Text to speech apparatus and method and information providing system using the same

In a text to speech apparatus and method and information providing system, a plurality of defined clause patterns are stored in a first memory section in an information providing system, a plurality of speech prosody patterns are stored in a second memory section in an information terminal such as an in-vehicle information terminal, each speech prosody pattern being preset to correspond to one of the defined clause patterns and to reproduce the corresponding one of the defined clause patterns in a natural intonation speech sound, and a text speech section carries out a read out of at least one text sentence in accordance with one of the speech prosody patterns which corresponds to one of the defined clause patterns when at least the one of the defined clause patterns is present in the text sentence to be read out.