(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/fca.png")
        (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!")))