dict.el

dict.el

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

I was getting tired up looking things up in a dead-wood dictionary
(see the headers for details), so I whipped up a thing to look words
up in a local Webster database.  I've put the results at
<URL:http://quimby.gnus.org/elisp/dict.el>.  Now, to use the thing,
you need the Webster database as well, and I have absolutely no idea
where one can find that.  Certainly not as
<URL:http://quimby.gnus.org/elisp/webster.tgz>, since that would be
naughty, the dictionary being copyrighted and all and me not being a
WaReZ person.  And if it were there, I'm sure it would disappear
pretty soon in any case, and I'm sure no-one would download it before
it was deleted, if it was there, which it isn't.

Carry on.  Nothing to see here.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: dict.el

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Darn; I forgot to ask what I was going to ask.

How does one display phonetic characters in (X)Emacs?  The dictionary
has stuff like "k{a:}n-'kr{e-}t, 'k{a:}n-.", but I would like the real 
stuff, since I actually can kinda read IPA (I think they're called)
characters.  

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: dict.el

[Tibor Simko]

>>>>> "LMI" == Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

    LMI> I was getting tired up looking things up in a dead-wood
    LMI> dictionary [...] I've put the results at [...] `dict.el'

Note that there is already a `dict.el', an "Emacs interface to the
Online Dictionary Database at dict.org", written by Eric Mardsen [1].

-TS

Footnotes: 
[1]  <URL:http://www.chez.com/emarsden/downloads/>

Re: dict.el

[Mats Lvfdahl]

Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

> I was getting tired up looking things up in a dead-wood dictionary
> (see the headers for details), so I whipped up a thing to look words
> up in a local Webster database.  I've put the results at
> <URL:http://quimby.gnus.org/elisp/dict.el>.

With Emacs 19.34, I can't eval the line

	(defvar dict-alist (dict-create-alist))

The error message is 

	Symbol's function definition is void: with-temp-buffer

Do I need Emacs 20 for this?

-- 
Mats Löfdahl

Re: dict.el

[luis fernandes]

Merrian Webster is also on-line at: www.m-w.com; definitions and
synonyms can be looked-up using their interface. 

I don't know whether the interface can be bypassed.

Re: dict.el

[Edward J. Sabol]

Excerpts from mail: (01-Jul-99) Re: dict.el by Tibor Simko
>>>>>> "LMI" == Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:
LMI> I was getting tired up looking things up in a dead-wood
LMI> dictionary [...] I've put the results at [...] `dict.el'
Tibor> Note that there is already a `dict.el', an "Emacs interface to the
Tibor> Online Dictionary Database at dict.org", written by Eric Mardsen [1].

There's also another `dict.el' written by Alexander Vorobiev
<sparrow@sparrow.diamant.ru> which is also an Emacs frontend for dict.org.

Re: dict.el

[Eric Marsden]

>>>>> "ejs" == Edward J Sabol <sabol@alderaan.gsfc.nasa.gov> writes:

  Tibor> Note that there is already a `dict.el', an "Emacs interface
  Tibor> to the Online Dictionary Database at dict.org", written by
  Tibor> Eric Mardsen [1].

  ejs> There's also another `dict.el' written by Alexander Vorobiev
  ejs> <sparrow@sparrow.diamant.ru> which is also an Emacs frontend
  ejs> for dict.org.

well I never, dictionary frontends must be very sexy. I just found
Alexander's dict.el on Dejanews[1], and his predates mine so I will
rename. But note that it is an interface to a local dictd server, not
to dict.org, and that there is a IMO far superior dictionary.el for
that purpose by Torsten Hilbrich at [2]. My dict.el is useful when you
don't have a local dictd server but have permanent internet access.

[1] <URL:http://www.deja.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=397066543&fmt=text>
[2] <URL:http://www.in-berlin.de/User/myrkr/dictionary.html>

-- 
Eric Marsden
It's elephants all the way down

Re: dict.el

[Aaron M. Ucko]

[-- Warning: decoded text below may be mangled, UTF-8 assumed --]
[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain; charset=iso-2022-7bit, Size: 926 bytes --]

Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

> How does one display phonetic characters in (X)Emacs?  The dictionary
> has stuff like "k{a:}n-'kr{e-}t, 'k{a:}n-.", but I would like the real 
> stuff, since I actually can kinda read IPA (I think they're called)
> characters.  

