Use your PC to Master Japanese and Chinese
Lookup Syllable
LeftShift+Space
Lookup Syllable command is used by the On Request Chinese
character
input
method to search the
syllable(4-
7)
dictionary. Use syllable lookup only if the
Lookup Word or Phrase(3-
30)
command fails.
Japanese verbs and adjectives are stored in citation form. To enter a kanji:
type the citation form, select Translate | Lookup Syllable, locate and
select the kanji, press BackSpace to delete the hiragana citation inflection,
then type the desired inflection.
Chinese bopomofo and pinyin entries require matching the correct tone. Use
Lookup Similar Syllable(3-
30)
to bypass tone matching.
You can add rare or obsolete pronunciations to the syllable dictionary
yourself, although it is far easier to add them to your
user dictionary(4-
7)
and use the Translate | Lookup Word or Phrase command.
Lookup Syllable changes to Lookup Pronunciations if text is
selected (highlighted). Lookup Pronunciations (LeftShift+Space) looks up
the selected pronunciations in the
word and phrase(4-
7)
dictionary. See
Extended Searches(3-
31).
Lookup Similar Syllable
RightShift+Space
Look Up Similar Syllable is like
Lookup Syllable(3-
30)
except that the Japanese pronunciation shifts (co to go, or tsu to TSU) are
removed, and tone matching is bypassed for pinyin and bopomofo.
This really saves time, and eliminates most excuses for using the wrong
pronunciation when entering Chinese characters.
Nevertheless, the Japanese language will not let us off so easily. Small
TSU converts to regular tsu, which is frequently not the final
consonant. Type the final consonant, look up the character, and edit the
furigana to indicate the small TSU. Manually adjust pronunciations that
have more than one shift.
Look Up Similar Syllable changes to Lookup Characters if text is
selected (highlighted). Lookup Characters (RightShift+Space) searches
for multiple Chinese characters. See
Extended Searches(3-
31).
Lookup Word or Phrase
F2
Lookup Word or Phrase is used by the On Request Chinese character
input method for normal text entry. It also functions in any modality to look
up words according to the type of object selected:
Pronunciation (hiragana, pinyin, or bopomofo) object
searches return partial matches of entries that begin with the pronunciation in
the
user dictionary(4-
7)
and
word and phrase(4-
7)
dictionaries.
Chars (Chinese character, a.k.a.
Chars(D-
-
2))
objects search the
reverse dictionary(4-
7)
for the character. If a reverse dictionary is not installed, Smart Characters
emulates one by invoking the
Search Dictionaries(3-
32)
command.
Notes objects search the
translating dictionary(4-
7)
for matching translations. If a translating dictionary is not installed, Smart
Characters emulates one by invoking the
Search Dictionaries(3-
32)
command to search for all entries that contain the target in any portion of the
glosses(D-
-
4)
(translations).
The Right Mouse button speed menu Query
command is a shortcut to this command.
Lookup word or phrase changes behavior if text is selected
(highlighted). See
extended searches(3-
31).
Enter Long Phrases with One Keystroke
The
word and phrase(4-
7)
dictionaries are searched in a non-
exclusive
manner, matching all entries beginning with the entered sound. Consequently,
you can match a long phrase with just one or two keystrokes, which is handy if
you are unsure of the exact pronunciation. For even faster entry of repetitive
text, bypass the dictionaries, and add the text to your
dynamic glossary(4-
6).
Extended Searches
Selected (highlighted) text overrides the automatic lookup key (the text to
the left of the cursor in the
hidden characters(5-
4)
window):
Lookup Pronunciations (LeftShift+Space) looks up the selected
pronunciations in the
word and phrase(4-
7)
dictionary.
Lookup Chinese Characters (RightShift+Space) searches for multiple
Chinese characters.
Lookup Kanji and Kana (F2) looks for inflected forms, ignoring furigana.
Meaningful for Japanese only.
Lookup Exact Match (F2 with Block F8 on but with no text
selected: press F8, then F2) forces exact matches. Tones must be correct,
and the targets must match dictionary entries exactly.
Bopomofo Dictionaries Accessible via Pinyin
Chinese dictionaries can be accessed via pinyin as well as bopomofo. Pinyin is
converted to bopomofo and used to search the bopomofo dictionaries and vice
versa, removing the need to install and switch between pinyin or bopomofo
dictionaries. Some limitations apply:
- Typed pinyin entries must be fully converted to bopomofo, otherwise the
search will fail because of the unresolved pinyin mixed with the converted
bopomofo. For example, the pinyin "ta" is ambiguous, since it could be the
bopomofo "t-a" or the start of "t-ang". Adding a tone (e.g. ta1) resolves the
syllable. If you use a bypass tone matching search (e.g.
