Antidote (software)

History

Created by the Québécois company Druid, Antidote Prism is the 75 year old fruit of work joining together as many collaborators. With each edition, the creators unceasingly improved, improved and increased their software. The edition which is the subject of this article is the fifth edition of Antidote Prism version 6.

Some dates and facts:

1st edition: Antidote , appeared in November 1996;
2nd edition: Antidote 98 , appeared in May 1998;
3rd edition: Antidote 2000 , published in October 1999;
4th edition: Antidote MP , appeared in October 2001. It is starting from this version which Antidote MP (multi sentence) corrects the text as a whole rather than a sentence at the same time.
5th edition: Antidote Prism , appeared in October 2003. In addition to the improvements and additions brought to Antidote, Antidote Prism innovates by incorporating a linguistic corrector.
6th edition: Antidote X-ray , appeared in September 2006.

Each edition of Antidote was the subject of several modifications whose result is the publication of several versions improved of the same edition.

Presentation of the tools of Antidote

The corrector

The Correcteur proceeds, inter alia, with the grammatical analysis of each sentence by correcting the misspellings, of agreement (subject-verb, adjective, etc), of mode of the verb, punctuation, use of the hyphens and the capital letters. It announces the English terms, the homophons, the Faux friends, the copies, the expressions and regionalisms.

The corrector indicates the location of errors by underlining the text to correct distinct colors which correspond to errors of different nature. Moreover, the explanations provided by Antidote are divided into three levels: the infobulle, the contextual explanation and grammar. The user has thus the choice to look further into or not the explanations given by the corrector. He can also choose to activate the corrector during or after the drafting of his text.

Adjustment of the corrector

Using the linguistic adjustments, Antidote makes it possible to personalize the software according to the type of user who uses it. (see part: User)

The dictionary

The made up team of Antidote lexicographers and data processing specialists constituted a nomenclature of: 110000 words to make Dictionary a rich tool and which is “the faithful reflection of the French language of today” Prism p. 1. More: 9000 proper names are indexed in the dictionary.

The user can sail in the dictionary using the five miters which specialize research (definition, phrases, family, analogies and onomastics). The definitions of the words are presented by direction and under-direction and are structured in an arborescent way.

The mode seeks by defect of the dictionary is research gramophone. Two other modes are also offered: research by jokers and the search for anagrams. Just like a dictionary paper, the dictionary of Antidote announces the linguistic markers of the word (Register, Régionalisme, field). But moreover, it incorporates in the same article all the inflected forms of the mot.

The dictionary of the synonyms

Just like the entries of the dictionary, the Synonymes are classified by direction and under direction. In addition to counting the words and the expressions of more than 60.000 entries, providing thus more than one million synonyms, Antidote suggests hyponymes (synonymous with more specific directions: greyhound for dog) and of the hyperonymes (synonymous with more general direction: mammal for dog) for 8.000 names. Nearly 100.000 antonyms are inventoried in the dictionary. The whole is organized inside the specialized miters (all, synonyms, hyponymes, hyperonymes, antonyms).

The marks of use (registers, regionalisms and fields) there are also indicated. The window of the dictionary of the synonyms is divided into two parts; the panel of left presents the list of the synonyms while that of right-hand side posts the definitions of the synonyms suggested.

The fact of being able to consult the definition of one word inside even of the dictionary of the synonyms illustrates the force of Antidote well: that to allow the interaction of its works.

Grammar

The grammar of Antidote exposes in 375 articles the principal rules of the French language. It is inspired primarily by the Good use of Grevisse and by the recommendations of the Office of the French language of Quebec (compiled in the French at the office ) with regard to the administrative and commercial drafting. Like all the tools of Antidote , grammar is easily accessible. To reach this work, the user can click on the icon which represents it (G) in the bar of tools or reach it contextuellement starting from the corrector, of the dictionary or the conjuguor. The interactive works of Antidote facilitate the navigation and the consultation of its various works.

