PC-SIG: World of Education

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Signing the ALPHABET Using American Sign Language Version 1.0 for IBM PC and Compatible Computers 80286 (AT) and faster COPYRIGHT (c) 1993 by fmROBERTS Enterprises. All rights reserved. This shareware program is the property of fmROBERTS Enterprises, P.O. Box 608, Dana Point, CA 92629-0608, it is not public domain. Prospective users are welcome to read the manual and try the program for a reasonable time before registration. Registered users may print the manual and use the program as an individual training device or it can be used in a class room situation. Registered users may obtain technical support by mail or by leaving a message on CompuServe 70365,441 for Fred. To register please print a copy of the REG.DOC file on the distribution disk and send it along with $20 to the address shown above. Only registered users will receive information about software upgrades and technical support. A spiral bound, printed version of the manual found in MANUAL.DOC. Shareware distributors may include this program in their catalog so long as they forward a copy of the catalog showing the listing to fmROBERTS Enterprises. Copies of this shareware disk must include all of the following files: ALPHABET.EXE SETUP.DAT REG.DOC MANUAL.DOC README.DOC Additional files related to the specific shareware distributor my be included as necessary so long as those necessary to run the program are present. ALPHABET.EXE and SETUP.DAT are the minimum necessary to run the application and both must be in the same directory or sub- directory or the EXE file will fail to load. The three DOC files may be eliminated by registered users to save disk space if desired, however, no copy of the program may be made for anyone else without all five files present. Contents Preface 1.0 Section One - Getting Started 2.0 Section Two - Using "Signing the ALPHABET" 3.0 Section Three - Options and Fine Tuning 4.0 Section Four - References 5.0 Index 6.0 Published by fmROBERTS Enterprises P.O. BOX 608 Dana Point, CA 92629-0608 (714) 493-1977 Page 1.0 Preface Sign Language is the fourth most popular language in the United States. It is used by the deaf and hearing impaired to communicate without sound. It is performed primarily with the hands, but supported by movements of the arms, the mouth and facial expressions. It is a language in itself, just as English or Spanish. Many of the signs used in ASL have their origin in body movements that have a universal meaning. Pointing and mimic are part of all languages, not just sign language. ASL is not a spoken language in it's pure form, but rather a language composed of facial expressions, body motions. Words, combination of words and phrases are mechanically produced using a manual alphabetic to form individual letters , specific signs to form numbers and word or whole messages and phase by combined hand, arm and body motions. The mechanical alphabetical, the product of various hand motions, is more or less universally accepted in ASL, signed English and the mixture of signs and spoken words, as done by an interpreter. When both signs and spoken words are employed the result is called pidgin sign language. Signing a word by spelling it one letter at a time is handled the same way in all three forms of sign language, it is only when conversational sign language is used that the meaning of word groups and expression differs. The manual sign language alphabet is used by signers employing all forms of sign conversation, ASL, Pidgin or English, when it is not possible or practical to convey a particular word. Some words, however, are not completely spelled out, depending on the convention of the locale or the word itself. A word such as the weight measure pound might be spelled out as lb., the universal abbreviation for pound, rather than as P O U N D, which requires 5 hand signs vs 2 for the abbreviation. When ones uses an abbreviation for a common word, and it is not understood in the conversation, than it may be necessary to spell out the entire word. If you do use the manual alphabet to spell out a word, you should mouth the word you are signing the individual letters, as you would if you were saying the word out loud. Do not mouth the individual letter as it is signed. This program is intended to teach the manual ASL alphabet, one letter at a time, in any order or employing a flash-card random order option. The program is not a finger spelling exercise as it does not connect a sequence of letters together as words. Finger spelling is more than putting together a string of letters as one would do in written or spoken English. Facial and body movements must also be employed to help provide the correct meaning to a word or a particular series of signs. The formation of words with the manual alphabet is an important part of all forms of sign language, thus it is important to learn how to read and sign the alphabet from A to Z. Your first exposure to ASL conversation could be at home, with friends, in a class room or by watching the language on a video tape. Like spoken English, you can convey a message with the same meaning a number of different ways. Since the use of a voice (sound produced by the mouth) is not really a part of ASL, it is necessary to convey meaning or emphasis to the conversation by body motion, facial expressions or by mimicking the actual event. Refer to Section 4 of this manual for available resources related to home study of sign language. Learning sign language is like learning a spoken language. Page 1.1 It is best learned as the primary language from your parents as you grow up. Of necessity you may be starting your first experiences with the language as an older youngster or as an adult. Sign language is used by more than 500,000 Americans who are totally deaf, hearing impaired or capable of normal hearing, but still learned the language so they can communicate with a relative or friend who cannot communicate with sound. It is not always possible to locate a local sign language class or find someone to practice with when you have quality time to dedicate to the subject. Enlisting the aid of your home computer, as your helper, can be very useful. This program was designed as a very basic tool to learn the manual sign alphabet. It is like a simple learning-to-read book, except that with a computer program it is possible to do things that cannot be done in a book. Learning sign language requires repetition of the signs over and over, and this task is difficult with a video tape on a VCR, where the tape must be stopped, rewound, and the starting point found each time to repeat a single sign. The computer does not mind repetition, is very forgiving, and never runs out of patience. "Signing the ALPHABET" is a menu driven user friendly program. It is divided into two distinct learning sections. The