Abstract: In this surface light source device, light is incident from a plurality of point light sources 2 arranged on a one side end surface of a light guide plate 1, is reflected on a light reflecting surface 11 on a rear surface of the light guide plate 1, and is emitted from a front surface of the light guide plate 1. The point light sources 2 comprise white light emitting diode elements. Two white light emitting diode elements out of six of the white light emitting diode elements having chromaticity outermost from a center of an aimed chromaticity range in opposite hue directions are arranged in an approximately center of a group of the white diode elements.

Abstract: A speech synthesis apparatus for synthesizing speech from text data, having a voice characteristic, a tone, a rhythm, etc. which corresponds to the contents of edition on the text data displayed on a screen, by converting a volume, a speed, a pitch, a voice characteristic, etc. of a voice on judging the contents of the edition, such as an edition of a size, a spacing, a font and so on of a character, on the text data displayed on a screen.

Abstract: A karaoke apparatus, a speech reproducing apparatus and a medium on which is recorded a computer program used therefor which output narration of synthesized speech including a requested song name, a requester's name or the like together with an introduction or an interlude of a song, thereby to relieve the boredom of participants during the introduction or the interlude, or the apparatus and the medium which synthesize speech of a chorus, or convert a characteristic of speech input thorough a microphone into a speech characteristic of a professional singer or the like thereby to excite participants.

Abstract: A speech synthesis apparatus for synthesizing speech to read out a text in place of a reader at a speed corresponding to a set time and the text volume, a medium on which is recorded a computer program for reading out a text in place of a reader, an apparatus for calculating time necessary for a reader to finish reading out a text on the basis of the reader's speech characteristic data of a prescribed word or sentence, and a medium on which is recorded a computer program for calculating the read out time.