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MANUAL.DOC
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1995-01-28
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WORTLEITER UND SO WEITER (version 3.12)
┌─────────┐
╔═══════════════════╗ ┌─────┴───┐ │ (R)
║ MEMBER: ║ ──│ │o │──────────────────
║ Educational ║ │ ┌─────┴╨──┐ │ Association of
║ Software ║ │ │ │─┘ Shareware
║ Cooperative ║ └───│ o │ Professionals
╚═══════════════════╝ ──────│ ║ │────────────────────
└────╨────┘ MEMBER
WORTLEITER UND SO WEITER (German Word Ladder) consists of
three programs for MS-DOS (IBM and IBM-compatible) computers,
which are intended to help students learn German vocabulary
quickly and easily. The disk comes complete with three fully
developed programs, a file creation module which includes a 7200
word dictionary, 25 sample vocabulary files, and a complete
manual on the disk. New files can easily be written using the
dictionary, making the program an excellent companion for
learning the vocabulary in any textbook or in conjunction with
any lesson plan. The program requires an IBM or IBM-compatible
computer using DOS version 2.0 or later and 384K available
memory. A hard drive with 1.4 Mg of available space is
recommended in order to use the dictionary efficiently.
Copyright 1994 Portions of the program
Paul R. Widergren Copyright 1982-88
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Microsoft Co.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
This software and user's guide are copyright 1994 by Paul R.
Widergren. They are protected by both United States copyright
law and international treaty provisions. All Rights Reserved.
Wortleiter und so weiter was created and compiled using Microsoft
QuickBASIC 4.5.
MS-DOS, Microsoft Mouse, Windows, Microsoft Visual Basic, and
Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.5 areregistered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.
IBM, AT, and XT are registered trademark of International
Business Machines Corporation.
PKWARE, PKZIP and PKUNZIP are registered trademarks of PKWARE, Inc.
PLEASE READ THE LICENSE AGREEMENT AND LIMITED WARRANTY PRIOR TO
USING THIS SOFTWARE. Use of this software indicates your
acceptance of the terms and conditions of the license agreement
and the limited warranty.
LICENSE AGREEMENT
WORTLEITER UND SO WEITER is offered as shareware. Shareware
is not free software, but is a distribution system whereby the
user is free to try the software for a modest fee before buying
it at the full registration fee. You are free to copy this
program for your own use and copy it or load it onto bulletin
boards. Shareware vendors may distribute the shareware version
of this program (wl312s.zip) to others to others for a modest
distribution fee (up to $10) as long as all program and data
files remain intact, but the author retains all rights to the
program. Please understand that the program is not free, and is
not in the public domain. If after a reasonable time, you are
regularly using this program at home or in the classroom, you are
expected to register it by purchasing a registered copy for $29.95
from the author of the program. You will then receive a copy
(either 3½" or 5¼") of the most recent version of the program
Wortleiter uns so weiter including the file editing module, the
most recent version of the dictionary, and the a viewer to help
read the manual.
Note to German Teachers: One registered copy is expressly
considered a site-license. This is done to increase the
usefulness of the disk for educational purposes. If you buy my
programs and have access to an IBM computer lab, you may then
legally make multiple copies of this program for all your
students to use on multiple computers. You may even let students
take the program home and use it there. You may write (or have
your students write) files to practice the vocabulary you are
currently working on in class.
UNCONDITIONAL LIMITED WARRANTY
Wortleiter und so weiter diskettes are guaranteed to be free
from defects in materials and workmanship. Disks, which are
returned to me will be replaced, no questions asked, with the
most current version of the program. The warranty will be
limited to replacement of the physical diskettes and shall not
encompass other damages, including but not limited to loss of
profit, special, incidental, consequential, or other similar
claims. The user accepts the program "As Is" in lieu of all
other warranties and conditions, expressed or implied.
Copies which are obtained from shareware vendors or bulletin
boards are out of my control and the user agrees to accept these
programs "As Is" in lieu of any warranty or condition, expressed
or implied. I am, however, interested in discovering possible
sources of corrupted versions of this program and welcome any
information which will allow me to supply the source of the
faulty version of this program with the newest update and correct
the problem. I will replace the disk with the most current
version of the program.
INTRODUCTION
Wortleiter und so weiter consists of several computer programs
for IBM-compatible computers to aid in learning German vocabulary
and several important grammar concepts quickly and easily. The
disk comes complete with three fully-developed, menu-driven
programs, a file-creation module, a 7200 word dictionary and 25
sample vocabulary files. The registered version also includes a
on-line manual reader and may include additional vocabulary
files; however, the shareware disk and the registered version of
the disk are not substantially different. Older versions (such
as v. 2.12) of the disk may still be in circulation. Users who
order registered copies will always be sent the most current
version of the program, the data files, and the most updated
version of the manual.
Wortleiter und so weiter includes:
Wortleiter: Learn vocabulary quickly and easily. The disk
contains 25 sample files grouped according to topic (Clothes,
Geography, Animals, Travel). Using the file editor and the
dictionary, you can easily make additional files to accompany the
textbook you are using. In addition, numerous variations of the
program can be attempted by resetting the values on the format
screen. 3 levels are possible for each file.
Quiz: Uses Wortleiter files, but this time you have to type the
words in. You can type either the German equivalents to English
words or the English equivalents to German words. Verb files
can also test the principal parts of the German verb. 3 levels
of difficulty are possible for each file.
Gut so!: Select twelve words from one of the files for a
colorful memory game.
The dictionary and file creation module has also been included
in order to make it easy to make new files and edit old ones.
The dictionary includes 7200 words and contains virtually all of
the standard vocabulary to be found in elementary and
intermediate German textbooks. All you need to do is find the
German words in the dictionary, tag them, and then save the
file. Afterwards it is possible to modify the file and assign
levels of difficulty to each word (3 levels possible).
GETTING STARTED
Wortleiter und so weiter is distributed on a single archived
file which will first have to be "unzipped".
1. To load Wortleiter to a hard-disk:
C:\>md\wortleit - make a new directory on the hard drive.
C:\WORTLEIT>a: - change back to the drive the disk is in.
For the shareware version:
Most shareware vendors currently sell programs which use
PKWARE's .zip standard. To unzip the program, you will have to
have a copy of PKUNZIP, which is available from the large on-
line services, or any number of shareware vendors.
C:\WORTLEIT>copy a:wl312s.zip c:
C:\WORTLEIT>cd\pkware <- subdirectory containing pkunzip
C:\PKWARE>pkunzip c:\wortleit\wl312s.zip c:\wortleit
C:\PKWARE>cd\wortleit
C:\WORTLEIT>
For the registered version:
The program is distributed as a self-dearcing .exe file (Yoshi
.lzh standard). No program is need to unzip the file, rather
when you run the program it unzips itself. This has beem done
primarily to compress the dictionary so that the entire
program fits onto one 360k disk.
C:\WORTLEIT>wl312 c:\wortleit - the archived file will then
copy all files from a: to
c:\wortleit.
2. To run the program, type:
C:\WORTLEIT>wl
3. The text of the manual file is contained in the file
manual.doc.
To print the manual.doc or order.doc files, type:
C:\WORTLEIT>type manual.doc >lpt1
or C:\WORTLEIT>type order.doc >lpt1
or load the file into a word processor and print it using the
word processor.
4. Using Wortleiter with WINDOWS. Wortleiter is not a Windows
program and does not require Windows to use. It can, however,
be launched from the Windows interface in Real or Enhanced
Mode without a problem. See your Windows guide for further
details on how to run a non-windows program. An icon
CTRGERM.ICO is included on the disk for use with the program.
THE MAIN MENU
Loading a program from the menu:
After the program has loaded, the main menu with the blue
background will appear. Highlight one of the three programs by
pressing the up or down arrows on keyboard and ENTER to load that
program. If a mouse is present, programs can also be loaded by
moving the mouse up and down and then pressing the left mouse
button. Press ESC to leave the program entirely.
Quick Help from the Main Menu:
Press the function key f1 to read the help screens. The help
screens contain a description of the "hot keys" applicable to the
program and give general directions for running the program.
Pressing f1 at any time will display help screens applicable for
that portion of the program.
To create new files or modify old files:
Press the function key f2 to access the file-editor. See below
(Creating New Files) for more information as to how to create and
edit files.
Changing Default values for the program:
The default values for the program also can be changed and the
changes saved to the disk by pressing f4 from the main menu.
See Appendix B for further details.
Changing the speed of the program:
If the message in the box in the bottom right-hand corner of
the blue main menu is scrolling by too slowly or too quickly,
this indicates that the program itself will also run more slowly
or more quickly than intended. Press f4 and change the value in
the Default menu. See Appendix B for further details.
To read the manual documentation on the disk:
If you have the registered version of the disk, press f10 and
a convenient and easy to use document reader will appear and
display the text you are currently reading. For shareware users,
load the manual into a word processor or read using the type
command at the DOS prompt.
C:\WORTLEIT>type manual.doc |more
To exit the program:
Press ESC to return to the DOS prompt.
WORTLEITER
Description:
Wortleiter is a versatile and multi-faceted program designed
for learning vocabulary quickly and easily. The student matches
the word in the box by picking out its equivalent from among the
words in the "ladder". The program utilizes an efficient
algorithm for learning vocabulary. Words which are known are not
repeatedly tested, but are withdrawn from the stack. Words which
are not known appear again and again. The game pauses
periodically, but essentially continues until all words in the
file have been correctly matched on the first try. In addition,
the program can be formatted in several different ways to add
variety.
To load the program:
To load and run the program, highlight the option Wortleiter
in the main menu and press ENTER or the left mouse button. The
directory of files in the current sub-directory appears. Use the
up and down arrows or the mouse to highlight the file you wish to
practice (The English meaning of the names of most of the files
included on the disk can be found by pressing f1 - Help when
the file list is active). When you are ready to proceed, press
ENTER or the left mouse button. The format menu then appears.
The format menu is set to the default set-up values (To change
default set-up values, see Appendix B). To change the format of
the game before starting, see the section "Formatting Wortleiter"
below. When you are ready to proceed, press ENTER or the left
mouse button. Remember pressing ESC at any time will take you
back to the main menu. After the words are loaded, the game will
appear formatted to your instructions. At the bottom of the
screen are the words "Drück auf eine Taste, bitte!" This means
"Press any key to continue." Press any key or the left mouse
button. Arrows will appear next to the ladder and the game
begins.
To use the program:
To line up the arrow to the proper word, use the up and down
arrows to the right of the ENTER key. Press ENTER when you think
you have the correct answer. If you have a mouse installed, you
can use it instead by moving it up and down and pressing the left
mouse button. If your answer is correct, the word in the box and
the corresponding word in the ladder will be replaced by new words.
If the answer is not correct, nothing happens. After three wrong
answers the correct answer appears in red and you must press a key
to continue. The object is to "zap" the file as quickly as
possible. After two minutes (default), the exercise pauses and the
clock and the point total are reset. The words "Eine neue
Höchstleistung!" (A New High Score) appear in the box if a new high
score for this practice session has been reached. Press ESC to end
before all words have been answered correctly on the first try.
Almost the whole file has been answered correctly when slashes
begin to appear in the ladder. After all words have been answered
correctly, the game ends with a congratulatory message.
