[Solved] Wonky Automatic Language Detection

[Johannes Punkt]

Hello! I couldn't find anything when searching for this, but perhaps

Short version: can I turn off automatic language detection? If yes, how?

Long version:

I'm using Windows 8, OpenOffice 3.4.1. I write mainly in Swedish (Sweden) and English (UK), often both in the same documents, when I'm just organising my thoughts. I have encountered a problem when writing documents in English, recently. In English, quote marks are written “like this”, whereas Swedish has them ”like this”.

The program automatically detects what language it thinks I am writing in. For example, if I write the character ["] at the end of a word, it gets transmuted into [”] and the language down in the box near the bottom of the screen changes from "English (UK)" to "Swedish (Sweden)". This is also true if I just write a name that is not recognized in the English dictionary, or if I hammer out meaningless character strings.

If I'm just writing along in an English document -- say, a short story -- without paying attention to the words, it will inevitably change my language to Swedish and not change it back. I then have to manually change roughly half of all the [”]s to [“]s, among other things. I have found a few tricks to make the thing automatically detect English, for example by starting a new paragraph with "The", but the program favours the other language.

Changing my keyboard settings to English rather than Swedish does not help noticeably. I've also tried CTRL+Aing and changing the language manually, but it always autoswedifies after a few lines.

Is there any way for me to turn off automatic language detection? I looked in Tools>Options>Language Settings, but came back empty-handed.

Grateful for all help. : )

[RGB]

AOO do not try to recognize the language, but use the information you provide by setting, for example, the spell check dictionary for the text. Under Tools → AutoCorrect Options → Localized Options tab you can disable or configure how "smart quotes" are used.

[Bill]

AOO will propose languages based on what is typed, but as far as I know, it won't change the language setting automatically. The proposed languages appear when selecting Tools > Language or when right-clicking the language in the Status Bar.

Bug 98250 - Random list of languages for text spelling

[Johannes Punkt]

AOO do not try to recognize the language, but use the information you provide by setting, for example, the spell check dictionary for the text. Under Tools → AutoCorrect Options → Localized Options tab you can disable or configure how "smart quotes" are used.

Sorry, I do not think I understand this reply, or perhaps you do not understand my problem.

Under Localized Options I can find out how to disable or configure smart quotes, yes. It does not, however, give me any option to do any of that for Swedish, only for English (UK). That bar is greyed out.

The program does change the language settings for my texts, whether I want it to or not. Changing the smart quotes setting would only mask the problem, not remove it, and trying to use spell-czech would still be useless unless I manually change the language setting for the whole text.

AOO will propose languages based on what is typed, but as far as I know, it won't change the language setting automatically. The proposed languages appear when selecting Tools > Language or when right-clicking the language in the Status Bar.

Bug 98250 - Random list of languages for text spelling

It does not mention that the language is 'proposed', the language settings box just changes automatically. I just removed my Swedish dictionary extension, and restarted the program, and the problem remains.

I'll try and reinstall the program next.

[acknak]

As far as I know, there is no "automatic language detection" in OOo that will change the language setting in the document as you type

I wonder if something in your keyboard configuration=--that is, something apart from OOo--could be telling OOo to change the language?

[Bill]

I wonder if something in your keyboard configuration=--that is, something apart from OOo--could be telling OOo to change the language?

The bug report has a link to the "Set Language Attribute for Text" specification. It has a section about allowing the document language to be changed using the Language Tool bar in Windows, but it's a "future feature". The option to enable this feature would appear only in Windows, but it is not in the AOO 3.4.1 language options on Windows 8.

AOO will propose languages based on what is typed, but as far as I know, it won't change the language setting automatically. The proposed languages appear when selecting Tools > Language or when right-clicking the language in the Status Bar.

Bug 98250 - Random list of languages for text spelling

It does not mention that the language is 'proposed', the language settings box just changes automatically. I just removed my Swedish dictionary extension, and restarted the program, and the problem remains.

"Proposed" IS the word used in the bug report. The bug report says nothing about any automatic language change. It states that the proposed language appears after clicking the language box. If the change had been automatic, the language would have appeared before clicking the language box. The language guessing is independent of any installed dictionaries.

[keme]

IIRC, Windows 8 can detect input language (somewhere in control panel, input methods), and you can use windows key + spacebar to manually change the setting.

When you change input language in the OS, OOo will change language on the content that is input using that language.

[Bill]

IIRC, Windows 8 can detect input language (somewhere in control panel, input methods), and you can use windows key + spacebar to manually change the setting.

When you change input language in the OS, OOo will change language on the content that is input using that language.

Thanks for that. I added a second language to Windows 8 so I could see what was happening. If I understand correctly, with the default Language settings in Windows 8, AOO 3.4.1 will only detect and change the language setting for text input in the OS input language. It won't detect and change the language setting for any other language.

Is there any way for me to turn off automatic language detection? I looked in Tools>Options>Language Settings, but came back empty-handed.

I think you have to change a setting in Windows 8. Open the Control Panel and select Language. On the Language window, select "Advanced Settings". Tick the setting "Let me set a different input method for each app window" and Save the change. From my limited testing, it appears that will stop AOO 3.4.1 from automatically changing any language setting.

