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<Paper uid="C69-4201">
  <Title>A Universal Graphic Character Writer</Title>
  <Section position="3" start_page="0" end_page="0" type="metho">
    <SectionTitle>
IV. FORMAT CONTROLS
</SectionTitle>
    <Paragraph position="0"> In order to have the characters to form a meaningful text and to be arranged in different forms, certain forest controls are not only desired but also of necessity: I. &amp;quot; Language Selection The user is allowed to choose from all available languages in the system one or more desired languages to be written on the plotter paper. The first language selected also indicates the mode of input codes. Thus if more than one language selection is specified, the other languages selected will be written in parallel, in an equivalent word-for-word translation of the first language selected. A multlple-language machine dictionary is utilized for this purpose.</Paragraph>
  </Section>
  <Section position="4" start_page="0" end_page="0" type="metho">
    <SectionTitle>
2. Vertical or Horizontal Writing
</SectionTitle>
    <Paragraph position="0"> The writing direction of characters may be either vertical or horizontal. Non-alphabetic languages are usually written vertically from top downward for characters and from right to left for columms. Alphabetic languages are always written from left to right for characters and from top downward for rows.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="1"> It is reecumended that for multiple-language writing including both alphabetic and non-alphabetic languages~ the horizontal writing mode is more suitable since non-alphabetlc languages will still be readable vertically while in the other case to read alphabetic languages in vertical fashion will be much more difficult in a continuous text.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="2">  3. Character Size and I~ter-character Spacing  The number of characters to be accommodated on a standard size 8-1/2 x II inch page is determined by the character size specified which will also in turn allot the spacing between characters rc~ise and column-wise. The character size is specified in terms of step size, that is,the smallest distance between two specifiable pen positions, or the number of points to be positioned within the distance of One inch. The step size is to be treated as the unit distance between two grid points in the 16 x 16 and the 5 x 8 grids. Step sizes considered appropriate for character writing for various visual effects are: 0o~I, 0.015, 0.02, 0.025, and 0.04 inches. For examples, step size of 0.025 will yield 320 Chinese characters written horizontally, 0.02 inches for 500 characters, and 0.01 for 2,000 characters.</Paragraph>
  </Section>
  <Section position="5" start_page="0" end_page="0" type="metho">
    <SectionTitle>
4. Blank Character
</SectionTitle>
    <Paragraph position="0"> This is used for all kinds of spacing needs in terms of one character size of blank spaces. Some typical uses are these of centered titles with blank characters filled on both left and right or top and bottom, indention at the beginning of rows or columns, blank filled endings of rows or columns~ blank</Paragraph>
  </Section>
  <Section position="6" start_page="0" end_page="0" type="metho">
    <SectionTitle>
5. Line and Page Controls
</SectionTitle>
    <Paragraph position="0"> In contrast to the above user-specified controls, the line and page controls are automatic system controls which can only be influenced through the character size selection and the language selection. The program will calculate the total number of characters to be written on a 8-1/2 x 11 inch page according to the selected character size and language (alphabetic or non-alphabetic). Then the number of characters per line (row or coltmm) will be calculated accordingly. When the end of a line is reached, the next characterwill be written on the first character position of the next line. And, if the end of a page is reached at the same time, the plotter paper will be advanced to the next standard size page with the next character to bewritten on the first character position of the first line.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="1"> Special control characters denoted by seldomly used special symbols are provided in the system to signify the end of a line and the end of a page for the automatic skipping of the rest of the Line or page.</Paragraph>
  </Section>
  <Section position="7" start_page="0" end_page="0" type="metho">
    <SectionTitle>
V. CHA~ACTERSTORAGEANDKETKXEVAL
1. IdentificatiOn Code
</SectionTitle>
    <Paragraph position="0"> A unique code is assigned for each character appearing in any one of the languages involved in the system for identification  -14purpose. The nt~erical code in decimal digits as discussed under Character Representation is a'mJmple and arbitrary method and can be readily applied to any language. For alphabetic ~ges, to associate the two decimal-digit codes with the alphabet requires only a couple of hours of actunl coding work. For non-alphabetic languages, as in the worst example of IO,O00 Chinese characters, the first ~uthor with no previous experience of the Chinese telegraphic code system but with sufficient background in the Chinese language, did the complete coding of the Chinese classics, the Four Books, in the Suuner of 1964with the aid of a code reference handbook.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="1"> By \]ate swm~r of 1964, the Chinese text could be read directly in telegraphic codes with less than 2~ of reference to the code book. Since this method has been practiced in China for many years in telegraphic commmications, the authors believe that there must be some very efficient training method for this telegraphic coding *system.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="2"> The previously discussed Chicodes for Chinese character encoding on the Chicoder was experimented for operator training in 1965 at Itek Corporation. The result was that for an American secretary with no previous knowledge of the Chinese language, hut with the aid of an instructional mmlua~, four months of traiD/ng will yield a typing speed of forty characters per minute including error corrections. However, the development  of this kind of coding system will demand detailed analysis of stroke patterns for the particular language and the organization of characters in terms of these stroke patterns. Thus it is not readily available and too costly a technique to implement for other less complicated languages.</Paragraph>
    <Paragraph position="3"> Both of the code assignment method may be used in the system to index the stored coordinate groups associated with each of them. When the writing request of a certain character reaches the associated coordinate group, the coordinates are copied into a buffer area and are being analyzed, calculated and transformed into a sequence of plotter subroutine calls for writing the character on the plotter paper.</Paragraph>
  </Section>
  <Section position="8" start_page="0" end_page="0" type="metho">
    <SectionTitle>
2. Accompanying Information
</SectionTitle>
    <Paragraph position="0"> The identification code may also be used to index information associated with the specific character for additional references and operations. If this system is to serve both as an automatic writing device and an automatic dictionary for two or more languages~ then all the information in a selected dictionary may be included in the system, such as the pronouneiation guide, parts of speech and other syntactic information, the meaning (translation) and other semantic information~ the associated phrases and idioms, and examples of usage.</Paragraph>
  </Section>
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