About this CD-Rom

The Talking Dictionary of English and Italian Equivalent Proverbs features:

• 2513 English proverbs;
• 2513 sets of Italian equivalent proverbs;
• 2513 English proverbs sound files;
• 2513 Italian proverbs sound files.

When appropriate, cross-references and notes indicating proverbs expressing similar concepts or variants of the main proverbs are provided.

The Dictionary is a very useful reference tool for scholars of the two languages, for researchers working in various associated fields such as linguistics, literature, folklore, anthropology, psychology, sociology, history, and for workers in newer areas such as advertising and contemporary media. The Dictionary is also of interest to diplomats and politicians who try to improve their communication by sharing ideas formulated in some common meaningful expressions; it will assist interpreters and translators, and teachers and students for whom it is important to understand not only what the target culture expresses in the same way as their own, but also what is formulated in a different way. The Dictionary is also of benefit to non-professionals who, for the sheer enjoyment of it, wish to savour the wisdom, wit, poetry and the colourful language of proverbs.

An innovative feature of this Dictionary is its audio component. All proverbs have been recorded by native speakers, adding to the enjoyment of advanced users and to the improvement of spoken language skills of less-advanced users.

The Talking Dictionary of English and Italian Equivalent Proverbs CD-Rom is compatible with both Macintosh and PC (Windows) computers. The only software needed to run the CD-Rom on both Mac and PC computers is a browser, preferably version 4 or later of Netscape or Explorer, and QuickTime. Earlier versions of Netscape and Explorer are also suitable, but they might be slower.

The Dictionary comes in two formats: HTML (website structure and presentation) and Database (a runtime solution).
Sound can be played only in the HTML format.

Running the 'English-Italian Proverbs' CD-Rom on your computer

I. The HTML format:

If the CD did not start up automatically when you inserted it in the CD-drive, then perform the following steps:

PC Users

1. Double-click My Computer on your desktop.
2. Right-click CD-Drive and select OPEN from the pop-up menu.
3. Open the file index.html with your browser.

Now you can navigate the website.

To hear the sound, click on the waving flags placed after the proverb(s).
You will need to have QuickTime installed: it can be downloaded free of charge from http://www.apple.com.

Macintosh Users

1. Double-click the CD icon on your desktop.
2. Open the file index.html with your browser.

II. The Database:

1. Open the folder PCSolution if you are using a PC, or open the folder MacSolution if you are using a Mac. Once inside the folder, double-click on the file PCSolution.EXE (PC users) or MacSolution (Mac users). Both PCSolution.EXE and MacSolution files are runtime solutions and do not require any special software.
2. The Database opens with a 5 seconds splash screen. After that you will be able to follow the instructions provided.

You cannot play the sound in the Database format.
To play the sound you will have to quit the Database and open the file index.html with your browser.

Search

The HTML format allows only page search.

The Database (PCSolution.EXE or MacSolution) format allows keyword search of the entire corpus.

Use the four coloured buttons on the right-hand side at the bottom of the screen as follows:

1. Click on the button "Find Proverb";
2. Click on the required field (English Proverb, Italian Proverb or Notes) and type in the keyword you wish, such as "love" (amore) or "horse" (cavallo);
3. Click on the button "Perform find";
4. The screen will show the first record of proverbs containing your keyword. On the status area (the grey left-hand side column) you will see the total number of occurrences containing the keyword. To see the next record, just click on the bottom part of the white book icon at the top of the status area.
5. Once you have seen the proverbs, you have two options:

   a) return to the navigation of the Database - to do that click on the button "Find All",
   or b) see a complete list of the occurrences containing your chosen keyword - to do that click on the button "List view".

You can "Print" the whole list on your own printer or return "Back to the Main Screen" of the Database.

The search can be refined by typing the equal sign (=) in front of the keyword. In that case only the proverbs containing exact matches of the keyword will be shown.

You can also perform a search by choosing Find from the Mode menu, and using the Find button on the status area.

ENJOY!

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