Dunno about XEmacs, but FSF Emacs 20's library of Emacs input methods
includes a file called ipa.el with all the non-ASCII glyphs you're
likely to need, so you can just copy-and-paste them into the code
you're using to transliterate webster's representation.  Note that
you'll probably end up having to remap most of the vowels, since the
webster database uses a phonetic alphabet designed to be easy for
American English speakers to grasp.  (The IPA is "biased" more towards
speakers of Romance languages, and would transliterate "concrete" as
[k^[,0>U^[(Bkrit] as I recall.)

-- 
Aaron M. Ucko, KB1CJC <amu@mit.edu> (finger amu@monk.mit.edu)

Re: dict.el

[Alexander Vorobiev]

Eric Marsden <emarsden@mail.dotcom.fr> writes:

> well I never, dictionary frontends must be very sexy. I just found
> Alexander's dict.el on Dejanews[1], and his predates mine so I will
> rename. But note that it is an interface to a local dictd server, not
> to dict.org,

No, the server can be anywhere, its address is specified by a variable 
dict-server-host

> [1]
> <URL:http://www.deja.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=397066543&fmt=text>

also at my homepage

http://linuxfan.com/~sparrow/software



regards,
Alexander
-- 
    There was a composer named Liszt
    Whose music no one could resiszt.

Re: dict.el

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Eric Marsden <emarsden@mail.dotcom.fr> writes:

> well I never, dictionary frontends must be very sexy. I just found
> Alexander's dict.el on Dejanews[1], and his predates mine so I will
> rename.

:-)

When it rains it pours, and stuff like that.  I'll rename mine to
locdict.el, since it's a "local" dictionary interface thing.

> My dict.el is useful when you don't have a local dictd server but
> have permanent internet access.

And dict.org seems to have quite complete dictionaries.  When did all
this happen?  The last time I went looking for dictionaries on the
web, I couldn't find anything useful at all.  (Well, nothing that
wasn't pay-per-browsing.)

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: dict.el

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

"Mats Lvfdahl" <mats@astro.su.se> writes:

> Do I need Emacs 20 for this?

Yup.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: dict.el

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

amu@MIT.EDU (Aaron M. Ucko) writes:

> Dunno about XEmacs, but FSF Emacs 20's library of Emacs input methods
> includes a file called ipa.el with all the non-ASCII glyphs you're
> likely to need, so you can just copy-and-paste them into the code
> you're using to transliterate webster's representation.

Yup; thanks.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: dict.el

[Robert Bihlmeyer]

Hi,

>>>>> On 01 Jul 1999 12:55:12 +0200
>>>>> Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> said:

 Lars> I was getting tired up looking things up in a dead-wood
 Lars> dictionary (see the headers for details), so I whipped up a
 Lars> thing to look words up in a local Webster database. I've put
 Lars> the results at <URL:http://quimby.gnus.org/elisp/dict.el>.

Nice, nice, nice.

 Lars> Now, to use the thing, you need the Webster database as well,
 Lars> and I have absolutely no idea where one can find that.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary of 1913 is on
<URL:ftp://ftp.uga.edu/pub/misc/webster/>. I cite the copyright:

       This electronic version may be used freely for personal use or
       for research, and may be freely distributed provided that the
       entire set of files are copied, and the headers and copyright
       notices are not modified or deleted.

	Robbe

-- 
Robert Bihlmeyer	reads: Deutsch, English, MIME, Latin-1, NO SPAM!
<robbe@orcus.priv.at>	<http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/sig.html>

Re: dict.el

[Hrvoje Niksic]

Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

> And dict.org seems to have quite complete dictionaries.  When did all
> this happen?  The last time I went looking for dictionaries on the
> web, I couldn't find anything useful at all.

Others have said it, but I'll repeat it: www.m-w.com is *great*.  I've 
been using it for at least two years now.  Had to say it.