program has on-line help and instructions that are available from almost everywhere. It is possible to change performance features from within the program while it is running. This program is designed for use with a relatively fast computer, such as the AT (286) class or faster. Animated hand sign time delays and the number of times a hand repeats are adjustable while running, and the changes can be saved so that Page 1.2 the program will start with the changes the next time it is booted. The program uses graphics intended for a 640 x 320 pixel screen (EGA or better, DOS Screen 9.) The higher the monitor resolution, the better the graphics will look. The program is in color. It does not support either a mouse or a trackball pointing device, nor are they needed. Keyboard input is all that is required. The first learning section of the program is like a slide projector presentation that displays the alphabet signs on request. In this mode your computer is the instructor and it responds by displaying the hand sign as either a still graphic, or if the sign is composed of several parts, as a simple animation. This program displays the capital form of the alphabet character, from A to Z, requested, the ASL hand sign and a short description of hand position (s). This teaching program is intended for home or classroom use by anyone capable of using keyboard entry. The graphical hand signs themselves are presented as large as practical to fit a standard screen. The program is in color and uses various shades of colors to demonstrate the beginning and ending positions of the hand, when multiple hand positions are required (letters J and Z). Using the program on a monochrome (B&W) monitor, even one with shades of gray, may not be nearly so satisfying. When the user responds to the question of which letter to demonstrate, the screen will show the letter requested as a capital alphabetical character along with a short narrative on how to form the letter with the hand, fingers and thumb. The manual sign for that particular letter can be performed by either hand, left or right hand, whichever method that suits the need of the signer. The manual hand sign itself is shown as it would be made by a right handed signer. Page 1.2 When actually combining the various letters into a word, finger spelling, double letters in a word are usually signed twice, with the hand moving left or right, depending on the hand used, or the second repeating letter my be formed with the hand displaced diagonally as the letter is repeated. Most word spelling, letter by letter, is done with the hand in one location, with a slight time delay between letters, otherwise it is hard for the observer to keep track of the hand sign and maintain eye contact with the signer. In the second program mode, flash-cards, only the hand sign itself will appear on the screen. It will be up to the student to correctly identify the hand sign before the program will move on to the next randomly generated letter. If the student cannot identify the number on the screen, function key F3 will bring up the correct answer. Once the number is entered, the program moves on to a new sign. Random numbers continue until stopped by the user or instructor. Page 1.3 The user will find the flash-card option the most useful. Sign language, like any spoken language, can be signed very rapidly in the real world. The program can be adjusted to run slowly or as fast as you can enter the answers, so you can learn the signs at a pace that meets your needs. Signs are almost always shown in books and videos as they are seen by the person you are communicating with (the observer) rather than from your own vantage point. Thus a sign will be in a mirror perspective from your side of the hand. The only time this will make a difference is when you are trying to learn the language and can only see the sign from your vantage point. All of the signs shown in this program are as seen by the eyes of the observer, the person you are communicating with. The signs shown were made by a right handed person, but it is perfectly acceptable to do them left handed, if you prefer, either because you are left handed or your right signing hand is otherwise occupied. No matter which hand you choose to use, the observed sign should be similar, except the letters "J" and "Z," which are drawn in the air in the opposite direction than shown for a right handed signer. Most signs are performed in a comfortable arm position with the hands location either over the front or side of your chest from a bent elbow location with the hand raised upward. To illustrate which side of the signer's palm is being presented to the observer, an outline head is shown to indicate were the signer is in relation to his or her hands during signing. This is not the proper location to sign letters in real life. Keep the face and mouth visible to your observer as many signs need facial expressions as well as body motion to convey the proper meaning. If you need help visualizing what a particular hand sign looks like from your eye vantage point, you might consider using a mirror trick. For example if you were right handed and wanted to see how to hold your hand in order to create a given sign, you could make the sign with your left hand into a mirror. The mirror will reverse the image and you will see what your right hand must look like in order to look like the signs shown in most books, video tapes and this program. Once your left hand image looks correct in the mirror, simply duplicate the way you see your left hand, with your right, and the sign will read correctly to the observer. If you are left handed, make your signs into a mirror with your right hand and see how your hand appears from your perspective and duplicate this with your left hand as seen from your side of the hand. Page 1.3 If you do not use sign language frequently you are going to forget the finer points just as you would if you learned. Spanish as a second language and only had occasion to speak and listen to the language once a year, on your vacation. This program cannot replace one-on-one communication or teacher to class situations, but it can be helpful if you are alone or in a classroom where you wish to practice at your own pace. Page 2.0 SECTION 1 - Getting Started Computer System Requirements ∙ One 5-1/4 or 3-1/2 floppy disk drive(s). A hard disk is optional. ∙ 80296, 80386, 80486 IBM or compatible computer. ∙ EGA, or VGA color or extended gray scale monitor. ∙ 640 K RAM, system base memory desirable. ∙ MS-DOS (OR PC-DOS*) 3.0 or higher. NOTE: This application does not need or support a mouse or track ball pointer. (*) Systems using PC-DOS. If you experience difficulty booting from the supplied floppy, boot the computer with your own system software and execute ALPHABET from the DOS prompt, or load the necessary files to your hard disk. BACKING UP