QuanPin Simplified Chinese character input method
erika_herzog
my friend is trying to use the QuanPin Simplified Chinese character
input method on his new MacBook he just got. on OS 9 this option was
available but with his new computer, with Tiger, this option is not
available.
he has tried the other options but the characters aren't correct.
he needs the typical input method for mainland china.
any help, we would be grateful for....
erika and jian yi
Eric Rasmussen
> my friend is trying to use the QuanPin Simplified Chinese character
> input method on his new MacBook he just got. on OS 9 this option was
> available but with his new computer, with Tiger, this option is not
> available.
>
> he has tried the other options but the characters aren't correct.
[Short answer: Hit the space bar instead of the return key...]
All of Apple's core OS 9 Chinese input methods are still available in
Tiger, so it shouldn't be a problem. I presume by QuanPin (as opposed
to ShuangPin) you mean just regular Pinyin input.
Most likely the problem you friend is having is that ITABC (the
standard Simplified-Chinese Pinyin input method licensed by Apple)
now combines two input methods in one, depending on which key you
press to open the candidate window after typing the Pinyin string.
If you hit the space bar, you get the the old "ABC" input method
which is more or less the same as in OS 9. If you hit the return key,
however, you get something new called Jiegou Pinyin, which is a
clever phonetic-elements approach to finding characters when you're
not sure how to pronounce them. See here for more details (in English):
http://www.yale.edu/chinesemac/pages/scim_x4.html#itabc
A new input method your friend should definitely consider trying is
QIM, discussed here:
http://www.yale.edu/chinesemac/pages/input_methods.html#QIM
QIM is the real thing, a truly up-to-date Pinyin input method for the
Mac OS.
Eric
erika_herzog
thanks for the quick response on this. i had a feeling it would be
something very simple and basic like a keystroke or something.
out of curiosity, is this what people on mainland china are using? the
Jiegou Pinyin?
i forwarded it to my friend and by thursday should know if that solves
the issue (i suspect it does). i will report back.
thank you thank you thank you!
erika
Eric Rasmussen
On Oct 3, 2006, at 12:57 PM, erika_herzog wrote:
> out of curiosity, is this what people on mainland china are using?
> the
> Jiegou Pinyin?
No, Jiegou Pinyin is not for everyday input. It's a way to input
relatively obscure characters without having to look them up in a
table by radical. It's not a word/phrase input method like ITABC or QIM.
Eric
Erika Herzog
is this just a problem for people who are using English-language
computers? (not sure how to differentiate between what i know and
what someone in mainland china might use...)
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Joe Wicentowski
Thanks for bringing up Jiegou Pinyin. I hadn't noticed it before
reading this thread.
My question is about comparing Jiegou Pinyin and Wenlin: How would
you (or anyone else who's tried both programs) compare Jiegou Pinyin
to Wenlin's incredibly helpful List > Characters Containing
Components, in terms of their 'flexiblity' with components? Using
your example from the website, I notice that Wenlin also lists the
same components for 魯: 魚 and 日. In other cases I wonder if
you've noticed different 'interpretations' of the components of
characters. I wonder if they have the same data source for components?
Thanks,
Joe
Eric Rasmussen
On Oct 3, 2006, at 2:56 PM, Erika Herzog wrote:
> so what is used for everyday input? ITABC / QIM?
>
> is this just a problem for people who are using English-language
> computers? (not sure how to differentiate between what i know and
> what someone in mainland china might use...)
Well, it's not really a problem at all. ITABC works fine (if you use
the space bar) and QIM is even better. I don't want to give a
dissertation on the evolution and variety of input methods in China
(not that I could!). Indeed, someone could probably write an actual
dissertation or book on the subject which would be quite interesting.
And not just in the technical aspects. There's also cultural and even
political freight attached.
But no, in Mac OS X there's no real difference in terms of the input
methods available between a system running in Chinese and one running
in English.
ER
Erika Herzog
i would be interested in the "cultural and ... political freight".... !
thanks again, eric.
On 10/3/06, Eric Rasmussen <chine...@mac.com> wrote:
>
>
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