Re: dict.el

[Edward J. Sabol]

Excerpts from mail: (02-Jul-99) Re: dict.el by Hrvoje Niksic
> Others have said it, but I'll repeat it: www.m-w.com is *great*.  I've 
> been using it for at least two years now.  Had to say it.

Ditto. I like the definitions at www.m-w.com a lot more than the definitions
at dict.org or in the 1913 Webster's. Anyone have an Emacs
interface/front-end for www.m-w.com?

Re: dict.el

[Paul Stevenson]

Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@srce.hr> writes:

> Others have said it, but I'll repeat it: www.m-w.com is *great*.  I've 
> been using it for at least two years now.  Had to say it.

My only gripe with it is that they give 'nyü-, ÷-ky&-l&r as a
pronunciation of nuclear.  I thought only Homer Simpson said it that
way.

Re: dict.el

[Hrvoje Niksic]

Paul Stevenson <spaul@mail.phy.ornl.gov> writes:

> Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@srce.hr> writes:
> 
> > Others have said it, but I'll repeat it: www.m-w.com is *great*.  I've 
> > been using it for at least two years now.  Had to say it.
> 
> My only gripe with it is that they give 'nyü-, ÷-ky&-l&r as a
> pronunciation of nuclear.  I thought only Homer Simpson said it that
> way.

Not being a native speaker, I rest my case!  :-)  I do note, however,
that the first pronunciation they offer is 'nü-klE-&r.

Re: dict.el

[Laura Conrad]

Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@srce.hr> writes:

> > Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@srce.hr> writes:

> > My only gripe with it is that they give 'ny=FC-, =F7-ky&-l&r as a
> > pronunciation of nuclear.  I thought only Homer Simpson said it that
> > way.
> 
> Not being a native speaker, I rest my case!  :-)  I do note, however,
> that the first pronunciation they offer is 'n=FC-klE-&r.
> 

By the old Webster's II standard, 'ny=FC-, =F7-ky&-l&r (I'm on a
stone-age emacs, I assume that's what I would transliterate in 7-bit
ascii as 'nyoo kyoo lar) should be included because it is quite
widespread (Homer Simpson is in this case accurately reflecting
working-class usage, a rarity on American television), but should be
labeled something like "ill." for illiterate or at least "dial." for
dialect.  Newer dictionaries avoid such labels, but as Hrvoje points
out, display their value judgements by the order with which they
present things.

-- 
Laura (mailto:lconrad@world.std.com , http://www.world.std.com/~lconrad/ )
(617) 661-8097 , fax: (801) 365-6574
233 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Re: dict.el

[Doug Bagley]

"Edward J. Sabol" <sabol@alderaan.gsfc.nasa.gov> writes:
> Ditto. I like the definitions at www.m-w.com a lot more than the
> definitions at dict.org or in the 1913 Webster's. Anyone have an
> Emacs interface/front-end for www.m-w.com?

I have something like the following in my .emacs.  I grab the
definition from m-w, and do a little cleanup.  Works, for me, caveat
emptor.  I'd gladly accept any constructive comments:

;; (derived from webster-www.el)
;; bind to CTRL-Z CTRL-W
;; (define-key global-map "\C-z\C-w" 'kof:webster-define-current-word)
(require 'url)
(require 'w3-forms)
(defvar kof:webster-url "http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/mweb?book=Dictionary&va="
  "URL to reference for Webster's dictionary.")
(defun kof:webster-define-current-word ()
"Look up a word at point in the Webster's dictionary at http://www.m-w.com"
  (interactive)
  (kof:webster-define-word (current-word)))
(defun kof:webster-define-word (arg)
"Look up a word in the Webster's dictionary at http://www.m-w.com"
  (interactive (list
		(let ((prompt (concat "Look up word in webster ("
				      (current-word) "): ")))
		     (read-string prompt))))
  (if (equal "" arg) (setq arg (current-word)))
  (let ((kof:w3-load-images nil)
	(url (concat kof:webster-url (w3-form-encode-xwfu arg))))
    (w3-fetch url))
  (re-search-forward "\\[Thesaurus\\]\\|Main Entry: ")
  (beginning-of-line)
  (narrow-to-region (point) (point-max)))

Cheers,
Doug