Formatting Wortleiter:
Wortleiter is the most complex program and requires some
experimentation to discover the variations possible in the format
menu at the beginning of each round. To reformat Wortleiter,
highlight the option to be changed in the format menu and then
press the SPACE bar or the right mouse button. The value will
change to another value or toggle between two values. When the
option is set to your liking, use the arrow keys or the mouse to
highlight another option. When all values are set the way you want
them to be, press ENTER or the left mouse button to continue to
the game. Pressing ESC when the format menu is showing returns
the program to the main menu.
Formatting options:
1) Level default = 1
By using the Modify Old File option of the file creation
module, files can be given three distinct levels, by including
and excluding words within a given file. The files included on
the disk are differentiated into beginning, intermediate and
advanced levels. The beginning level is the default level. To
change the level to a more advanced and challenging one, press the
SPACE bar or the right mouse button. Press ENTER or the left hand
mouse button to continue.
2) Words default = 5
The number of words in the ladder is currently set to five,
but can be set to any value between two and nine. Highlight the
option Words and press the SPACE bar or the right mouse button
until the desired number of words is reached. Press ENTER or the
left mouse button to continue. The default value can be
permanently changed by altering the value in the default set-up
menu described in Appendix B.
3) Time: default = 2:00 minutes
The program is currently set to make a pause every two minutes
in order to give the player a rest and reset the point counter
and clock. The length of the game, however, can be set to values
ranging from one minute and nine minutes and thirty seconds.
Highlight the option Time, and then press the SPACE bar or the
right mouse button until the desired time is showing. Press ENTER
or the left mouse button to continue. The default time value can
be permanently changed by changing and saving the value in the
default set-up menu described in Appendix B.
4) German: default = left
The program is currently set so that the German word is in the
box on the left and several English words are in the ladder.
This format can be reversed so that the German words are in the
ladder by highlighting the option German and pressing the SPACE
bar or the right mouse button to toggle the value to right.
Pressing the SPACE bar again will toggle the value back to left.
Press ENTER or the left mouse button to continue.
5) Nouns: default = off
Noun files operate differently that other files. The
appropriate definite article is shown above the noun in one of
four boxes. Masculine nouns show a "der" in the first box,
feminine nouns show a "die" in the second box, neuter nouns show
a "das" in the third box, and plural noun forms show a "die" in
the fourth box. The program is set to display the gender of
nouns in noun files automatically. It is, however, possible to
set the program so that the gender of the noun is also tested.
Highlight the option Nouns and press the SPACE bar or right mouse
button to toggle the switch off or on. Press ENTER or the left
mouse button to continue. If the noun option is on, then arrows
will appear by the definite article forms. Move the definite
articles back and forth using the arrow keys or the mouse. When
the correct gender is showing, press ENTER or the left mouse
button. If the answer is correct, the arrows will then appear at
the ladder as usual. Otherwise you will have to try again. Because
each gender is associated with a color, it is obviously more
difficult to play the game when the color option is set to off.
6) Color: default = on
The default set-up menu is currently set so that each gender
of a noun file is displayed in a different color. Currently, all
masculine (der) nouns are blue, all feminine (die) nouns are red,
all neuter nouns (das) are yellow, and all plural nouns (die) are
green. If practiced systematically, remembering the color will
help in remembering the gender of the noun. The color of the
nouns can, however, be switched to all white if desired.
Highlight the option Color and toggle the switch to off by
pressing the SPACE bar or the right mouse button. Press ENTER or
the left mouse button to continue. The default value for each
gender, however, can be changed to different color or the nouns
displayed by the program can also be permanently set so that all
the words are white. Change their values by changing the values
in the default menu. (See Appendix B.)
7) Adj.: default = meaning
The file "Adjektiv" has been constructed so that it is
possible to test not only the meaning of the words in the file,
but also the knowledge of the German adjective and its German
opposite. Highlight the option Adj. by pressing any key or
moving the mouse. Then toggle the switch between meaning and
opposites by pressing the SPACE bar or the right mouse button.
Press ENTER or the left mouse button to continue.
Ending or changing Wortleiter:
It is possible to exit Wortleiter at any time by pressing ESC.
In addition, it is possible to change to a different file at any
time by pressing the function key f2 or to change the format by
pressing the function key f5. If this is done, however, the
program starts over using the new file or new format. As
described above, the program continues with short breaks until
all the words in a file have been correctly answered on the first
attempt. Words which are known are withdrawn from the stack.
Words which are not known repeat again and again until they are
correctly answered on the first attempt. After all words have
been correctly matched, the program ends with a congratulatory
message. The goal of every player is to continue until all words
have been correctly matched on the first try.
QUIZ
Description:
Using the same files as Wortleiter, the player is now asked to
type the correct response. Most files quiz the English-German or
German-English equivalents of each word. Verb files, however,
can test knowledge of the principal parts of the verb. In order
for this feature to work, the file should be created from the
dictionary and given a name which starts with VERB (for example
VERBS_5). A hint to the the length of the correct answer is given
with asterisks. If the correct answer is not known, press f10, find
out what the answer is, and go on.
To load the program and choose a file:
To load and run the program, highlight the option Quiz in the
main menu and press ENTER or the left mouse button. A menu
with a choice of all the files available for Quiz will then
appear. Choose one of them and press ENTER or the left mouse
button again.
To set the format values:
Like Wortleiter, it is possible to set up Quiz in a variety of
ways. The level can be set by highlighting STUFE and changing
the setting with the SPACE bar or the right mouse button. The
length of the game (default: 2 minutes) can be changed by
highlighting ZEIT and changing the setting with the SPACE bar or
the right mouse button. The position of the words (OBEN - above
in the box or UNTEN - below and tested) can be changed by
highlighting the appropriate word and changing the setting with
the SPACE bar or right mouse button. After all settings are
correct, press the ENTER key or left mouse button to go on. The
default values for most files have German (Deutsch) in the box
and English (Englisch) being tested, but VERB files have as the
default settings the German infinitive form in the box and test
English meaning (Bedeutung) below. It is also possible to toggle
to the other two principal parts of a German verb - the imperfect
(narrative past) form and the past participle - in order to
practice those forms.