RightShift+Space), it need not be the correct tone.
- Partial searches yield partial matches in bopomofo, which are not
necessarily the same as partial matches in pinyin. For example, "nu" partially
matches "nong", since the bopomofo "nong" actually consists of "n-u-eng". As
above, "ta" will not match "tang" because there is no `a' in the
bopomofo "tang."
Use Translate | Select Dictionaries to select
Chi-Pin pinyin dictionaries (available from the
bulletin board(D-
-
1))
if you wish partial matching to be like English.
Search Dictionaries
Alt+F2
Search Dictionaries searches the pronunciation dictionaries for all
entries that include the specific character being probed, or the current English
gloss(D-
-
4).
This is far slower than using a
translating(4-
7)
or
reverse(4-
7)
dictionary, but can yield partial matches in English, and search a
word and phrase(4-
7)
dictionary for entries that may not be in an earlier or smaller translating or
reverse dictionary.
External Dictionary
Ctrl+F2
- The External Dictionary command invokes a separate
external dictionary(4-
8)
program that you write yourself or obtain from a third party vendor. You can
use this to interface to CD ROM encyclopedias, databases, etc. Call
Apropos Customer Service(F-
-
1)
for specifications.
Reference Dictionary
Shift+F2
The Reference Dictionary command loads an accessory
hypertext(D-
-
4)
reference dictionary(4-
8)
into a word processing window.
This is typically used for an optional
radical and stroke(4-
8)
dictionary for quick lookups of Chinese characters in printed material. Use
the Translate
Select Dictionaries(3-
33)
command to install a radical and stroke dictionary as the reference dictionary.
Auto Input Method
The Chinese Character Input Method dialog selects the Chinese character
input method. Two internal methods are supplied: On Request and
Incremental Match. Additional external methods can be installed and
used. The Auto Input Method menu item check mark indicates that an input
method other than On Request is active.
- Front End Processors
- On Request is an internal method which uses the Translate
commands to look up syllables, words, and phrases. On Request is best
for users who would benefit from language assistance. On Request can be
used in conjunction with any other input method, and, other than selecting
dictionaries, there are no preferences to set. See the
Select Dictionaries(3-
33)
command.
- Incremental Match is an internal method with various different
modalities and preferences to accelerate Chinese character text entry by
sacrificing language assistance. See the
Incremental Match Setup(3-
32)
dialog.
- Setup invokes a setup dialog for the selected input method. There is
no setup for the On Request method, other than adjusting the position and size
of the
List(4-
4)
window when you first start.
- New installs a new front end processor.
Incremental Match Setup
The Incremental Match Setup dialog sets preferences for the internal
Incremental Match Chinese character input method.
- Begin Conversion On selects the keys that will begin a Chinese
character conversion. Select any of the following: Space Bar, F2 Key, and New
Line.
- Delay, ms selects the amount of time in one thousandths of a second
that Smart Characters will wait for a key press before listing the current
matching entries. 500 milliseconds is equal to one half second.
- Cancel Conversion On selects the keys to press to cancel conversion:
Space, Ctrl+Space, Escape, and Tab.
- Word Display Style
- Vertical List displays matching Chinese characters in the vertical
list(4-
4)
window. You can suppress annotations to make for a smaller and faster list by
activating the list window and turning selecting View | Annotations off.
- Horizontal Bar displays matching Chinese characters without
annotations in a floating horizontal window. The contents match that of the
list window.
- No List (in place) does not display a list.
- Substitute substitutes the current selection in place of the
just-typed pronunciation. To change a substitution, press the arrow keys.
- Exact Match Only inhibits "super-matches" and requires that you type
the entire pronunciation rather just than the first few letters of a word for
the word to match. This makes for a much smaller selection list, especially for
short pronunciations.
- Accept Conversion On selects the keys to press to accept a
selection: Space, Alt+Space, Enter, and Alt+Enter.
Select Dictionaries
The Select Dictionaries dialog opens dictionary sets (a collection of
dictionaries) specified for a particular language or language mode. These
include Japanese and Chinese (Chinese with bopomofo or pinyin input)
plus other optional sets supporting additional languages. This dialog has no
effect on text already in the document, or your ability to enter alphabetic
characters in any language from the keyboard.
