As already mentioned, Calamus supports two dictionaries:
An exceptions dictionary for hyphenation, and a spelling
dictionary. Both have their own set of icons and may even use the same
file for both purposes.
A click on this icon brings up the Edit dictionary
dialog:
If a hyphenation dictionary has been loaded (loading may take some
time), you can see a part of the exceptions
listing in the
scrolling dialog window and, besides the obligatory [OK] button, an
input line and five icons. The special functions described below for
inputting and adding a word apply only in the hyphenation dictionary.
If you type a word in the edit field, then after pressing [Return] this will be hyphenated following a set of fixed rules.
Unfortunately there are words in the English language which cannot
be hyphenated correctly using fixed rule algorithms. For example, in
the word software
, the final -e is silent and there are two
syllables: soft-ware. On the other hand, in the word
catastrophe
, the final -e is pronounced, providing an extra
syllable: ca-ta-stro-phe. The hyphenation dictionary is designed to
catch such special cases.
The three top icons in the left column enable you to insert, delete, and look up words. The bottom icon clears the entire dictionary from memory.
The special function Uncertain hyphenation
is described
further below.
To add a word to the hyphenation exceptions dictionary, you must
first provide the correct hyphenation. Calamus understands two types
of hyphenation logic: The normal syllabic division and division into
several words. In the dictionary, syllables are divided by using
-
, while words are divided with +
. For example, the
correct hyphenation of overemphatic
would be
over+em-pha-tic
.
When you type in a word and press [Return], Calamus will attempt to suggest the hyphenation of the word automatically, using internal rules. In this case it might look like this:
If the word is not already in a loaded dictionary, it would guess "overem-phatic" here, which unfortunately is not entirely correct either.
If you click the mouse once on the hyphen between over
and
em-phat-ic
, it will change to +
to mark a break in a
compound word. If you click once between two letters where there is no
-
such as on the t
, a -
will appear. A
double-click on an unwanted -
(like between at
and
ic
in the example) will eliminate the break altogether.
Once you have finished hyphenating a word, click on the Add
word
icon to enter it into the exceptions dictionary. The new
words will not be added permanently unless you save the hyphenation
dictionary before quitting Calamus.
To delete a word from the dictionary, click first on the word and
then on the Delete
icon in the second row.
This third icon has the same function as the [Return] key: The word on the edit line will be looked for in the dictionary. In the hyphenation dictionary it will also have hyphens between syllables: If it was found they will correspond to the dictionary entry, otherwise a special algorithm is used.
If you click on the lowest icon, the complete dictionary will be cleared from memory following a safety query alert, which allows you to change your mind.
The top right button offers a unique Calamus function that is only
present in the hyphenation dictionary. There are some cases (very rare
in English) that are hyphenated differently in different contexts. You
can mark such words as uncertain
in the hyphenation dictionary,
so that Calamus will stop and ask you to supply the hyphenation. To
add such a word to the exceptions dictionary, type it into the text
field, then click on the question-mark icon. The word will be included
in the dictionary with a question-mark as well. When Calamus attempts
to hyphenate this word, the following dialog box will appear:
You may enter hyphenation for a word here with a mouse click as in
the hyphenation dictionary dialog box. With the Add word
icon
the altered word will be included in the hyphenation dictionary.
