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Controlling Emacs by voice using Emacslisten

Erik Präntare - Pronunciation: Erik Prenn-tah-reh, https://emacslisten.org and https://pranta.re, erik@prantare.xyz

Format: 20-min talk ; Q&A: BigBlueButton conference room Etherpad: https://pad.emacsconf.org/2026-listen
Etherpad: https://pad.emacsconf.org/2026-listen
Status: Waiting for video from speaker

Description

After suffering from repetitive strain injury, I started using speech recognition software to do my computing. To give me an environment I could mold to my needs, I also started using Emacs.

The software integration for voice recognition in Emacs was clunky to use, so I started developing packages to improve this. This has culminated in Emacslisten, an environment for driving Emacs by voice. Emacslisten includes macros for defining spoken command grammars in Elisp, along with a predefined command grammar for navigating Emacs and editing text. Emacslisten also provides a graphical overlay for referring to different parts of the buffer.

About the speaker:

My name is Erik Präntare. I am currently pursuing a PhD in static program analysis. Emacs is what has allowed me to keep working with computers even after my injury.

Questions or comments? Please e-mail erik@prantare.xyz