Amzon Polly - issues with <break> tag in British/Amy voice

I agree with this bug report, I have encountered it myself, but I don't have an AWS support contract so can't open a case. This is clearly a bug.

When using AWS Polly with the Amy (British) voice, with the generative engine, it does not honour SSML <break> tag. The text plays, but without pauses in the right places.

Example SSML request:

<speak>Hello. <break time="500ms" /> Wait for it... <break time="3000ms" /> okay done</speak>

This works fine with the Neural engine (pausing where you'd expect), it doesn't play the pauses for the Generative engine (I use the EU-Central-1 region).

Here is a screenshot of a request that fails to play the pauses:

Identical settings, but using a US voice, and the audio includes the very noticeable pause as required:

Hi, thank you for your support of this issue. I tested all regions - same issue with British voices. I created case (Case ID 177352476700040) but it's still in Unassigned status after 3 days. Will post any updates here.

The <break> tag is fully supported across all Amazon Polly voice types, including generative voices like the British/Amy voice you're using. This tag should work consistently to add pauses in your speech synthesis.

If you're experiencing issues with the <break time> tag specifically in the British/Amy generative voice while American voices are working correctly, this appears to be an unexpected behavior that may require investigation by AWS support.

To submit a ticket for this issue, you can:

1. Contact AWS Support through the AWS Support Center in your AWS Console
2. Use the AWS Support API if you have programmatic access
3. If you have a support plan, you can open a technical support case directly

When submitting your ticket, include details such as:

• The specific voice (British/Amy generative voice)
• The SSML code you're using with the <break> tag
• When the issue started (you mentioned last week)
• Examples of the expected vs. actual behavior
• Confirmation that other voices (like American voices) are working correctly

This will help AWS support team investigate and resolve the issue more efficiently.
Sources
Supported SSML tags - Amazon Polly
Adding a pause - Amazon Polly