-
- Dictionary Language selects the
dictionary language set(4-
7)
from the installed language modes, typically Japanese or Chinese. Selecting
this option updates the dictionary type controls. Each dictionary type contains
a list of dictionaries of that language mode and type. The active dictionary of
each type is displayed in the corresponding control.
- To activate another dictionary, select it from the control of the same
type. If the dictionary does not appear on the list, type its name into the
control. If you cannot remember its exact name, type a wild card (asterisk),
and use the
Open File(3-
1)
dialog to browse and locate the correct dictionary.
- Auto Convert selects an optional dictionary used by an installable
front end processor.
- Syllable selects the pronunciation
syllable(4-
7)
dictionary invoked by Lookup Syllable, Lookup Similar Syllable,
and
Search Dictionaries(3-
32)
commands when the object to the left of the cursor in the
hidden characters(5-
4)
window is a pronunciation.
- Word selects the
word and phrase(4-
7)
pronunciation dictionary invoked by Lookup Word and Phrase, and
Search Dictionaries commands.
- User selects the
user(4-
7)
dictionary invoked by Lookup Word and Phrase, and Search
Dictionaries commands.
- Radical selects an optional
radical(4-
7)
dictionary for Chinese text entry when the object to the left of the cursor in
the hidden characters window is a radical combination code.
- Stroke selects an optional
stroke(4-
7)
dictionary for Chinese text entry when the object to the left of the cursor in
the hidden characters window is a stroke combination code.
- Translating selects an optional English (or other language)
translating dictionary(4-
7)
invoked by Lookup Word and Phrase when the object to the left of the
cursor in the hidden characters window is a Notes
gloss(D-
-
4).
- Reverse selects a
reverse dictionary(4-
7)
(Chinese characters to ...) invoked by Lookup Word and Phrase when the
object to the left of the cursor in the hidden characters window is a Chinese
character (Chars or bChars).
- Reference selects any
hypertext(D-
-
4)
document to be invoked by the Reference Dictionary command, typically a
radical and stroke(4-
8)
dictionary, or grammar
reference(4-
8).
See
the example in
Reopen Japanese Dictionaries(2J-
33).
Adopt Notes
The Adopt Notes Preference dialog controls how notes are copied into the
current document from
word and phrase(4-
7),
radical(4-
7),
and
translating(4-
7)
dictionary searches. Notes are always automatically copied into the internal
clipboard(4-
3)
window from the
Search Dictionaries(3-
32)
command. Two sets of preferences correspond to whether annotations are
displayed or hidden.
- Annotations Displayed
- Never discards notes. For the sake of future readers, do not select
this option.
- Ask selects
glosses(D-
-
4)
to copy by invoking the
Choose Closest Meaning(3-
34)
dialog.
- All selects all the glosses in the entry. This makes for a
potentially lengthy and confusing display.
- First selects the first glosses in the entry.
- Frequency selects the gloss with the highest frequency of use. To
use this, you need to install dictionaries with frequency information.
- Annotations Hidden selects how notes are adopted when note
annotations are hidden.
Choose Closest Meaning
The Choose Closest Meaning dialog selects a
gloss(D-
-
4)
from a dictionary selection to paste into the current document. Select the best
gloss, edit it in the edit control, or type a new gloss.
Add Selection to User Dictionary
The Add Selection to User Dictionary adds the selected text to the active
user dictionary(4-
7),
invoking the
Verify Dictionary or Glossary Entry(3-
29)
dialog.
Compile Hypertext
The Compile Hypertext command compiles a Smart Characters
hypertext(D-
-
4)
file selected in the
Open File(3-
1)
dialog. Hypertext files include most Smart Characters dictionaries, and
hypertext documents such as non-English Smart Characters help files, which do
not use the Windows help system. See
Compiling Hypertext(12-
2).
Add Annotations
The Annotate command launches the optional
ScAnnotate Automatic Annotator(11-
2)
to add
variable word spacing(4-
14),
pronunciations, and glosses to native format text from scanners or native word
processors.
Translate Window
The Translate command invokes an add-on external translating program as
specified in the Scw.ini [Translate Add-On] section.
Apropos Customer Service home
page 617-648-2041
Last Modified: March 23, 1996
Copyright © 1996 Apropos, Inc.