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Thread ID: 23655 2002-08-21 12:06:00 Apostrophe and Quotation - Windows XP -=JM=- (16) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
73015 2002-08-23 11:44:00 I was still correct in my post though because I only ever referred to the apostrophe/quote key. Not to the marks above the letters. -=JM=- (16)
73016 2002-08-24 02:32:00 J.M., it was a double pun:O. The "quote" (`) character when used with your settings actually gave the "grave" mark over the following letter when your system were set for "dead key". Similarly for "apostrophe/acute. [Yes, I know that one should never, ever explain a pun]:_|

A petard is/was an explosive device. It was what was placed in a mine, which was a tunnel dug towards, then under the enemy wall. After lighting the blue touch paper, one was supposed to retreat in an orderly manner to a safe distance. Unfortunately, the rate of fuse burning was often not very "controlled" and many unfortunate individuals were "hoist by their own petard". (hoist does/did not mean "lifted with a rope" ; it means, roughly, "elevated in an rapid manner". This was often fatal. :-(
Graham L (2)
73017 2002-08-24 03:07:00 So would this be a way to get the "a" with 2 dots over it that used so often in maori? Chris Wilson (431)
73018 2002-08-24 03:37:00 Alan: I distinguish between diaeresis and umlaut because the same mark is used for different things in two different languages. boom, boom .]:)

Chris: The "two dots" (umlaut mark) used to mark lengthened vowels in Maori is actually wrong: you should use the macron , which is a bar over the letter. But the umlaut mark is often used, and is understood.
I see that there is a ban on using the macron/umlaut in Maori in submissions to Royal Commissions, because the fonts aren't commonly available.

You can get a free font containing the macron characters (www.kennett.co.nz) here.
Graham L (2)
73019 2002-08-24 03:53:00 The diaresis, (or umlaut!), is only used over long vowels in Mäori because these benighted PeeCee boxes don't have the macron font that should be used to denote a long vowel. In some quarters the practice is to type the vowel twice to denote length - e.g. waananga - instead of using the macron.

I understand some people are offended by the use of the diaresis and consider it lazy to write kupu Mäori that way.

I prepare a lot of documents that have Te Reo Mäori words in them, and use the diaresis. The recipient that publishes them has set up their software to automatically change those vowels into the macron font. Sweet, because most of the current systems to put the macron in involve several keystrokes. We need a Mäori keyboard as an option here... Or a "macron" key that could be pressed at the same time as the vowel, like the shift key.

To type the ä (and other long vowels) I use the "Insert symbol" command in Word. Gradually I have built up a reasonable vocab of these words in my Mäori spell checker so that I can just type them "straight", and then the spell checker picks them up and changes them. How lazy is that?

John (sorry for getting off post...)
John H (8)
73020 2002-08-24 03:55:00 Apologies to the pedants for the misspelling of "diaeresis" in my previous post... I tend not to use the term... John H (8)
73021 2002-08-24 04:05:00 I shall send this thread of to my better ½, she being ¼ mäori, finds herself representing a mäori perspective for many organizations, and the non availability of the " ä " character has been a thorn in her side.

What a wonderful lesson to start the day with!
Chris Wilson (431)
73022 2002-08-24 04:40:00 I see you are in ChaCha Chris. If your better half is here too and wants to talk it through (I have a Word dictionary she may like, and a number of web addresses for macron fonts) she may like to make contact with me.

You/she could use the email address hopskinny@yahoo.com (an email address I only use for "public" purposes...).

John
John H (8)
73023 2002-08-24 04:43:00 John H,
She is Grey-Mouth based, but comes over from time to time
E-mail me, on my disposable address pugwash@ihug.co.nz and i shall connect you
Chris Wilson (431)
73024 2002-08-24 04:46:00 "a thorn in her side"... the thorn character is this one: þ. What a bother --- a bit of fun is useful to someone. ;-) Graham L (2)
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