Speech Dispatcher espeak module error

[Zachary Kline]

Hi,
    In trying to use the espeak module of speech-dispatcher today, I noticed 
an error which seemed a little nonsensicle.
    The module apparently failed to load because the library wasn't compiled 
with alsa support.  The exact error text is:
Opening sound device failed.  Reason: the sound library wasn't compiled with 
Alsa support.
    I find this strange: I can run espeak from the command line without any 
trouble.
    The espeak-generic module is exhibiting some clipped sounds, which makes 
it rather difficult to use as a substitute.
    I'm using Gentoo--which I just installed again after a fairly 
substantial absence.
Any tips for this?
Thanks,
Zack.