Your DECtalk Express has old firmware. Use the Emacspeak command `C-e
d V' to find out your version. You should be running a version no
older than 4.2bw from March 1995. If you have an earlier version, you
can find an updated version at
http://www.ultranet.com/~rongemma/tips_upd.htm, a WWW site
maintained by Ron Jemma of the Dectalk Group at DEC. Alternatively,
you can send email to Anne Nelson at
DECnelson@dectlk.enet.dec.com. The most recent version at this
writing is 4.3 release AA X01 May 20 1996.