue before speaking |
cue-after | Plays audio cue after speaking |
?? Status
Deprecated in CSS3 and not supported in modern browsers.
Better alternative: Use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) and semantic HTML for accessibility.
? Today’s Best Practice
Use HTML + ARIA roles + semantic tags:
<button aria-label="Submit the form">??</button>Or visually hidden text:
<span class="sr-only">Important information</span>.sr-only { position: absolute; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0,0,0,0);}Would you like a guide to modern accessibility practices instead of legacy aural styles?