To use the program:
A randomly selected word appears in the box at the top of the
screen. The correct answer is hinted at by asterisks below. The
player then types the correct answer on the keyboard, using the
backspace key to correct mistakes. After the word has been typed
in, it is evaluated. Any letters that do not match the correct
answer are replaced by an asterisk. After the typed response is
totally correct, the sliding reward Richtig! is triggered, and
the point total is increased. Like Wortleiter, incorrect and
partially incorrect responses recycle and are tested again.
Correct responses are removed from the stack. At the top right of
the screen the words " Nur noch ___ Wörter!" (Only ___ Words left!)
tell you how many words are left to complete the entire file. The
program can be interrupted at any time by pressing ESC.
To change the format of the exercise or the file at any time:
Several function keys are active during the course of the
game. They are:
f1 - to overview the HELP screens.
f2 - change to a different file and start over.
f5 - reformat the game and start over.
f10 - to find out the answer to unknown items and go on.
ESC - Exit the game and return to the main menu.
Like Wortleiter, Quiz is not intended as a test. Making
mistakes are to be encouraged. Rather than suffering over a
response, the appropriate action if a player does not know the
answer is to press the f10 button, notice what the answer is, and
go on. Since the word will come up again in the course of
completing the file, the player then has a second chance to
answer the question correctly.
Typing German Letters is the same as for the file editor:
Press the ALT key in conjunction with the vowels a, o, or u,
to produce small umlaut letters (ä, ö, ü). Pressing CTRL in
conjunction with the same letters will produce the capital
equivalents (Ä, Ö, Ü). ALT-s produces ß, the so-called
"scharfes s" or ess-tsett.
ALT-a produces ä
ALT-o produces ö
ALT-u produces ü
CTRL-a produces Ä
CTRL-o produces Ö
CTRL-u produces Ü
ALT-s produces ß
Quiz does insist on using the German letters and correct
capitalization. Remember: All German nouns are capitalized.
To End the Program:
Every two minutes the word Ende appears in the sliding box and
Drück auf eine Taste, bitte! (Press any key to continue.) appears
at the bottom of the screen. The program pauses until a key is
pressed. Then the clock and point totals are reset to zero and
the exercise continues. The program can be interrupted at any
time by pressing ESC, but otherwise continues until all words in
the file have be correctly answered. Whenever all words in a
file have been completed, the program stops, displays a
congratulatory message, and exits to the main menu. The length
of the game can be changed by changing the value in the default
menu. See Appendix B for further details.
GUT SO!
Description:
Gut so! is a memory game. Twelve words are selected from a
file and then hidden behind 24 boxes. The object is to match up
the word pairs. The game can be played by one or two players
using either the keyboard or a mouse, and the object can be to find
the English equivalent to the German word, or simply to find two
occurances of the same German word hidden behind boxes.
Loading program:
To load and run the program, highlight the option Gut so! in
the main menu and press ENTER or the left mouse button. A
menu with a choice of all the files available for Gut so! will
then appear. Choose one of them and press ENTER or the left
mouse button again. The file is then loaded into a viewer. Tag
twelve of the bright white words by pressing the SPACE bar or the
right mouse button. Note that the computer will BEEP if you try to
tag a word which is not included in the current level or if you try
to tag more than twelve words. To change the level so that other
words in the file are included, press the f10 function key. When
you have tagged the words you want to use, press the ENTER key or
the left mouse button to go on. If you have tagged less than twelve
words or none at all, the computer will randomly select the
remainder for you from the words included in the current level.
The twelve words which have been selected will then appear on the
screen along with their English equivalents. Press any key or the
mouse button to continue. Now the format box is visible. To
change the number of players, press the SPACE bar or the right
mouse button. To change the format from DEUTSCH : ENGLISCH to
DEUTSCH : DEUTSCH, use the arrow keys or the mouse to highlight the
second option and do the same. When you are finished, press ENTER
or the left mouse button to start the game.
Playing Gut so!:
If the mouse is enabled in the default menu (cf. Appendix B),
then the cursor will appear. Move the mouse to any box and press
the left mouse button. The first choice will be uncovered. Then
select a second box and press the left mouse button or ENTER.
The second choice will appear. If the two choices match, you
score a point and go again. If they do not, they are covered up
again, and the other player (if two players have been selected)
gets a turn. The game continues without interruption until all
word pairs have been matched and a winner is declared. A check
mark (√) indicates whose turn it is, and the current score
(Richtig:) and elapsed time (Zeit:) are also indicated at the
bottom of the screen. If the mouse is disabled in the default
menu (cf. Appendix B), then a box appears around the numbers of
each box instead of a cursor being visible. Use the arrow keys to
move this box to the desired choice and press ENTER.
Exiting or changing the program:
It is possible to exit the program and return to the main menu
at any time by pressing ESC. To receive help on playing the
program, press the f1 (Help) function. To change to a different
file, load new words and start over, press the f2 (Files)
function key. To view the German words and their English
equivalents currently hidden behind the box, press the f5 (List)
function key. Finally, to change the format of the game, and
start over with the same words, press the f10 (Options) function
key. If the mouse is enabled, moving the cursor to the
appropriate spot on the command line at the top of the screen and
pressing the left mouse button has the same effect as pressing
the function keys.
CREATING NEW FILES
Using the Password:
The file create module and the default screen are supplied
with a password to provide a moderate amount of protection from
unwanted alterations of the word files and default values. The
default password is "wl". Whenever the password is set to the
default, then pressing ENTER or typing "wl" will gain access to
the desired module. The password can be changed to anything else
through the default menu. Once the password is changed, then
these modules can only be accessed through the new password.
