Archive
Character Input Methods for SLA (Western)
For studying (typing) Western Languages (= need for diacritics only; whether you have a US keyboard hardware or UK which is pretty similar), we recommend the MS Windows US International Keyboard layout which is based on “dead keys”.
Currently installed in the LLC are the Language Bar (floating on top of screen or accessible from the taskbar) with these keyboard layouts:
Keyboard layout settings are application/window specific, and “US” (non-international) is still the default for new applications/windows, so prepare to switch after you start a new application;
There are keyboard shortcuts for switching, however, “Key settings”: “switch between input languages” , using LEFT ALT + SHIFT, does not work. Workaround: use the language bar for switching:
Windows keyboard layout settings can be temperamental – if you find you cannot switch to a certain layout anymore, you may have to restart the computer.
Use the following keyboard shortcuts to enter diacritics more easily:
|
Press (together, then release) |
then press |
Example Result |
|
` (accent grave) |
any letter that can have this accent, e.g. "a”, also cedilla ç |
à |
|
‘ (apostrophe) |
á |
|
|
^ (caret)- |
â |
|
|
~ (tilde) |
ã |
|
|
” (double quotation marks) |
ä |
|
|
CTRL+& |
Z or z |
æ |
|
rightALT+ |
X or x |
œ |
|
rightAlt+n |
|
ñ |
|
ALT+CTRL+? |
|
¿ |
|
rightAlt+? |
|
|
|
ALT+CTRL+! |
|
¡ |
|
rightAlt+1 |
|
|
|
rightAlt+s |
S |
ß |
To access the original, now dead keys, press space bar after pressing the dead key.
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Modifiers(blue)/Layout |
Note the new modifier = “dead” keys, indicated by light blue color (click to enlarge) |
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Normal |
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Shift |
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US International |
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Screencast of US International in action here: deadkeys.wmv
Interactive Demo of installation procedure (personal computers outside of the LLC) here: keyboard_usinternational.swf
Planned improvements:
- Use LEFT ALT+Shift to switch to (Software) “Keyboard Layout” “United-States International”.
- Use other keyboard short cuts to access a desired keyboard layout directly
- Dock the “Language Bar” in the Taskbar, then hover over it to make sure you selected the proper “Keyboard Layout”.
· 
Immerse yourself into your language of study by switching the user interface language on LRC PCs
- Ever imagine yourself studying or working in an e.g. Spanish– Japanese- or Chinese- speaking country? Then you will likely find yourself in front of a computer display that is in that language – what if you could get a sneak preview before you go?
- You can now switch the interface language of the LRC Windows 7 computers (including Internet Explorer and MS-Office (note that you have to change the editing language separately) to your language of study (How?).
- All non-classical languages studied here are supported:
Language Native name Arabic العربية Chinese (Simplified) 中文(简体) Chinese (Traditional) 中文 (繁體) English English French français German Deutsch Greek Ελληνικά Hebrew עברית Italian italiano Japanese 日本語 Korean 한국어 Polish polski Portuguese (Brazil) Português Portuguese (Portugal) português Russian Русский Spanish español - Some languages, however, come only with the limited support of a MS Language Interface Pack :
-
Hindi हिंदी KiSwahili Kiswahili Persian (Farsi) فارسی Yoruba ede Yorùbá - Below are examples (for German) what you get when you switch the operating system language:
Foreign language support in LRC MS-Office 2010
- A full set of proofing tools is available, thanks to MS-Office Language Packs installed on the Windows 7 computers, for all non-classical languages studied here:
-
Language Native name Arabic العربية Chinese (Simplified) 中文(简体) Chinese (Traditional) 中文 (繁體) English English French français German Deutsch Greek Ελληνικά Hebrew עברית Hindi हिंदी Italian italiano Japanese 日本語 Korean 한국어 Polish polski Portuguese (Brazil) Português Portuguese (Portugal) português Russian Русский Spanish español - Some languages have only limited features provided by the MS-Language Interface Pack:
-
KiSwahili Kiswahili Persian (Farsi) فارسی Yoruba ede Yorùbá
A search interface to the EuroParl corpus
(Note the on my IE9, the text in the right column appears “blacked-out” – Select it to view, or use a different webbrowser).
How to change the display language and speech recognition language on LRC Windows 7 computers (and which languages are available)
- UPDATE: Since this page seems to be getting a lot of hits, I want to clarify: The step-by-step guide below only applies after you installed (free) language (or language interface) packs (see list here) on Windows 7 Enterprise or Ultimate SKU (others SKUs cannot add multiple language interfaces). UPDATE2: Things got much easier with Windows 8.