YOUR ORIGINAL DISKS Before using this software you are encouraged to make a back-up disk and to store the original in a safe location to use if the working disk is damaged. Refer to your computer DOS manual for instructions on how to make a copy of a floppy disk, and/or how to move the required files from the original or backup disk to a hard disk. The disk for the Shareware version contains the manual and registration letter in two .DOC files on the disk. Registering the software is necessary to receive upgrade information, new releases of ASL software and to obtain technical support. For technical support please write to the address shown on the title page, describe your computer system and components. You may also contact us on CompuServe E-Mail address 70365,441. Please include a short narrative of the difficulty you are experiencing. Two files, minimum, are required for this program to operate. If a working backup is prepared or the application is moved to a hard disk, both of the files listed below MUST be together on the same disk or in the same hard disk directory. ∙ SETUP.DAT ∙ ALPHABET.EXE INSTALLING "Signing the ALPHABET" This application is designed to operate from a read/write disk. Do not install a write protect tab over the notch of a 5-1/4 disk or open the write protect slot on a 3-1/2 disk. If you plan on using a floppy disk drive and intend to boot and work from the floppy drive, we suggest that you format a new "System" disk, using your own version of the MS or PC DOS operating system, then copy the two required files from the distribution disk to the new system disk. Employing this strategy should avoid any DOS conflicts that might exist from upgrades beyond 3.0, or changes to your DOS to accommodate your brand of computer. If you should experience trouble launching the application please contact us and we will assist you in getting started. Page 2.1 HARD DISK SYSTEMS If you prefer to operate your applications from a hard disk, copy only the two required files to the hard disk. Be sure that both files are located in the same directory, or sub-directory. You may wish to change the distribution disk AUTOEXEC.BAT file to a batch file to launch "Signing the ALPHABET" from the root directory. Refer to your DOS manual for the COPY CON procedure, changing the name from AUTOEXEC.BAT to perhaps LETTERS.BAT so that the application will launch when you type the word LETTERS in the root directory. Information about making such a file is included in Section 3 of this manual. If your hard disk is divided into one or more partitions, such as drive C:, D: etc, or you wish to put the files into a sub-directory, refer to your DOS manual as to how to create a sub-directory before you copy the two files to the hard disk or move them from the hard disk root directory to another location. STARTING THE PROGRAM FROM A FLOPPY DISK "Signing the ALPHABET" is supplied on a system disk that will launch the program during computer startup. If you experience a problem, make a working backup with the two required files on a disk formatted on your computer system. If you do not wish to launch on start-up, the two required files can be installed on a formatted data type disk. Launching from a data type disk is accomplished by typing the EXE file ALPHABET.EXE, with or without the EXE suffix. Log to the disk drive where the program resides. Launch the program by typing the following: ALPHABET (and press the Enter key) It is not necessary to add the EXE suffix. The Enter tells the computer you have finished your request from the keyboard. You must also use the Enter or Return key within the program to tell the computer you have made your entry and wish to continue. STARTING THE PROGRAM FROM A HARD DISK Log to the hard disk or disk partition, if you have divided your hard drive into one or several partitions (C:, D:, E: etc), and to the sub-directory the SETUP.DAT and ALPHABET.EXE files are located. Type the following at the DOS prompt: ALPHABET (Enter) The program is menu driven. To continue, follow screen in- structions. Page 3.0 SECTION 2 - USING "Signing the ALPHABET" Starting Signing the ALPHABET from a disk drive Install the distribution diskette or a backup diskette made from the distribution disk, into a floppy disk drive and from the DOS > prompt log to that drive. If this is the first time you are launching the application we suggest that you look at the files on the logged floppy disk drive, with the DOS DIRectory command, to make sure that both the application ALPHABET.EXE and SETUP.DAT files are present and in the same disk and directory. The presence and location of the two files is important, otherwise the application will not launch and a error will result. Typing the DOS DIRectory command will cause the computer to list the various files found on the logged disk drive. If the list is short, they will all remain on the monitor screen so that you can read them at your leisure. If the list is long, the list will scroll off the top of the screen as new files are added to the bottom of the list. You can stop the scrolling at any point by pressing Ctrl + S, that is the control key plus the letter S key at the same time. To restart the scroll hit the key combination again. Once you have located the two files on the logged disk, all that is necessary to start the application is to type ALPHABET followed by pressing the Enter key. Files ending with the suffix COM and EXE, will launch without typing the suffix. You can launch the application from a DOS BATch file as well and a sample of such a file will be provided in Section 3. After typing in the name of the file, exactly as shown, the application will load. Then the program will begin to run automatically and the first thing it will do is read the information in the SETUP.DAT file. If this file is missing, damaged or corrupted, the program will stop and an error message will appear on the screen. If this should happen after the second try, type the following command to see what is in the SETUP.DAT file: (Assuming you are logged to the A: floppy disk drive, you will see DOS >A: or A: on the screen) A:TYPE SETUP.DAT (Enter) The DOS TYPE command will type the SETUP.DAT file on your monitor screen SETUP.DAT is a simple ASCII text file and you should see two numbers separated by a comma, no spaces. The initial file, as shipped, will contain the following: Page 3.0 2,500 The first number is the number of times each automated hand will repeat, thus the number 2 will cause the automated hands, J and Z, to cycle twice. If the first number is 1, then the hand signs will cycle only once. If the number was 4, the hands would cycle 4 times. The comma is a delimiter and must be present; no spaces either before or after the comma are allowed. The second number determines the time delay between screen re-writes for the animated hand sequences. The reason this