See Appendix B for instructions for changing the password.
To create a new file or edit a previously existing file,
press f2 from the main (blue) menu and enter the appropriate
password. The File creation menu with three File Management
Options will appear. Highlight the appropriate choice by moving
the mouse or pressing the arrow keys and press ENTER. If you
choose to access the dictionary, the dictionary viewer will
appear. If you choose to create a new file, the program will ask
you to type in the name of the new file, which must be different
than the file name of any data files currently on the disk. If
you choose to modify an old file, the program will display a menu
of the data files currently on the disk. Choose the file to be
modified and press ENTER or the left mouse button.
Access Dictionary:
The most expedient way to create new files for use with the
game on the program is to use the dictionary. Highlight Access
Dictionary and press ENTER or the left mouse button. The
Dictionary viewer will appear. To create a file, tag the words
in the dictionary which you want included in the file by
pressing the SPACE bar or the right mouse button. An X should
appear in the center column next to the currently highlighted word.
The fastest way to tag words is to use the FIND command (f4).
Using the FIND (f4) command:
Press f4 and type in the German word. It is not necessary to
type in noun gender, to capitalize or to use umlauts in order to
find a word in the dictionary. Often the word can be located
after only typing the first three or four letters of the word.
Press ENTER. The word which is the closest match will now be
highlighted in red. If this word is not correct, the word you
desire to tag should be close. Move the red strip using the
arrow keys or the mouse to the desired word and tag by pressing
the SPACE bar or the right mouse button.
Saving a file:
Files should be at least 15 words in length and no longer than
250 words. After all the words have been tagged, press ESC to
save the file. A box with the question Save File? Y / N will
appear. To leave the dictionary and save the file press Y. To
leave the dictionary without saving press N. To return to the
dictionary without saving press ESC to cancel. If you press Y to
save the file, the program will then ask you to input a name for
the new file, which must be different than any other file on the
disk. (Note: If the file is a verb file, be sure that the file
name begins with VERB (for example: VERB_5, VERBIR1, etc.) or
the file will not save the past participles or the imperfect
forms for use in the program QUIZ. Enter the new file name and
press ENTER. The file will then be saved to the disk and the
tags will be cleared from the dictionary as control is
transferred back to the main file creation menu. The file can
then be modified and levels can be assigned to the words in the
file by using the using the Modify Old File option.
Other means of finding a word in the dictionary:
Pressing a key on the keyboard will display the first word in
the dictionary which begins with that letter. For example,
pressing "T" displays das T-Shirt. The arrow keys and movement
of the mouse scroll through the words one by one. The PgUP and
PgDown keys move through the list 15 words (one page) at a time.
Restricting words available for a file:
For best results, nouns, verbs, adjectives and other parts of
speech should be kept in separate files. To ensure that verbs do
not appear in noun files, or adjectives in verb files, the words
active for tagging can be restricted according to parts of speech
by pressing the f10 (Options) function key. Highlight the option
Highlight with the arrow keys or the mouse. Change the option by
using the SPACE bar or the right mouse button. Press ENTER or the
left mouse button to return to the dictionary. Now the words which
do not belong the category you have chosen (for example, NOUNS)
will be dimmed, and tagging them will cause the program to beep.
This helps avoid tagging unwanted words by mistake which later
might cause the program to act in an undesired fashion.
Getting Help:
Press the f1 (Help) function key to receive help for any part
of the dictionary. Press any key to continue to the next help
screen.
Viewing a word in the dictionary:
Some words, particularly verbs have more forms than are shown
on the normal viewing screen. Press f2 (View) and a box with the
complete information about the word appears. Press any key to
return to the dictionary.
Editing words in the dictionary:
Great care has been taken to assure the information in the
dictionary is as accurate as possible, but typographical errors
do occur and there is often more than one way to translate a
word. It might become desirable to update the dictionary with
corrected information. This should be done with care, however,
because the changes are immediate. To edit the dictionary,
press the f10 function key and highlight the Mode option. Press
the SPACE bar or the right mouse button to toggle the option
between VIEW and EDIT. When the Option is on EDIT, press ENTER
or the left mouse button. Now the command line has the word EDIT
by f2 and words in the dictionary can be changed. When you press
f2 now, you see the view box with all the information. However,
it is now possible to edit the information in each box. To
change what is in a box, simply type the corrected information.
The old information will disappear, and the new information will
appear. After the corrected information is entered, press ENTER to
continue to the next box. If the information is correct and does
not need to be edited, simply press ENTER to continue to the next
box. After the words in all the boxes have been edited, the part
of speech information can also be changed by highlighting the
correct choice and pressing ENTER. To return to the dictionary
with the information updated, go through the entire process once
and then press ESC. The dictionary viewer will reappear with the
correct version saved for future use. Always make a back-up disk
and hide it away in case someone corrupts or deletes the dictionary
or any of the files. Use a password to bar unwanted entry from the
file creation menu.
Words not in the dictionary:
If you create a new file in the dictionary, you might have
several words from your vocabulary list which are not in the
dictionary. The dictionary contains over 7200 of the words most
commonly found in beginning and elementary textbooks, but is by
no means, totally inclusive. There is no provision to add words to
the dictionary at this time. However, words can be added or
deleted from a saved file using the Modify Old File option.
Therefore, simply tag all of the words which are in the
dictionary (which will be most of them), save the file and add
the rest afterwards using the Insert option (f5) of the
Modify Old File module.
Exiting the dictionary:
If no words have been tagged, pressing ESC returns control
immediately to the main File creation menu. Press ESC again to
return to the blue main menu, and a third time to exit the
program to the DOS prompt. If words have been tagged, then the
programs asks you if you wish to save them in a file before
returning to the main File creation menu. A file must contain at
least 15 words and no more than 250 words. Recommended length is
fifty to one hundred words in each file and some level
differentiation.
Create New File:
Highlight the second option, Create New File, and press ENTER.
Then type in the name of the new file and press ENTER again. If
the file is to be a verb file, be sure the first four letters
of the name of the file is VERB. Once the program has gone to
the edit screen, type in the German word and then press ENTER.
Then type the English equivalent and press ENTER. If the first
four letters of the file name you entered, however, were VERB,
then you will notice not two, but rather four boxes. They are
for: 1) the infinitive of the verb, 2) the imperfect form of the
verb, 3) the past participle of the German verb, and 4) the
English meaning. Press ENTER after entering each form. When all
forms have been entered, the message "Press ESC now to exit and
save file" appears at the bottom of the screen. If you want to
add more words, press any key to continue. If all words have been
entered, press ESC. The program will display the message Update
file? Y/N at the bottom of the screen. Press Y and the file will
be saved.
Certain conventions should, however, be followed for
the programs to run correctly. These conventions are automatically
observed by the dictionary, but they will also have to be observed
when typing in new files manually. Noun files should include the
definite article, der, die or das. Plural nouns must be indicated
by capitalizing the D in the definite article (Die Frauen) or they
will be read as feminine. When the program is run, the plural
article is displayed as die, but by using Die for the plural, the
program can then differentiate between the feminine (die) and
plural (die) definite articles. Use the Modify Old File option
of the menu to go back and edit and correct the new file (see
below). Again, try not to mix parts of speech, especially when
dealing with noun files and verb files.
Modify Old File:
Loading an old file for modification or review:
To modify an old file which had previously been saved, highlight
the third option and press ENTER or the left mouse button. A box
with the names of the files on the disk will appear. Highlight
the file you wish to modify in the usual way and press ENTER.
The program then asks you if you wish to sort the file according
to alphabetical order. It is normally a good idea to sort the
file, although it might take a few seconds. After the file has
been sorted, it will appear on a view screen much like the
dictionary or the viewer used in the program Gut So!. It is then
possible to scroll through the words in the file using the mouse,
the arrow keys, the keyboard, the PgUp/PgDown keys or the Find
(f4) command as described above for the dictionary. Since these
files contain between 15 - 250 words, it is much easier
to scroll through the entire file than with the 7000 word
dictionary, making the Find (f4) option less necessary here.
Editing a word:
Find the word you wish to change. If it is misspelled or the
English translation is not quite right, press the f2 (Edit)
function key. To edit the word, type the new form in and press
ENTER. If no changes need to be made, press ENTER before typing
anything and the cursor moves to the next box. After all changes
have been made, press ESC to return to the viewer. The changes
will appear in the list updated. Unlike the dictionary, no part of
speech information is included.
Overly long items:
Vocabulary words or phrases must fit into their respective boxes
in the three vocabulary programs and must, therefore, be no longer
than 30 letters in combined length. If the program beeps, look at
the entry. The word or phrase you have just entered is too long.
The entry automatically erases itself. Retype a shorter entry.
Adding a word:
If a word is missing from the list, it can be added. Press
the f5 (Insert) function key. A blank EDIT screen appears. Type
the German word in the first box, press ENTER, and then the
English equivalent in the second box, and press ENTER. If the
file is a verb file with a file name beginning with VERB (for
example VERB_5), you will be expected to type four forms: the
German verb, the imperfect form, the past participle form
(including the auxiliary haben or sein) and the English meaning.
Mistakes can be corrected by pressing the BACKSPACE (<-) key just
above the ENTER key on the keyboard. If both (or, in the case of
verb files, all) forms are correct, press ESC to return to the
viewer. If you now want to tag the word, press the SPACE bar (cf.
Tagging levels of words below). If the added words are not in
alphabetical order, save the updated file and then reload and sort
the file so that the FIND (f4) function will continue to work.
Note: The file ADJEKTIV consists of a series of adjectives paired
with their opposites opposites. In order for this file to
work in the program Wortleiter, when the program is set to
test the opposites of adjectives, the file cannot be sorted.
As a result, however, the FIND (f4) function will not work
with this file or any other file which is not sorted in
alphabetical order.
Deleting a word from a file:
If there is a word in the file that you do not want in the
file, press the f6 (Delete) function key. A box will appear
asking you if you are sure you want to delete the highlighted
word. If you do, press Y and the word will disappear from the
list. If you made a mistake and want to keep the word in the
list, press N and the word will not be deleted.
Setting the levels for each file:
Each file can be differentiated into three distinct levels, by
tagging the words for each level. For the files included on the
disk, the words in each file are divided into beginning (ca. 25
words), intermediate (ca. 50 words), and advanced (entire file)
levels. There is, however, no reason why other criteria (Level
one: regular verbs, Level two: irregular verbs) could not be
applied. When a file is first created using the dictionary or the
Create File module, all words are tagged. To tag or untag a word,
highlight the word and press the SPACE bar or the right mouse
button. Words that are tagged will appear in a bright white
while untagged words are dimmer. To switch from one level to the
next, press the f10 (Level) function key on the command line at
the top of the screen. Notice also that the level currently
showing and the number of tagged words in that level are
indicated to the right of the file name under the command line at
the top of the screen. After the levels have been set, you are
ready to update the modified file.
Updating modified file:
When all corrections have been made, press ESC. The message
Update file? Y/N will appear in the middle of the screen. Press
Y and the modified file will be saved to your disk. Press N and
the file will not be saved.
WARNING: Saving the modified file to the disk will overwrite the
old file. Be sure to make one or several back-up copies of the
original disk in order to preserve older versions of data files
intact in case of error or tampering. Use a password to prevent
unauthorized persons from entering the file creation module if
necessary.
