Mac Question

[across]

option + u will get create the ¨, and then one can manually insert letter u under it, but how do you get the tone mark above the ü?

[FadedStardust]

that depends on which keyboard layout you use; I use "US - Extended" layout and I just hit option + _whatever key has the tone_ and then v. ǖ is option + a then v, ǘ is option + e then v, ǚ is option + v then v (again), and ǜ is option + ` (next to the 1 key on a US keyboard) then v.

Or, if you use QIM to input characters you can just type in the pinyin then hit tab to cycle through the tones so if you want nǚ you type nv as normal, then hit tab 3 times and then hit enter, which means you don't have to remember which keys have the right tones, and you don't have to remember which vowel in multi-vowel syllables takes the tone; "dui" for example has a u and an i, and if you don't remember that the i is the one that takes the tone, if you are manually entering tones it could look sloppy. This function is also helpful if you're looking for a specific "yí“ character in isolation, as it lets you see just yi's that are 2nd tone.

Good luck!

[imron]

There is also Mac Pinyin, which is a Mac IME similar to pinyinput that allows you to type pinyin with tones.

[across]

Thanks, guys. And my bad concerning the typo.

I downloaded that, by the way. I'm not really satisfied with it, though, because it won't let me type multiple syllable words. I'm also not a big fan of hitting the space bar twice after typing each word. What using MacPinyin did for me, however, was caused me to have an awareness that my current input method (U.S. extended) is not ideal. I want to be able to create tone marks by typing numbers but not have to put spaces between the syllables. Caps would be nice, too, but that's not so important in my eyes.

Here's a question that I have. I don't understand, probably because I'm too new to the language. This is an excerpt from the "ReadMe" file, where examples are given of how one can create tone marks. It's the final example listed.

nàr (na4<space>r<enter>)

Why would they put the "4" after the "a"? Is "r" a legitimate syllable in Mandarin?

[imron]

I think as the author mentioned in the original post, it was just something he knocked up quickly to solve a need, and it still has a number of shortcomings.

Regarding r, it isn't a legitimate syllable, it's just the way the author of MacPinyin is suggesting to type it at the end of a word, given MacPinyin's current functionality.

[across]

Well, it's a good start. Better than I could do.

[imron]

You could try contacting the author to see if he could make an update. His post mentions he welcomes suggestions. He hasn't posted here in a while though, so you might want to send him an email (you should be able to find his contact details on the site he linked to for the MacPinyin download).

[across]

Well, after playing with it for a bit today, I can see that di/trisyllabic words can indeed be typed with Mac Pinyin. So, it looks like this will be my method of choice. I never contacted him (couldn't find an email address for that), but I guess I won't have to. Thanks for the recommendation, imron.

[across]

Wait, nevermind. We can't space after periods or commas, at least as far as I can see. I better shoot him an email. I'll email him if you give me his address.

And to his credit, I now understand why people have to hit space twice after typing a word. It's because the first space creates the tone mark, and the second then spaces. Typing words with more than one syllable makes it understandable why it's set up the way it is in that regard.

[imron]

If you visit the main site where the MacPinyin file is hosted, there is an email address listed there. Judging by the name in the copyright notices of MacPinyin, this is the author's site and email address.

[across]

Rock on. Maybe he'll make a special appearance in this thread.