diff --git a/src/libespeak-ng/speech.c b/src/libespeak-ng/speech.c
index 45c9cfec..14673dc0 100644
--- a/src/libespeak-ng/speech.c
+++ b/src/libespeak-ng/speech.c
@@ -223,7 +223,6 @@ ESPEAK_NG_API espeak_ng_STATUS espeak_ng_InitializeOutput(espeak_ng_OUTPUT_MODE
 	option_device = device;
 	my_mode = output_mode;
 	my_audio = NULL;
-	option_waveout = 1; // inhibit portaudio callback from wavegen.cpp
 	out_samplerate = 0;
 
 	// buflength is in mS, allocate 2 bytes per sample
diff --git a/src/libespeak-ng/translate.h b/src/libespeak-ng/translate.h
index 0d914728..4e8f3d91 100644
--- a/src/libespeak-ng/translate.h
+++ b/src/libespeak-ng/translate.h
@@ -656,7 +656,6 @@ extern int option_tone2;
 #define OPTION_EMPHASIZE_ALLCAPS  0x100
 #define OPTION_EMPHASIZE_PENULTIMATE 0x200
 extern int option_tone_flags;
-extern int option_waveout;
 extern int option_quiet;
 extern int option_phonemes;
 extern int option_phoneme_events;
diff --git a/src/libespeak-ng/wavegen.c b/src/libespeak-ng/wavegen.c
index c47a7325..d3f26e14 100644
--- a/src/libespeak-ng/wavegen.c
+++ b/src/libespeak-ng/wavegen.c
@@ -58,7 +58,6 @@
 voice_t *wvoice;
 
 FILE *f_log = NULL;
-int option_waveout = 0;
 static int option_harmonic1 = 10;
 static int flutter_amp = 64;
 
@@ -514,7 +513,7 @@ int WavegenOpenSound()
 	PaError err, err2;
 	PaError active;
 
-	if (option_waveout || option_quiet) {
+	if (option_quiet) {
 		// writing to WAV file, not to portaudio
 		return 0;
 	}