CONCLUSION
I hope you enjoy this program. As a German teacher, I have
found it to be helpful in practicing vocabulary in a relatively
painless and profitable way. Despite the prevalence of
proficiency-based instruction, I have yet to see a textbook
without a dictionary or glossary and vocabulary lists. Many
people have different learning styles and are frustrated when
confronted with texts with a high degree of unknown or unlearned
vocabulary. This program does not claim to perform miracles by
itself and is not a communicative activity (that is best left to
real live German teachers, not computers), but it has the
flexibility to sensibly be used in conjunction with a number of
textbooks, tapes, and videos and is also suitable for home,
self-study and review, providing an viable alternative to pieces of
paper folded in half and flash cards. I welcome any critique,
comments, and ideas for this or future foreign language programs.
If there are still any errors in spelling (German or English) in
the word files or the dictionary, I would appreciate learning about
these errors so that they can be corrected for future editions of
this program.
January 9, 1995 Paul Widergren
P.O. Box 13
Delafield, WI 53018
Tel: (414)569-5740
INTERNET:74632.612@compuserve.com
APPENDIX A
Typing German letters while using the file-editor or the program
Quiz is easy:
ALT-a produces ä
ALT-o produces ö
ALT-u produces ü
CTRL-a produces Ä
CTRL-o produces Ö
CTRL-u produces Ü
ALT-s produces ß
APPENDIX B
Default Values Screen: f4
Password: The file create module and the default screen are
supplied with a password to provide a moderate amount of
protection from unwanted alterations of the word files and
default values. The default password is "wl". Whenever the
password is set to the default, then pressing ENTER or typing
"wl" will gain access to the desired module. The password can be
changed to anything else through the default menu. Once the
password is changed, then these modules can only be accessed
through the new password.
Speed of Program:
Default value = 1
Computers process information at different speeds. The present
program was created on a 25 MHz 386-AT computer. If the message in
the box at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen is scrolling
by too slowly or too quickly, change the value in the default
screen. Press any key until the arrow is next to the option
Speed of Program and then press the SPACE bar to change the
value. A smaller value (.25) will speed up the program. A
larger value (8) will slow down the program. Press ESC to leave
the default menu, and Y to save the new values to the disk.
Suggested values: 8088 - .0625
286 - .25
386 - 1
486 - 4 or higher
Video Mode: Color/Mono
Default value = Color
Press any key until the arrow is next the option Video and the
press the SPACE bar to toggle the Video from Color to Mono in the
program Wortleiter und so weiter. This is primarily in order
give the highlight bars contrast when using a monochrome monitor
or a laptop with a monochrome monitor. Press ESC to leave the
default menu and Y to save the new values to the disk.
Mouse: Enabled / Disabled
Default value = Enabled
If the computer does not have a mouse, the mouse value should
be disabled in order for Gut so! to work properly. Press any key
until the arrow is next to the option Mouse and press the SPACE
bar to toggle the option from Enabled to Disabled. Press ESC to
leave the default menu and Y to save the new values to the disk.
Du or Sie:
Default value = DU
Often the Command "Drück auf eine Taste, bitte!" (Press any key
to continue) appears at the bottom of the screen during the
course of using Wortleiter. Press any key until the arrow is
next to the option Du or Sie and use the SPACE bar to change the
option from DU to SIE or from SIE to DU. Then the command
"Drücken Sie auf eine Taste, bitte!" will be displayed for the
benefit of older students. Press ESC to leave the default menu
and Y to save the new values to the disk.
Password:
Default value = wl
Press any key until the arrow is next to the option Password
and then press the SPACE bar. A question mark appears next to
the old password. Type the new password next to it and press
ENTER. Press ESC to leave the default menu and Y to save the new
password on the disk. Thereafter it will be necessary to type in
the new password to access the default values screen and the file
creation module. To change the program so that it is not
necessary to type a password, change the password back to "wl".
Colors:
Default values:
der: bright blue
die: bright red
das: yellow
die (pl): bright green
Nouns are categorized according to gender. The gender of the
nouns in Wortleiter is further indicated by color. The color
which represents each gender can be altered by the user, or
turned to white if this feature is not desired. Press any key
until the arrow is next to one of the subcategories of the option
Farben and press the SPACE bar until the desired color is
obtained.
Rungs in Ladder
Default value: 5
There can be anywhere between two and nine words in the
"ladder" next to the box in the game Wortleiter. Changing the
value in this screen changes the default number of words in the
ladder. Press the SPACE bar until the desired number of words is
obtained.
Length of Game:
Default value: 2:00 minutes
During the game Wortleiter, there is a pause every two minutes
to give players a short rest and to reset the score for
competitive purposes. The default value is two minutes, but the
length of the game can be permanently changed by pressing the
SPACE bar until the desired length (ranging from 1 minute to 9
minutes 30 seconds) is obtained.
Nouns in Color:
Default value: on
One of the features of Wortleiter is that the gender of nouns
is color-coded and to demonstrate this feature, the default value
is on. If this feature is not desired, press any key until the
arrow is next to the option Nouns in Color. Then press the SPACE
bar to turn the value to off. Thereafter all nouns will be white
in color.
Restoring the Original Default values (CTRL-R):
Press CTRL-R (for Restore) to restore the values of the
defaults to the value they were when the program was created.
Saving new default values:
When all desired changes have been made, press ESC to exit.
In the box to the right, there will be the message Save new
Values? Y/N. Press Y to save the new values, any other key to
ignore the changes. Once the new values have been saved, the games
will be formatted according to the new default values.
APPENDIX C
Error messages and what you can do about them:
Drive not Ready: Either the disk is not in the drive, or the
door to the drive is not closed. Reinsert
disk.
File not found: You are trying to load a data file that is not
on the disk.
Input past end of file: You are probably attempting to load a
file which is not a valid Wortleiter
data file.
APPENDIX D
What is shareware?