number may be different after you have run the program the first time, is because it is dependent on the type & speed of your computer and CPU Page 3.1 clock speed. The animations, when first run, may move so fast that you cannot follow them, or so slowly you may not be sure the program is working properly. The program was developed on a 80286 (AT) computer running at 12 MHz clock speed and using a 1 Meg VGA card and color monitor. The delay number, on our system, was 3000, but tests on other 286 systems, using 3000, yielded a very slow animation. Tests on faster computers, such as a 80386 and 80486, resulted in animation so fast that one could not follow the action. Thus a SETUP menu was added to the program to allow the user to adjust the speed of animation from within the program after viewing an animated letter on his or her own computer. The SETUP menu contains a series of numbers from 0 to 4, which will provide a new delay number that should more closely match most computer types. Refer to Section 3 for additional information on the delay numbers. If none of the numbers provided suit your need you may edit the SETUP.DAT file and change the second number to a value that works better. The second number is the end point of a loop count, which causes the computer to stop execution of the program to count from 0 to 500 or whatever number is provided. The larger the number the longer the delay. As computers get faster, the number needs to be larger because the application runs faster. Assuming your application launched without difficulty, the first thing you will see on your screen is a red screen with the name of the program, software version number, our name and address and the copyright notice. You will also see instructions to "Press any key to continue!" Press any key to move to the MAIN menu. Special, customized, version of this software may present a different screen or the screen contents may be somewhat different than the description herein, for the standard release version. Page 3.1 SELECT A LETTER The first operational menu, the MAIN menu, will appear. It contains 5 options. Each option does the following: [1] Read instruction on how programs works: The application incorporates a three page set of preliminary instructions that can be reached from the main menu or from any place in the running program by pressing function key F1. The program is so simple to run that you are not likely to need a refresher in the various main menu options, but if you do, for some reason, MAIN menu Option [1] can be had by pressing the number 1 key, from the numeric key pad or from the regular number keys, followed by Enter key. Most AT and faster computers use a keyboard with the function keys running along the top edge, rather than a block of keys on the left side, like an XT computer. We prefer to use the regular number keys above the alphabet keys to select menu options because these are directly below the function keys, thus all options and all menu select numbers are in the same general area on the keyboard. Secondly the NumLock key does not have to be activated to enter numbers from the regular keyboard where it must be activated to use the number key pad. The on-screen instructions consist of three sequential screens of information and it is necessary to step through all three pages with the Enter key before the application will automatically Page 3.2 return you to the main menu. The built-in instructions explain the various options and how to use the function keys. [2] Go to letter hand sign A to Z Enter the number 2 and press the Enter key to activate the first of two main function programs contained in this application. The first screen you will see is a black screen with several yellow boxes (on a color monitor), with an input line that reads "What letter do you wish ?" You may enter any letter, A through Z, in any order. We suggest that the first letter you select be the animated hand sign for the letter J (or Z). Select letter J by typing either a capital or lower case J followed by pressing Enter to tell the computer you have made your selection and are ready for the sign. The hand sign for J (or Z if Z was entered) will appear, it is animated, and you will be able to judge the animation speed for your computer by how long it takes the sign to complete the default 2 cycles. If it runs too fast or too slowly, return to the main menu and change the animation speed. The letter Z will run a little slower than the J, because the path described by the hand is more complex and we wanted it clear how the letter is formed. After the J hand finishes its cycle you have several ways to return to the MAIN menu. The fastest method, and easiest, is to hit function key F2. F2 jumps directly to the menu and you can select Option 4 to change the animation speed. Option 4 will be discussed shortly. When you typed in the letter J and hit the Return key, the interactive screen changed to show three distinct features. In the small box in the upper left corner of the screen, the letter J appears to show your selection. At the same time the hand sign for the letter J cycled above a short narrative describing how to form the letter with various fingers and the thumb of either hand. A red head outline appears in the background to show where you are located in respect to your hand sign. That is, the sign is performed in front of your body with the palm facing the observer unless the narrative says otherwise. Signs are not actually performed in front of the face, as they are in this demonstration program, but rather at about shoulder level using a bent elbow at a comfortable level at the side of the body. The body thus offers a background to make the signs easier to see. If a specific letter requires that the palm be turned inward, toward yourself, the image of the hand will be palm inward, in front of the red head outline. Several lines of copy are included to explain details of how a particular sign is made, when more than one are required to construct a letter. Again you will see the input request in the upper right corner of your screen. Enter a new letter and hit the Enter key when you are ready to move on. If you wish to return to the main menu from this or any screen location you can hit the F2 key or type the word MENU or Menu or menu, and the main menu screen will appear in place of the interactive screen. Typing in anything else will bring you back to the interactive screen request to enter a new letter. Page 3.3 [3] Go to hand sign only FLASH-CARDS Option 3 brings up the second functional part of the application. When you enter the option number 3 and press the Enter key, the screen changes to a modified interactive window that shows a hand sign representing a letter A through Z. The computer has randomly selected a letter automatically, and you must correctly identify the hand sign for the letter