Utterances

An Utterance is the atomic unit of liturgical speech: spoken, chanted, sung, whispered, silent, or interior.

{
  "id": "ut-kyrie-deacon",
  "roles": ["role-deacon"],
  "mode": "chanted",
  "delivery": "solemn",
  "audience": "divine",
  "text": {
    "gez-Ethi": "ኪርያ ኤሌይሶን",
    "gez-Latn": "Kyrie Eleison",
    "en": "Lord, have mercy"
  },
  "chant": {
    "system": "yared",
    "mode": "geez"
  }
}

Mode Values

Modeling Responses

An utterance should contain one addressable act of liturgical speech. Put a call and its response in separate utterances, then preserve their order in a block:

{
  "id": "block-peace-dialogue",
  "type": "dialogue",
  "elements": [
    {
      "utterance": {
        "id": "ut-peace-call",
        "roles": ["role-priest"],
        "mode": "spoken",
        "text": { "en": "Peace be with you." }
      }
    },
    {
      "utterance": {
        "id": "ut-peace-response",
        "roles": ["role-congregation"],
        "mode": "responsive",
        "text": { "en": "And with your spirit." }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Split utterances when the role, delivery mode, audience, or timeline target changes. Do not split only because a translation wraps onto another display line; visual line wrapping is a renderer concern.