[css3-lists] [css3-speech] Interaction between list-style-type and speak properties

There doesn't seem to be anything explicit in either the CSS3 lists
draft (1) or the CSS3 Speech draft (2) as to whether setting
list-style-type to other than normal affects the spoken rendering of the
list item marker.  I am requesting that this be made explicit in one
document or the other, probably in CSS3 Speech.

This might require a separate property value or separate 
property, perhaps (a very rough draft and not vetted):

speak-list-style:

none - don't speak the list item marker.
semantic - speak the list item marker as "item" in the browser's primary
language for unordered lists or "1", "2", "3", etc. for ordered lists.
literal - speak the list item marker exactly as written, for example, "i
i i" for the third item in the list with a list-style-type of
lower-roman.
figurative - speak the list item market as one would read it aloud, for
example, "roman numeral 3" for the third item in the list with a
list-style-type of lower-roman.

speak-list-style-case:

none - for list styles with an upper-lower case distinction, don't
distinguish between case.
distinguish - for list styles with an upper-lower case distinction,
don't distinguish between case, for example, "lower-case roman numeral
3" for the third item in the list with a list-style-type of lower-roman.

speak-list-nesting:

none - don't speak nesting level changes.
announce - announce that there is a change of nesting level.
cue - make a cue sound.
cumulative - speak each of the hierarchical parent list item markers
before speaking the current item marker.

There might need to be a way to specify these in a list.  Or is (most
of) this more suited to being specified by the user agent?

Example of unordered list: 

<ul>
<li>Blah</li>
<li>Blah
     <ul>
     <li>Blah</li>
     <li>Blah</li>
     </ul>
</li>
<li>Blah</li>

where square is subordinate to the bullet.

In this case, I probably would not want to speak the bullet glyph, but I
might want to indicate nesting or exiting a nested portion.  

Example of ordered list:

<ul style="list-style-type:upper-alpha"
<li>First item</li>
<li>Second item</li>
<li>Third item</li>
</ul>

rendered visibly as:

A. First item
B. Second item
C. Third item

In some cases, the A, B, C might be considered purely decorative, so
that I would not be concerned were the rendered speech to be: 

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

But in the case of a public meeting, where we have a legally published
agenda, and items are called by the chair by letter, it would be
important to me that the rendered speech be:

A. First item
B. Second item
C. Third item

and I would definitely *not* want to leave this decision 
to the user agent.

(1)
http://dev.w3.org/csswg/css3-lists/#list-content-the-list-style-type-pro
pert
(2) http://dev.w3.org/csswg/css3-speech/#speaking-props

Hope this helps,
Charles Belov
SFMTA Webmaster

Received on Monday, 7 February 2011 20:53:36 UTC