SoundSpel and DublLien

 

ALC offers several free programs to translate from standard spelling to SoundSpel. All download easily and work with Microsoft Word (Word 97 or later. )

What they do:

SoundSpel adds a yellow "S" button to the Word toolbar. Type some text in Word or load a file. Click the S and below it appears the same text in SoundSpel -- like this:

<> <> <> <> <>

Soundspel ads a yelo "S" buton to th Werd toolbar. Tiep sum text in Werd or loed a fiel. Clik th S and belo it apeers th saem text in Soundspel -- liek this:

________________________________

 

 DoubleLine adds a yellow DL button. Click it and the text
DublLien ads  a yelo   DL buton . Clik  it and th  text

in the Word window appears in SoundSpel but on alternating  
in th  Werd windo  apeers  in Soundspel but on allternaeting

lines, as you see here. A struggling reader can use  this
liens, as U   see heer. A strugling  reeder can uez this

to learn in regular  spelling. He simply reads along the
to lern  in reguelar speling . He simply reeds along th 

upper line until he hits a hard word --say knight -- and
uper  lien until he hits a hard werd --sae niet   -- and

then glances below it to see the easy phonetic word.
then glanses belo  it to see th  eezy fonetic  werd.

Normally he would need to look it up in a dictionary  or ask
Normaly  he wuud  need to luuk it up in a dicshunairy or ask

for help, and this is the same only  easier.
for help, and this is th  saem oenly eezyer.

 

 

You can get these programs in one of two packages.

Package 1 adds SoundSpel and DoubleLine to Word and adds SoundSpel to Microsoft Outlook, the e-mail program. It does not work with the free version Outlook Express. And note: if you have other macros added to Outlook, this will replace them. Hardly anyone adds macros to Outlook, but if you have and you do not want to lose them, do not download this package. Download Package 2 instead.

Package 2 adds SoundSpel and DoubleLine to Word only. (But is not yet available)

Installation:

  1. If you have Word 97 skip this and go to 2. If you have Word 2000 or later, you must disarm a Microsoft safety feature that prevents adding macros to Word. Open Word, and click Tools. On the drop down menu click Macros. Click Security. Set Security to medium.
  2. Click here to download. Package 1 - SoundSpel and DoubleLine to Word and SoundSpel to Outlook

Click here to download Package 2 - SoundSpel and DoubleLine to Word (NOT WORKING YET.)

3. A window appears asking Save or Open? Select Open.

Just say yes to all future questions. Specifically, when Word comes up and asks Enable Macros? - click Enable.

4. Now open Word and look for the new yellow buttons. Type something and click one.

Using DoubleLine:

DoubleLine output appears in an HTML window. You can print it or adjust the font size (highlight the print and click the big or little A on the toolbar).

For easier formatting click File and Save As. In the box that appears is a small box of formats. You want to save as a Word file but Word is above the other formats so move the slider to the top and click Word. Give it a name in the appropriate box. Click Save. Close that window (click the red X at the upper right.) Then click Open, and at the bottom of the window will be the recent file list and at the top of that list will be the file you just saved. Open that and it will be in a Word window and you will have all those familiar format functions, like any other Word file.

Important: If you want to change something just close the DL, HTML window first, change the original file and click DL again. Do not click on the original window without closing the DL window first -- you can freeze it and will have to restart your computer.

(You close the DL window by clicking the big red X in the upper right corner of that window.)

Font Size and Wordwrap: Wordwrap doesn't work with DoubleLine. The regular spelling words flow onto the DL line and it's a mess. With the default output you can change line lengths only up to a point. You can increase font size up to 14 (Big print for a child's reader.) You can click File, Page Layout, and decrease margin width and thus increase font size to 16. You can select Landscape layout and print the long way on the page.

But if you want more control you must go back to your original file, click DL, and on the screen that appears you must specify how many characters you want per line. Specify more and you must decrease font size. For a regular font size like 11, 80 characters works well. For other sizes, experiment.

The screen explains what you do -- if you just hit Enter it defaults to 49 characters, maximum, per line. If you type the number, e.g. 80, and hit Enter, it gives you that many characters.

Sorry this is annoying, but you'll soon know how many letters you want, and then you'll just click DL, type "77 [Enter]" and have your standard output in a moment.

 

 This is the first release. Good luck, and write me with results: ramole@aol.com

Thanks!