- In order to
- view the GUI of Windows and Internet Explorer in a foreign language,
- use the speech recognition in (a subset of the below) foreign languages,
- and also switch the default language of MS-Office
- Double-click the desktop shortcut “Region and language – Keyboards and languages”.
- Select the desired language from the dropdown box, click “OK”.
- Click: “Log off now”:
- “Log back in” (without restarting).
- And if you want the available display languages in English,
- here are the fully supported (MS Language packs):
Language Native name Arabic العربية Chinese (Simplified) 中文(简体) Chinese (Traditional) 中文 (繁體) English English French français German Deutsch Greek Ελληνικά Hebrew עברית Italian italiano Japanese 日本語 Korean 한국어 Polish polski Portuguese (Brazil) Português Portuguese (Portugal) português Russian Русский Spanish español - and here the partially supported (MS-Language Interface packs):
Hindi हिंदी KiSwahili Kiswahili Persian (Farsi) فارسی Yoruba ede Yorùbá - And here are the languages that support speech recognition:
How you can reuse your speech profile even on deepfrozen Language resource center computers
- “A [Windows Speech] profile is basically the collection of all settings and information about how to recognize your voice when using Windows Speech Recognition. Before changing the language used or letting other persons use Windows Speech Recognition it is best to create a new profile so that your current one will remain unaltered”.
- To be able reuse your effort training the computer to recognize your voice speaking in your study language – even though the LRC Windows 7 computers get reset when restarted -, you can backup, and later reload, your Speech Profile, preferably to your H:-drive.
- The Microsoft tool that allows you to do that has been put on WSRProfile.exe desktop of the LRC Windows 7 PCs. I can copy these instructions directly from the Microsoft blog page:
- Double-click WSRProfile.exe to start the WSR Profile tool wizard.
- To back up a speech profile using the WSR Profile tool, select Backup my speech profile.
- In the Select your Speech Profile dialog box, choose the speech profile you wish to back up and then click Next.
- The wizard will prompt you for a filename and location to save the file. When you have entered this information, click Next. The WSR Profile tool wizard will start the backup process of the selected speech profile.
- After the backup operation successfully finishes, click Close .
- In the Select your Speech Profile dialog box, choose the speech profile you wish to back up and then click Next.
- To restore a speech profile using the WSR Profile tool, select Restore my Speech Profile.
- On the File to Restore wizard page, click Browse and locate the backed up speech profile, and then click Next.
- Choose the speech profile you want to restore to.
- Select Use the current speech profile if you want to overwrite the current default speech profile.
- Select Create a new speech profile if you want to restore to a new speech profile. If you choose to restore to a new speech profile you will be prompted to provide a name for the new profile.
- After the restore operation successfully finishes, click Close.
Making audio cues for model imitation/question-response oral exams with Sanako Study 1200
We can easily record and post-process audio files in the LRC for use with the Sanako Study 1200 oral exam activities.
This can work not only for outcome exams (course- or chapter-wise), but also or formative assessment:
Think converting your textbook-based “drills” into Sanako, like repetitively recapitulating the newly acquired vocabulary item “donut” with different cues:
Example: “What can you do with [student can enter her favorite new vocabulary item for the current class] on [teacher can ask for one social web service after the other that her students likely are familiar with]?”. In response, student has to practice vocabularry item by forming sentences that fit the vocabulary item that fit like in the whiteboard example.
We can add to these recordings the features explained in the slide below.
I’d be happy to play you examples from this slide – and more – in the LRC (not to be published here so that the exam files can be reused).
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Other ways to find help
If you cannot find it here, look there: 5,500 Language-Learning Links and Programs for learning or teaching 150 languages
Shortcuts:Our Lists, Our Maps, LRC Staff Moodle Site,LRC Project Moodle Site, 49erexpress, UNCC Moodle, Student Recordings: s:claslcslrcsanakostudent
Learning usage samples: Sanako oral exam, Kaltura webcam presentation, Dictation with speech recognition, Sanako written exam, Chinese and Japanese interactive stroke-order practice
Test the Sanako Installer, Webbrowser Popup Konfigurator for XP, or Windows7, faster LRC TeacherPC Log-in Let MS facilitate diacritics writing by installing for you US-International keyboard layout
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