Shareware is a marketing method which offers low risk both to the
authors of quality software and to you - the user. Shareware
programs are fully-functional (not demo) programs which rival
commercial programs, but which have been made available to
shareware vendors, bulletin-boards (BBS's) and computer clubs for
distribution. The distributors then make the programs available to
you for a nominal cost for preview. Shareware programs are not
free, or in the public-domain. The method of distribution is
intended simply to make the program accessible and available for
preview. If you like a program, and use it for an extended period
of time, you are expected to register the program buy usually by
sending a registration fee directly to the author. So, please
register my shareware you continue to use, as this is the only way
I receive any payment for my work. When you register you will also
receive the following:
1) A disk containing latest version of the program,
registered in your name.
2) An on-line manual reader making it easier to read the
manual for the program.
3) A site license which allows the registered owner to
make as many copies as needed to be used at one site.
This is particularly useful for German teachers and
schools.
4) Telephone, mail, or E-mail support to help in
installing or operating the program.
5) Notification of new programs and updates.
APPENDIX E
How to Register: An order blank is contained in the file
order.doc. To print the file, type:
C:\WORTLEIT>type manual.doc >lpt1
or load the file into your word processor and print it. If you are
a CompuServe member, you can also register this program by the
CompuServe Shareware Registration Service. GO SWREG and follow the
directions. Wortleiter und so weiter is Shareware Reg. #4160. The
registration fee will be automatically charged to your CompuServe
account and you will receive the registered version in the mail in
a few days.
APPENDIX F
Other Programs currently available from Paul Widergren:
A. Es ist um die Zeit (CompuServe SWREG #4161)
Es ist um die Zeit is a new series of programs of a slightly
different type. The computer is used primarily as a discovery
tool. Rather than the computer asking the questions and the
student giving the answers, the student has the questions and the
computer gives the answers. The registered version of Es geht um
die Zeit comes complete with three menu-driven programs. The
programs incorporate simple animation and graphics and require an
IBM or IBM-compatible computer with a graphics monitor (at least
a 286 AT-computer and EGA color monitor recommended).
Es geht um die Zeit includes:
Wie spät ist es?: Explore the German way of telling time using
an animated cuckoo clock. After the student is sufficiently
acquainted with the necessary vocabulary and concepts through
self-discovery, he or she can test themselves using one of two
modules:
Stell die Uhr! - given a time in German, set the clock to
that time by pushing the appropriate
function keys.
Wie spät ist es? - Type in the time indicated on the clock.
Kalender: The program is a perpetual calendar which can be set to
display any month from January 1600 on. It can be used to learn
about and practice the days of the week, months of the year,
birthdays, historical events, and future events. For example,
most students do not know what day of the week they born on. The
computer can determine that in a flash.
Convert: The United States is the only industrialized nation in
the world not to use the metric system. Germans use the metric
system almost exclusively, so it is instructive for American
students to know information about themselves in the metric
measurements of meters, liters and kilograms as well as feet,
gallons, and pounds. Convert is a tool to make these conversions
simply and easily. There are conversion tables available for:
Temperature (fahrenheit - centigrade)
Distance (miles - kilometers)
Height (inches - centimeters)
Weight (pounds - kilograms)
Liquid measure (gallons - liters)
Money (dollar - DM (resettable to current $ rate))
Registration fee: $19.95 plus $2.00 shipping and handling.
B. Autogrammatik
I. Adjective Endings (SWREG #4162)
II. Passive Voice (SWREG #4163)
Two difficult topics when learning German are adjective endings
and the difference between active and passive voice. The
Autogrammatik series is intended to address these topics with two
easy-to-use programs.
I. Adjective endings: Fill in the correct adjective endings and
receive immediate feedback. The program can be set from easy
(one case / definite article only) to difficult (all cases /
all articles and personal pronouns). An on-line dictionary
and help in the form of charts are available at all time.
This program probably contains the most succinct explanation
of German adjective endings that you will see anywhere!
II. Passive voice: Given either an active or a passive voice
sentence, write the complement. The program can be set from
easy (change verb only / present tense) to very challenging
(change complete sentence / all tenses of the verb). An
on-line dictionary and help is available at all times.
Registration fee: $19.95 each plus $2.00 shipping and handling.
C. Scalae verborum - Latin Word Ladder (version 2.0) (SWREG #4164)
A Latin version of Wortleiter is also available. It includes
a 3400 word dictionary which includes almost all of the common
beginning and intermediate vocabulary commonly found in Latin
textbooks.
Registration fee: $29.95 plus $2.00 shipping and handling.
APPENDIX G
┌─────────┐
┌─────┴───┐ │ (R)
──│ │o │──────────────────
│ ┌─────┴╨──┐ │ Association of
│ │ │─┘ Shareware
└───│ o │ Professionals
──────│ ║ │────────────────────
└────╨────┘ MEMBER
Paul R. Widergren is a member of the Association of Shareware
Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware
principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
does not provide technical support for members' products.
Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at:
545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI
49442-9427 USA
FAX 616-788-2765
or send a CompuServe message via
CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
APPENDIX H
ORDERING INFORMATION: Wortleiter und so weiter
(registered version 3.12)
Registration fee: $29.95 plus $2.00 shipping and handling.
Wisconsin residents please add 5% sales tax.
To print an order form for Wortleiter und so weiter and the
other programs mentioned in Appendix E:
C:\WORTLEIT>type order.doc > lpt1
Paul R. Widergren Tel: (414) 569-5740
P.O. Box 13 CompuServe: 74632,612
Delafield, WI 53018 America On-Line: PWidergren
INTERNET: 74632.612@compuserve.com
After June 1995, my address and telephone number may have
changed. If you are unable to E-Mail me, please contact me
care of the following address or check the address in the
advertisement in the current issue of the magazine GERMAN LIFE:
1209 Widergren Drive
Rockford, IL 61108