in-progress/feature-change-applier.scm

@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+(article
+ (hgroup
+  (h1 "feature change applier")
+  (p (em "a first attempt at a conlanging tool")))
+ (section
+  (hgroup
+   (h2 "what is this?")
+   (p
+    (em
+     "a tool for conlanging: a feature-based sound-change applier
+      capable of applying multiple sets of rules at once."))
+   (hr))
+  (p
+   "you can try it out here: "
+   (a ((href "https://sorrelbri.github.io/feature-change-applier/"))
+      "feature change applier app"))
+  (img ((src "/static/img/settled/1/fca.jpg")
+        (alt "an image of Feature Change Applier application. visible
+              are labeled sections. 'proto language lexicon' is a text
+              field with nonsense weirds. 'phonetic features' is a list
+              of binary values shuch as '+ back' / '- back' and
+              characters representing associated sounds like 'a / u / ɯ'
+              / 'ə', 'epoch 1' is a text field with a list of phonetic
+              rules such as
+              '[+ occlusive - nasal]>[+ occlusive + nasal]/n_.' and
+              buttons to 'Remove epoch 1' or 'Add Epoch'. 'modeling
+              options' is a single selected radio button labeled
+              'Default output' with buttons labeled 'Run Changes' and
+              'Clear Output'. 'Results of Run' is a list headed 'epoch
+              1' and containing newline separated words 'annɯ anat ant
+              annɯ tʰa nnɯ")))
+  (h3 "an unfinished project")
+  (p
+   "some background on conlanging and my interst in conlanging software
+    can be found in this "
+   (a ((href "/unsettled/1"))
+      "introductory post about conlanging software"))
+  (p
+   "this project was initially intended to function as a sound change
+    applier: a software tool that takes as input a list of lexical items
+    in a language and a list of sound change rules and produces as
+    output a new list of lexical items resulting from the application of
+    each rule to each of the lexical items in the input. more info about
+    sound change appliers will be available: "
+   (a ((href "/unsettled/?"))
+      "[pending] review of existing conlanging tools"))
+  (p
+   "there are two ways in which i sought to extend the functionality of
+    the typical sound change applier: through feature-based rules, and
+    through the processing of multiple rule sets at one time. "
+   (a ((href "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinctive_feature"))
+      "phonological features")
+   " are proposed binary attributes of phonology that can be used to
+    distinguish different phonemes. [+/- nasal] is the distinguishing
+    feature in the minimal pair of phones [n][d]. the processing of
+    multiple rule sets is accomplished in this project via the notion
+    of an 'epoch.' at least one epoch must be defined, which takes as
+    its input the initial lexicon. any additional epochs must have
+    their input lexicons configured by the user, but they will default
+    to running in sequence. what this allows is for 'snapshots' of
+    lexicons between suites of rules (analogous to 'intermediate'
+    phases in historical linguistics, such as old english>middle
+    english>early modern english>modern english.) this also allows for
+    comparisons of different rule sets or the simulation of sound
+    changes across a family of related languages (analogous to vulgar
+    latin>italo-western, vulgar-latin>eastern romance, vulgar
+    latin>southern romance)")
+  (p
+   "both of these additional features are present, although the app is
+    quite buggy and unreliable"))
+ (section
+  (hgroup
+   (h2 "how does it work?")
+   (p (em "i'll tell you what i remember"))
+   (hr))
+  (p
+   "i made this a few years ago, right after i first learning how to
+    write web apps and so i used the tools that i knew a few years ago.
+    this means that it's javascript! specifically, a react app, where
+    all the fun processing stuff happens via the react hooks useReducer
+    pattern. "
+   (a
+    ((href
+      "https://github.com/sorrelbri/feature-change-applier/tree/sj_latl/src/reducers"
+      )) "all of the reducers are here"))
+  (p
+   "at the end of my meaningful work on the project, i started using a "
+   (a ((href "https://nearley.js.org/"))
+      "javascript earley parser called nearley")
+   " as i started conceptualizing the tool as just one component in a
+    larger suite of tools i hoped to create. the language part never got
+    very far--writing a language is hard! writing a language when you've
+    not had significant programming experience is hard! ill advised? "
+   (a
+    ((href
+      "https://github.com/sorrelbri/feature-change-applier/blob/sj_latl/src/utils/latl/grammar.ne"))
+      "there's the start of something like an ebnf grammar for the
+       project"))
+  (p
+   "this project isn't done! and it never will be!")))

static/style/styles.css

@@ -145,3 +145,12 @@ li.tag-item {
   margin: 0 6;
 }
 
+img {
+  width: 96%;
+  margin: 2%;
+  border-color: var(--foreground-color);
+  border-style: solid;
+  border-width: 2px;
+  border-radius: 2px;
+}
+