before the screen will change to a new test letter. It is not possible to predict what letter will appear first or after each selection. It could be the same letter again, but more likely it will be a new letter. If the sign for the letter is composed of one or more parts, the letter will animate through the number of cycles established by the SETUP.DAT file or your selection in the MAIN menu Option 4, SETUP Option 1. If you do not enter the correct answer the screen remains the same and the computer will continue to ask the same question "What number hand sign is shown on the screen." If you do not know, or would like a clue, hit function key F3, and the required number to enter will appear in the upper left corner of the screen between two arrows. It is necessary to type this number at the cursor box and press the Enter key before the application will move on to the next number. If your answer is correct, the screen will change to a new letter and the process is repeated as long as you wish to see FLASH-CARD letters. When you have had enough you can return to the main menu by pressing function key F2 or to the instructions by pressing function key F1. You can also type the word MENU, Menu or menu in place of the number to return to the main menu, but pressing function key F2 is simpler and faster. [4] Change program SETUP options Option 4 allows the user to change two things from within the running program - the number of cycles in an animated hand sign and the speed the hand sign animates. You can also return to the default options built into the software or save your new options so that the program will launch as you left it, and you will not need to change it again unless you want and reduce or increase the number of cycles and/or make the automations run faster or slower. Type in the number 4 and hit the Return key to see the SETUP menu titled "SELECT PROGRAM OPTION YOU WISH TO CHANGE." If you do not wish to change anything, just look at the menu, and return to the main menu, by hitting F2, or type in any of the three versions of the word menu followed by the Enter key and you will return to the MAIN menu without change. Depending on the speed of your computer the MAIN menu will replace the SETUP menu in a short time. Options in the setup menu will be discussed in Section Three, Options and Fine Tuning. [5] Exit program to system or DOS The final MAIN menu option is to quit the program and return to your computer's DOS or screen manager program. Where you return is dependent on the way you launched the program and information in the launch BAT file. If you have a main memory problem during a launch from a screen manager program, usually due to limited main computer Page 3.4 RAM memory, simply exit from the screen manager and launch ALPHABET directly from the logged floppy or hard disk drive. You will note that when you exit to the system, the floppy or hard disk drive run indicator LED will illuminate for a short time as the program writes to the SETUP.DAT file. The file is updated with whatever option you selected in the SETUP menu so that the next time you start the program it will be customized to your needs and the speed of your computer's CPU. It is necessary to always have the SETUP.DAT file in the same drive and directory as the application, ALPHABET.EXE, because the application is going to look at the SETUP.DAT file before it will run, it if is not there the application will not run. The SETUP.DAT file is again re-written on sign-off. You may also exit from other locations in the running program by typing the word EXIT followed by Enter at the prompt for a new number, option 2, or after a hand sign has cycled in the FLASH-CARD option. STARTING "Signing the ALPHABET" from a hard disk drive There is no real difference in the way the program is launched from a hard disk as compared to an internal or external floppy disk drive. Both of the required files must be present, and in the same directory. Once launched the application runs exactly the same no matter where it originated. Be sure that the write protect tab, on a 5-1/4 inch disk, or the slot of a 3-1/2 disk, are in the read/write position. That is, the notch of the 5-1/4 disk is uncovered and the slot in a 3-1/2 disk is closed. If you launch from a write protected disk the program will launch correctly, but may lock-up as you exit or make any changes in the SETUP menu, since you cannot write to the file properly. IF THE PROGRAM LOCKS UP If you manage to find a bug that we did not find during our testing and Beta trials, and the program locks up and stays stuck on the last screen, enter Control Break (Ctrl + Break) from the keyboard to terminate operation. That is depress first the Ctrl key than the Pause or Break key. Both keys will thus be depressed at the same time. This will send your computer back to the DOS command screen and you can restart the application IF you have included BREAK=ON in your CONFIG.SYS file. If this does not do the trick, restart your computer with the hot boot keys Shift + Ctrl+ Del, depressing all three keys at the same time. Should a lock-up occur, please try to recall exactly what you did to cause the error if it happens more than once and let us know about the problem so we can re-create the same conditions and fix it. Page 4.0 SECTION 3 OPTIONS AND FINE TUNING Main Menu option 4 - Change program SETUP options: Recall that the SETUP.DAT file is a simple ASCII text file that must be on the same floppy disk and/or in the same hard disk directory as the program file ALPHABET.EXE. Using the DOS command TYPE SETUP.DAT you will see two numbers separated by a comma, no spaces. The initial file, as distributed, will contain the following: 2,500 The first number represents the number of cycles each automated hand will move, thus the number 2 will cause the automated hands to cycle twice. If the number is 1, the hand signs will cycle only once. If the number is 4, the hand sign will cycle 4 times. The comma is a delimiter and must be present, no spaces either before or after the comma are allowed. The second number determines the time delay between screen re-writes for the animated hand sequences. This number is dependent on the type and speed of the computer. The animations, when the program is first run, may move so fast that you cannot follow the action, or too so slow for comfort. SETUP Menu option 1 - Hand sign repeats in automated sequences: This option changes the number of time each hand will repeat in a multiple hand sign animation If you repeat too many times, you may become bored or drag out the length of the program for no purpose. Enter a number from 1 (single repeat) to the number 6. Repeats are limited to 6 maximum as a practical limit so you won't become bored & fall asleep. Default =2. (Input) Sign repeat numbers from 1 to 6 ? # (Response to input) The number of repeat cycles you have