Grammar offers five modes of navigation: the list of topics is divided into 10 broad topics, the index alphabetical alphabetically presents the concepts exposed in grammar, seek textual which makes it possible to seek all the articles treating of a precise subject by seizing the topic in reserved space in the heading of research (for example, to seize the word comma and all the titles which treat this grammatical rule will be posted) and the arrows preceding article and following article .

Bonds hypertexts (identified by a blue color) make it possible to pass easily from an article to another. For example, the article on the Anglicismes contains a hyperlink on the expression false friends . A simple click on this Syntagm, and Antidote opens a new window giving access to the definition of false friends .

The conjuguor

The conjuguor contains 8.000 verbs. Each verb is the subject of two tables: a first presents the verbs conjugated to all the simple tenses and a second, those combined at made up time by indicating the auxiliary and the prepositions to be used. As for the verbs which have the characteristic to be combined with one or the other of the auxiliaries, a third table is added to both others. As it is the case for the verb “to move”.

Linguistic adjustments

The linguistic adjustments make it possible to personalize Antidote according to specific criteria. Eight main categories are thus subjected to the adjustments: “speakers”, “general”, “language”, “confusions”, “Capital”, “Punctuation”, “spaces” and “ignored”. To maximize the use of Antidote, it is strongly advised that each user chooses the adjustments which are appropriate to him. For example, in the miter “punctuation”, Antidote suggests a level of minimal, average or maximum adjustment. A more skilful user with the French language can be annoyed when Antidote stops with all alarms (errors) suggested. By using the linguistic adjustments, it will be able to indicate to Antidote not to announce the places in the sentence where a comma would be necessary. It is the minimal level. On the contrary, a user could wish that Antidote indicate all the places where the comma would be necessary (maximum level). To help the user with including/understanding the adjustments well, an explanation appears with the bottom of the window to explain the choices when it makes slip the mouse on the occurrences. It is thus suggested consulting these miters well to choose the adjustments which are appropriate best for each user in order to obtain the maximum potential of Antidote.

The Prism

In its edition of Antidote Prism, Antidote innovates by incorporating in the software a new tool: the prism. The prism analyzes the text from a linguistic point of view using various filters of revision.

These filters of revision are:

Pragmatique (which, how much, when, where)
Logical (hinges, between quotation marks, incidental clauses)
Style (long repetitions, sentences, colorless verbs, nonverbal sentences)
Turnings (passive turnings, negative turnings, impersonal, participial turnings)

These filters play to some extent the part of a reviser. Before launching the prism, it is suggested carrying out the correction of the text using the corrector. Once the text was passed to the corrector, the user has to only click on the Prisme button and Antidote opens a window in which the number of cases corresponding to the filters is posted. For example, the cases “recently” and “2006” belong to the under-filter “when” of the pragmatic filter. It is thus possible to check so logical errors related to these adverbs occurred in the sentence and to correct them if it is necessary.

The prism allows a first fast revision of the text. On the other hand, it would not have to be forgotten only if the correction of a text “starts with Antidote it ends in a human corrector, who will note the problems most difficult” Prism p. 2.

User

Antidote is addressed to all the French writers of the Francophonie which they are Belgium, France, Quebec, Suisse, Africa, the Antilles, Louisiana or besides and also with the not-French-speaking people. Moreover, it is possible to personalize Antidote according to the type of speaker thanks to the linguistic adjustments of the miter “Locuteur”. The writer can also indicate to this place his “linguistic Région”, if it is “of French native tongue” and even its written French skill “”.

Update

Each user holder of a license allowing him to be recorded near the Druide company can obtain free the updates of the software (to download the new minor version of the edition held by the user) on Internet site of Antidote. The levellings (updated major) remain paying).

Competitors

ASpell, a Cordial project GNU
, of Synapse Development
ProLexis, of Diagonal

External bonds

Official site
Termium: The database terminological and linguistic of the government of Canada

Random links: