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Posts Tagged ‘PinyInput’

Does Pinyinput reset the default input language to Chinese?

2012/06/29 3 comments
  1. Update: We are in the process of switching from Pinyinput (for other reasons), but I have a new suspicion what may cause the input language switch to Chinese on our teacher computer: Sanako Study 1200 tutor?
  2. Problem: We observe that the default input language on a computer (Windows XP service pack 3, numerous input languages, US international is supposed to be the default)gets reset to Chinese whenever we log on. Numerous attempts to reset the default input language have not had any effect, despite the computer not being frozen.
  3. Possible cause:
    1. There was no configuration change that I can remember was done immediately before this behavior cropped up. Other computers that have the same base configuration but are deepfrozen do not display this behavior.
    2. However, here is a wild guess for a cause: We have Pinyinput installed, a keyboard layout to facilitate typing Pinyin tone marks. It is advised to be installed under US-English input language since installing it under Chinese causes some [edit: only font display, I was reminded by the developer] problems with MS-Word.
  4. Possible workarounds to be tested:
    1. Is this admonition that Pinyinput should not be installed under input language Chinese still up to date with Windows 7, Office 2010 and the current version of pinyinput? If not, try installing Pinyinput under Chinese in Windows 7?
    2. Freeze the computer while it does not display this behavior.
Categories: e-languages, English, Mandarin, Presenter-Computer Tags: ,

Pinyin Input: An Input Method Editor (IME) for Learners of Mandarin

2011/01/13 Leave a comment

Maybe the two biggest challenges for beginning Western non-native learners of Mandarin are:

  1. Mandarin is a tonal language (like e.g. Vietnamese);
  2. Mandarin has a non-alphabetic script (mainland China “simplified” theirs, as opposed to Taiwan and other “traditional” Chinese communities, while e.g. Vietnam has Romanized the writing system).
    A common workaround, when starting to learn Mandarin, is first using only Pinyin, one of the Romanized phonetic transcription systems for spoken Mandarin which includes special markers for the most common 5 tones.

Typing the tone markers on a PC needs a special program. A number of tone marker input editors are available (see PinyinJoe’s list). I have used and supported PinyInput, which works similarly to Pinyin input IMEs used by native speaking PC users. Instead of offering, in a popup window, Mandarin script when typing with an alphabetic keyboard, PinyInput offers tone markers.

A 1-minute screencast hopefully says more than 1000*fps*duration words: Watch this PinyInput demo.

Categories: e-languages Tags: , , , ,

Character Input for SLA (Mandarin)

2009/09/04 Leave a comment

·        Input for east Asian languages can use

o   so called IMEs (Input Method Editors) which allow you to type Roman characters and receive in return a dialogue with

o   Handwriting recognition (not very usable with only a mouse as drawing devices.

o   How to easily type pinyin with tone markers

§  Use the Pinyininput IME from the Language Bar (or Input Method  Selector keyboard shortcut).

§  Its “first mode is “checked” mode, which only accepts (mostly) valid pīnyīn (mostly valid in that it only checks for correct combinations of initials and finals, and not valid/invalid combinations of tones). When typing, if you place a number at the end of a pīnyīn syllable then Pinyinput will automatically convert the correct vowel in the syllable so that it has the appropriate tone e.g. Typing Ni3hao3 will produce the output Nǐhǎo. (…() “Checked” mode also optionally supports “érhuà” so things like pingr2 will be converted to píngr. The “érhuà” support is pretty simplistic, and it will allow any valid pīnyīn syllable which is followed by an r (even though such syllables might not exist in valid pinyin). (…)

§  The second mode is “unchecked” mode, and in this mode you can type whatever you like

§  (…) the user can optionally decide whether they want to use combining diacritic marks or individual characters [which] are probably the best way to go, as not all programs handle combining diacriticals correctly. (…)

§  Pinyinput can support multiple different keyboard layouts.(…)  regardless of the layout used, the letter v of that layout is always automatically converted to ü.

View a demonstration screencast.

·        Simplified Chinese

o   Select the pre-installed IME from the Language Bar (or Input Method  Selector keyboard shortcut).

·        More Information is available here; Foreign_Language_Character_Input.pdf

o   The LLC attempts to have the optimum environment language for learning preinstalled. Suggestions for additions welcome.

Categories: Documents, e-learning, Mandarin, Screencasts, Writing Tags: , , ,