Typing
QuickTone is an add-in for Microsoft® Word (Word 2003 and higher) for rapid input of Pinyin romanized Chinese text (not characters). Using QuickTone you can type Pinyin tone marks with the minimum of effort—In fact the only effort you will ever need to apply is lifting your finger!
- To type ā ...... press the A key
- To type á ...... press the A key
- To type ǎ ...... press the A key
- To type à ...... press the A key
As you hold down a vowel key (A, E, I, O, U or V [for Ü]) you will see the tone mark above the vowel change in the following sequence (taking A as an example):
When the correct tone appears, just lift your finger from the key: it really is as simple as that!
Selecting tone sequence
The default sequence of tones is the "natural" sequence 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 (a ... ā ... á ... ǎ ... à). This tone sequence can be changed at the click of a button: for example, you might prefer one in which the commonest tone—the fourth—appears first, and the least common tone—the third—appears last. The fourth and third tones also happen to have the shortest and longest duration in speech: compare dà and dǎ. The other tones are intermediate in frequency and duration.
Adjusting the speed
When you first try QuickTone you may find that at the default speed the tone marks change very fast, making it difficult to pick the precise moment to lift your finger to obtain the tone mark you want. You can adjust the speed at the click of a button. A little experimentation will soon establish the best settings for QuickTone, given the speed of your processor.
Audio clues
If you prefer touch-typing, an optional beep will sound as each tone mark appears on the screen. Lift your finger as soon as you hear the beep for the tone you want. Use this option to avoid constant peering at the screen.
Tone colours
If you prefer watching the screen as you type, this option makes it much easier to identify the four tones visually. The vowel you are typing will be highlighted, changing colour for each tone: for example ā, á, etc.
Demonstration
Click on the button to see a slowed-down demo of the sequence of tone marks.
If you prefer, you can enter the tones by typing the appropriate number immediately after the vowel. For example you could type
for qǐng wèn.
Pricing
QuickTone is priced at £26 (approximate conversions are shown below). You can try out the program using our free 15-day trial offer.
Free 15-day trial offer
For product support, please e-mail us with any comments or queries.
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