[Johannes Punkt]

Thank you for all your replies.

Thanks for that. I added a second language to Windows 8 so I could see what was happening. If I understand correctly, with the default Language settings in Windows 8, AOO 3.4.1 will only detect and change the language setting for text input in the OS input language. It won't detect and change the language setting for any other language.

This seems to be the source of the problem, yes!

I have different input methods that I can choose between. After some experimenting I can confirm that the program is indeed taking that input and accepting it as the language I am writing in. If I change the input to Norwegian input, OO changes the language to Norwegian. Same with all other inputs. Checking or unchecking the "different input for each app window" does nothing to help with the problem, though might be useful for the temporary solution:

If I keep changing input languages to match the language I'm writing in, the smart quotes problem is no more. This brings on the more copeable problem of constantly having to remember which keys mean what in which language.

Ideally, I would be able to write in English using the Swedish layout, but I guess this will do for now.


I've downloaded OOo_2.4.0 to see if this is indeed a Windows 8 problem, or an Open Office problem. Doing the exact same things in 2.4.0 as in 3.4.1 results in no language change in the program, so I must assume that the problem is actually from Open Office, not from Windows 8.

[keme]

...
I've downloaded OOo_2.4.0 to see if this is indeed a Windows 8 problem, or an Open Office problem. Doing the exact same things in 2.4.0 as in 3.4.1 results in no language change in the program, so I must assume that the problem is actually from Open Office, not from Windows 8.

Yes, and no...

To me it looks like the originating cause lies in the Windows input method being language sensitive. As mentioned by others, Writer in itself does not change language on the fly. Recent versions of the office suite take the input language from the OS if available, so the language property of flowing text can change according to the sensitivity of the Windows "input sensitivity".

This behavior may be logical, but it is not always what the user wants.

You should be allowed to select the Swedish keyboard for all the input languages you have enabled. I do not have Win8 available where I sit right now, but I think you can set this in the "International" or "Region" settings in the control panel.

[Bill]

You should be allowed to select the Swedish keyboard for all the input languages you have enabled. I do not have Win8 available where I sit right now, but I think you can set this in the "International" or "Region" settings in the control panel.

That setting has been moved in Windows 8. Language and Region were combined in earlier versions of Windows, but Language and Region are separate items in Windows 8. The keyboard layout settings are under Language. To change the keyboard layout in Windows 8, select "Language" in the Control Panel, click "Options" for the language, select "Add an input method", then select the keyboard layout.

[Johannes Punkt]

...
I've downloaded OOo_2.4.0 to see if this is indeed a Windows 8 problem, or an Open Office problem. Doing the exact same things in 2.4.0 as in 3.4.1 results in no language change in the program, so I must assume that the problem is actually from Open Office, not from Windows 8.

Yes, and no...

To me it looks like the originating cause lies in the Windows input method being language sensitive. As mentioned by others, Writer in itself does not change language on the fly. Recent versions of the office suite take the input language from the OS if available, so the language property of flowing text can change according to the sensitivity of the Windows "input sensitivity".

This behavior may be logical, but it is not always what the user wants.

You should be allowed to select the Swedish keyboard for all the input languages you have enabled. I do not have Win8 available where I sit right now, but I think you can set this in the "International" or "Region" settings in the control panel.

You should be allowed to select the Swedish keyboard for all the input languages you have enabled. I do not have Win8 available where I sit right now, but I think you can set this in the "International" or "Region" settings in the control panel.

That setting has been moved in Windows 8. Language and Region were combined in earlier versions of Windows, but Language and Region are separate items in Windows 8. The keyboard layout settings are under Language. To change the keyboard layout in Windows 8, select "Language" in the Control Panel, click "Options" for the language, select "Add an input method", then select the keyboard layout.

Aha! Thank you. It took me a while to understand these posts but now I've got it, and that neatly solves the problem. Thank you.

[leonbravo]

it's driving me crazy!

I used other windows keyboards. I dont what OO to auto change previous selected language.

That just an example of making life harder.

[Bill]

@ leonbravo: This discussion was about a problem with AOO 3.4.1 on Windows 8. Your signature shows an obsolete version of OOo on an obsolete version of Ubuntu, but you refer to using "windows keyboards". Are you really using what you've posted?

[Villeroy]

He joined the forum in 2010 and posted for the first time in 2016 which is unusual but explains the difference. However, I do not understand what the problem is. On system level I adjust my keyboard layout while the language of the written text depends on application settings. I write this text on a German keyboard which is the only layout I'm familiar with.

[Bill]

He joined the forum in 2010 and posted for the first time in 2016 which is unusual but explains the difference.

Thanks. I didn't notice that.

However, I do not understand what the problem is. On system level I adjust my keyboard layout while the language of the written text depends on application settings. I write this text on a German keyboard which is the only layout I'm familiar with.

My recollection about this problem was that it appeared only in Windows. I do recall testing on a Linux OS at the time and not seeing the same behavior.

[floris v]

It drove me crazy in the past. In the end I redefined the Dutch keyboard settings in Windows to fix it. Of course, it's not an AOO problem.