chosen is #. This will cause each animated hand to repeat # times. If this is correct type Y (CR). If you wish to enter a different number type N (CR) Explanation. The program default, initial value of repeats is twice, 2, because this seemed to meet the needs of most people. However, depending on the program usage circumstances, it may be better to increase the number of repeats at first then reduce them later. If you wish to change from the default value of two, call up the SETUP menu and select option 1. When you are asked to input a new number of repeats type in any number from 1 to 6. Normally this value remains in effect so long as the program is running. Typing Y will return to the SETUP menu, so you can make additional changes or exit to the program. Function key F2 will cause a return to the MAIN menu after hitting the Enter key. If you wish the new number of repeats to become the default value the next time you start up the program, use the SETUP menu option 5 to save the changes and return to the program (MAIN menu). Page 4.1 You are by no means limited to 6 repeats if you want more. If the student has a severe learning problem and you need to repeat more than six times, edit the SETUP.DAT file with a word processor or DOS EDIT routine and install your own number in place of the first digit. Add the comma and the delay number you wish, and save an ASCII file. Remember no spaces between the comma and the second number. SETUP Menu option 2 - Time delay between hand changes in animation: This option allows the user to change the time delay in animated hand signs. The program has the default option of 0 (zero) which does not mean zero delay, but rather is short-hand for a larger multiple digit number, 500. It is very easy to check the animation speed, and one look generally will be enough to determine if a change is necessary or not. For example the default option of 0, which shows up as the number 500 in SETUP.DAT, is very slow on our 286, but just about right on other test 286 and a few 386 machines. You will need to slow the animations down if the application is run on a 486 CPU computer, by using larger numbers. Option 2 of the SETUP menu allows the user to adjust animation speed to suit the specific computer. When option 2 is selected, followed by Enter, the following screen message will appear: This option changes the time delay between hand signs when more than one hand sign makes up the sign of the specific number. The length of time you get by entering a number between 0 and 4 will depend on the clock speed of your particular computer and other factors. This program was developed on an 80286 'AT' with a clock speed of 12 MHz and a 1 MB VGA display board. Entering 0 will result in a minimum delay while 4 should be used with a very fast computer like a 486. Default=2 (3000). Numbers 0 to 4 were used in place of larger numbers as a programming convenience, because we were not sure during development how big the numbers might get on a very fast computer. The real numbers, as seen as the second number in the SETUP.DAT file, is the upper end of a simple loop counter that causes the computer to stop what it is doing and count for a while so you can digest what is on the screen. The faster the computer the larger the number must be to slow it down. The arbitrary numbers 0 to 4 result in the following numbers in the SETUP.DAT file: 0=500 1=1500 2=3000 3=9000 4=28000 Of course, if none of the offered numbers make the animation run at a speed you prefer, you can bypass option 2 and edit SETUP.DAT, installing any number your wish. If you do this, do not select the SETUP menu and use either option 2 or 3 or you will alter the number edited into the file. When the time delay is changed, using option 2, the new number is immediately written to SETUP.DAT and becomes the new permanent number. Option 4 only effects the repeats change. Page 4.2 SETUP Menu option 3 - Return to default setup conditions: When you select option 3 the following message will appear on your screen: This option returns ALL of the setup options to the default values. The default values are as follows Repeats =2; Delay=2. Hit RETURN key to return to menu, options will go back to default values as soon as you press the key. If someone changes the program so that you do not know where you are, their are several ways to return to the way we originally set up the program, 2 repeats and a delay count of 3000. First you can use the DOS TYPE command and look at the contents of the SETUP.DAT file. The distribution disk had 2,500, intended to meet most needs. To return to this setting typing option 2, in the SETUP menu, and entering a 2 (3000) or enter a 0 (500) to match the original file second number. The SETUP.DAT file can be changed at any time by returning to the MAIN menu than by selecting the SETUP menu option 3. Option 3 will automatically change the SETUP.DAT file to read 2 repeats with a 3000 delay count. SETUP Menu option 4 - Return to program with temporary changes: This option does not show any screen message when selected, and will only effect the number selected with option 1. Option 2 changes the start-up file as soon as you select the speed factor and hit the Return key. Since the start-up repeats and delay are read into the program before the programs begins to run, you can leave the desired repeat number in the start-up file and change the number of repeats as often as you wish, while in the program, to suit the need of the moment. Maybe you want the animated signs to repeat a few more times than usual for a particular student. Option 1 changes will take you back to the Main menu to select sign numbers or play flash-cards. No SETUP.DAT change occurs to the number of repeats unless you are sure you want to make this a startup option. If you really want the new repeats as a permanent change, you should first make the option 1 alteration, than select option 5 to change the number in the SETUP.DAT file. When the first number in the SETUP.DAT file is changed, it becomes the startup option the next time you launch the program. SETUP Menu option 5 - Save changes and return to program: Option 5 is similar to option 4 except that it this option changes the SETUP.DAT file repeats option permanently from within the program. RETURNING TO THE MAIN MENU FROM THE SETUP MENU To return to the Main menu from the SETUP menu you can either hit the Enter key or any key followed by the Enter key. Or, if you prefer, you can hit function key F2. After a short delay the SETUP menu will change to the MAIN menu and you can either go on with the application or leave the program for your computer's operating system, from the MAIN menu. You should be warned that you can also jump to the operating system directly from anywhere in the program with a Control + C or a Control + break. Preparing a new AUTOEXEC.BAT or other BAT file to launch the program. The distribution disk containing the program Signing the ALPHABET is a system disk that contains an AUTOEXEC.BAT file that will automatically launch the application from the floppy disk when your computer is turned on. Most computers, even those equipped with a hard disk, will begin operation by first checking the system floppy drives for a system track before finally looking to the hard disk. If your program disk is installed in drive A: (or B: for that matter), the computer will seek a system track on one of the floppy drives, before it tries the hard drive. When found, the computer will next look for a Page 4.3 AUTOEXEC.BAT file for instructions on what to do next. All the AUTOEXEC.BAT file does is direct the computer to load a file called ALPHABET.EXE. Recall the files with the suffix COM or EXE are stand alone files that will load and run. Many other things are usually included in an AUTOEXEC.BAT file and you can learn more about that by reading your DOS manual. You can examine the AUTOEXEC.BAT files on your existing system by using the DOS command TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT after logging to the floppy or hard disk partition that is located in the computer's root directory. The purpose of this discussion is not intended to be a detailed study of DOS, but rather to give you enough information to create a new AUTOEXEC.BAT or program launching BAT file should you wish the latter and need the former for reasons we cannot foresee. To create a new AUTOEXEC.BAT file you must either be in the directory containing your DOS system commands or a path must exist to that directory from the directory in which you are in. Rather than worry about path codes it is usually easier to just log to the drive that has the DOS system and work from that point to create your BAT files. For this example we will assume you wish to create a BAT files on a floppy disk in drive A: and your DOS system is located in a directory called DOS in hard disk partition C:. To create a BAT file type in the following information exactly as shown, spaces are shown as underlines __. Do not type in the underline. If your computer starts up from the hard disk this means that the system track is located on the hard disk, not a floppy, and floppy disks should not installed until after the computer is up and running. If a floppy is installed in either floppy drive A: or B:, the computer will generally look to these drives first, you will see the disk drive indicator light illuminated, than settle down with the hard disk, and again you should see the hard disk indicator light illuminated. When the operating system is installed and the computer is ready to accept commands, you will see a DOS prompt on the screen, or, if you have a desktop manager, you will see the main window. The DOS prompt will look something like C:. Install a pre-formatted floppy disk in drive A:, or B:, close the door and type the following command into the computer from the keyboard: A: (Enter) (Press the Enter key, do not type Enter. Page 4.4 This command should log your computer to the floppy drive A: from your boot location in hard disk partition C:. If you prefer to work with drive B:, as might be the case if you are using a laptop computer with a single built-in 3-1/2 drive that is likely to be drive A:, and have an external floppy for either another 3-1/2 disk or a 5-1/4 disk drive, the external drive is likely to be drive B:. Substitute the drive letter you wish into the command, we will remain with drive A: for the balance of the example of creating a BAT file. You should now see the DOS prompt A: or something similar. The computer is now logged to a new disk drive, in this case floppy drive A:. You should check the contents of the disk you installed in drive A: to make sure that room exists on the disk for a new file, and that it does not contain something that might be in conflict with the file you intend to create -like another AUTOEXEC.BAT file. We suggest a fresh new formatted disk that you can experiment with to your hearts delight. When you have a BAT file that looks correct, you can copy it to the working disk of your choice. Once you have a satisfactory floppy disk installed in drive A: and know what it contains, log back to the DOS system on your hard disk by typing C: on the keyboard. Since you logged over from the correct hard disk directory to the floppy, you should return to the same place when you log back. The next step is to make the AUTOEXEC.BAT file using the DOS command COPY CON. Type in the following DOS command with the floppy disk still installed in drive A: from the DOS location on the hard disk partition C:. COPY_CON_A:AUTOEXEC.BAT (Enter) Underlines are spaces! The normal DOS prompt changes to a flashing dash, indicating you are ready to make an entry into a new file called AUTOEXEC.BAT. Since you want to have sign Page 4.5 application launch when the computer starts from the floppy disk, the next line that you should type in is the name of the file the computer should load ALPHABET.EXE. Type the following, if you make a typing error before you hit the Enter key, backspace and make your correction. If you made an error and hit the Enter key look to your DOS manual to fix the problem or continue on and DEL the file and start over. The new AUTOEXEC.BAT file is still will not really do anything, it only has a name. You must next type in the next task you wish DOS to do. Type in the file you wish to load - ALPHABET.EXE. ALPHABET.EXE (Enter) DOS file names must be continuous, and no longer than 8 characters in length. Do not forget to type in the period between the file name and the suffix. Pressing the Enter key finalizes the new code line and moves the flashing dash cursor down one more line. This completes the necessary code to load the program automatically when the file AUTOEXEC.BAT is read during computer boot operations. Now the computer must be told to stop reading the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and launch the file. To do this an end of file code must be added to the end of the file (EOF). To do this press and hold down the Ctrl key and press the Z key, that is ^Z. The control Z will create an end of file (EOF) that the computer will recognize as the end of the task and that it is time to move on. You should see ^Z on the screen as the last line with the flashing dash cursor right behind Page 4.5 the Z. Thus the next line should read: Ctrl + Z (Enter) (The plus sign means both keys are down at same time) After you press the Enter key you should see the A: floppy disk drive indicator light illuminate, showing that a file has been written to the drive. If you want to look at what you have done simply log over to drive A:, do a DIR to see the directory, and observe that a new file called AUTOEXEC.BAT now resides in the directory. If you want to see what is in the file use the DOS TYPE command to print the file to the monitor screen - you should see only the single file name you entered ALPHABET.EXE. The new AUTOEXEC.BAT file can be copied to where ever you wish it to be using the DOS command COPY. Making a BAT file to load the sign application from a hard disk directory If you prefer to transfer ALPHABET.EXE and SETUP.DAT to your hard disk, placing the two files either in the root directory or in a separate sub-directory with a unique name like SIGNS, you have a number of ways to launch the program from the hard disk. If the DOS prompt shows up on your screen after a computer boot, you are in the root directory of your hard disk and any application located herein can be launch by just typing in the name of the file with or without the COM or EXE suffix. Thus to launch ALPHABET.EXE from the root directory type the following" ALPHABET (Enter) (Type in the underline when part of file name!) Again it is necessary to type the underline since it is part of the file name not a blank space. If you do not like to do that much typing, or you have moved the two application files to a sub-directory, refer to your DOS manual on how to do that, you can create a BAT file that will instruct the computer to do what you wish by typing in a single simple word like SIGN. SIGN, in this case, is a sub-directory labeled SIGN located in hard disk partition C:. To make a loading BAT file type in the following commands from your DOS directory. COPY CON_C:\_SIGN.BAT (Enter) (Underline is space!) CD\_SIGN (Enter) (Underline is space!) ALPHABET (Enter) CD\ (Enter) ^Z (Enter) COPY CON from the DOS system will create a file called SIGN.BAT in the drive C: root directory. CD\ tells the computer to change from the root directory to a sub-directory called SIGN, you must have such a sub-directory for the BAT file to run. Enter moves the edit cursor down one more line. ALPHABET tells the computer to locate a COM or EXE file called ALPHABET and to run (execute) the file. At this point the file ALPHABET will run and you go about your business as usual. The CD\ command following the application name Page 4.6 will cause the computer to return to the root directory after you exit the application. It would do that anyway if you launched from the root directory, but you have logged to a sub-directory called SIGN so without the CD\ path in the BAT file you will exit into the SIGN sub-directory. If that is where you wish to be, delete the CD\ line in the BAT file when you create it. Control Z, ^Z,is the end of file marker (EOF) that tells the computer the end of the file has been reached and it should go back to the system. Before you run a BAT file such as the one above, it is a good idea to look at the contents with the DOS TYPE command, and to be sure you have created to be created on the hard disk before you run the BAT file. Naturally the two application files ALPHABET.EXE and SETUP.DAT must also be copied to the desired sub-directory, or the BAT file will do nothing except create a DOS error message that it could not find the file listed in the BAT file. If you find an error in the BAT file you can either use the DOS DELelete command to delete it, and start over, or use the DOS EDIT command to alter the file. Editing is a little tricky, so it may be easier to make a new file. Refer to the DOS manual supplied with your computer for all the fine points of using the operating system commands. Page 5.0 SECTION 4 - References Books Bahan, Ben and Dannis, Joe Signs For Me: Basic Sign Vocabulary for Children, California, DawnSign Press, 1990, ISBN 0-915035-27-8 Bornstein, Harry and Saulnier, Karen Signing: Signed English: A Basic Guide, New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1984, ISBN 0-517-56132-8 Butterworth, Rod R. and Flodin, Mickey SIGNING MADE EASY: New York: Perigee Books, 1989, ISBN 0-399-51490-2 Humphries, Tom, Padden, Carol and O'Rourke, Terrence J.: A Basic Course in American Sign Language: Maryland: T.J. Publishers, 1980, ISBN 0-932666-24-8 Riekehof, Lottie L. The Joy of Signing, Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1990, ISBN 0-88243-520-5 Solow, Lawrence J. and Solow, Sharon Neumann: Say It With Sign (manual for Video tape series of the same name), Iowa, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 1983, ISBN 0-8403-2863-X Sternberg, Martin L.A. AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE DICTIONARY, New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1987, ISBN 0-06-091383-5 Videos Fingerspelling, EXPRESSIVE & RECEPTIVE FLUENCY, Joyce Linden Groode, DawnSignPress, 9080-A Activity Road, San Diego, CA 92126-4421 SAY IT WITH SIGN, series, 20 hours, Valiant Educational Videos, 18210 Sherman Way, Suite 106, Reseda, CA 91335-4554 SIGNING Naturally, series, DawnSignPress, 9080-A Activity Road, San Diego, CA 92126-4421 The Joy of Signing, series, Joy Enterprises, Inc., P.O. Box 10376, Arlington, VA 22210-1376 The Signed English Video Learning System, series, Hands Up Enterprises, P.O. Box 468, Howell, NJ 07731 Page 6.0 INDEX ASL- American Sign Language 1.0 ASCII file 4.0 Backup procedure 2.0 BAT files 4.3 BAT file sample 4.5 Changes, temporary 4.2 Control Break 3.4 Control Z, ^Z 4.4 Cycles, animated hands 4.0 Default file codes 3.0 Default option, SETUP menu 4.2 Delays, animated hands 4.1 Delay numbers, meaning 4.1 DOS commands COPY CON command 4.4 DIR command 3.0 TYPE command 3.0 DOS Screen 9 1.0 End of File, EOF 4.4 Exit file 3.3 Files, required 2.0 Function key codes F1, Instructions 3.1 F2, MAIN menu 3.2 F3, letter help, clue 3.3 Hard disk, program installation on 2.1 Hard disk, starting from 2.1 Interactive screen 3.2 MAIN menu 3.1 MENU, Menu, menu commands 3.2 Repeats 4.0 SETUP.DAT file default codes 3.0 SETUP Menu 3.3 Signing position of hands 1.2 Time delay, animated hands 4.1 REGISTRATION FORM Mail to: fmROBERTS ENTERPRISES P.O. Box 608 Dana Point, CA 92629-0608 From: __________________________________ your name __________________________________ Company or organization __________________________________ street address __________________________________ City, State, Zip code __________________________________ Country if not USA Shareware program being registered: SIGNING THE ALPHABET, Version 1.0 Date _______________ Amount enclosed $ ________ ($20 is requested) Suggestions for program improvement: __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ About your computer system: Computer: Brand, CPU, etc. __________________________________________________ Program run from (1) Floppy disk Y N Size/density _______________________ Program run from (2) Hard disk Y N Version of DOS __________ Do you wish to be kept informed about upgrades: Y N Do you wish to be kept informed about new ASL Shareware Y N Did you like the program? Y N If no, what did you dislike? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________