100 lines
No EOL
4.7 KiB
Scheme
100 lines
No EOL
4.7 KiB
Scheme
(article
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(hgroup
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(h1 "feature change applier")
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(p (em "a first attempt at a conlanging tool")))
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(section
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(hgroup
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(h2 "what is this?")
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(p
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(em
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"a tool for conlanging: a feature-based sound-change applier
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capable of applying multiple sets of rules at once."))
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(hr))
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(p
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"you can try it out here: "
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(a ((href "https://sorrelbri.github.io/feature-change-applier/"))
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"feature change applier app"))
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(img ((src "/static/img/settled/1/fca.jpg")
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(alt "an image of Feature Change Applier application. visible
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are labeled sections. 'proto language lexicon' is a text
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field with nonsense weirds. 'phonetic features' is a list
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of binary values shuch as '+ back' / '- back' and
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characters representing associated sounds like 'a / u / ɯ'
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/ 'ə', 'epoch 1' is a text field with a list of phonetic
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rules such as
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'[+ occlusive - nasal]>[+ occlusive + nasal]/n_.' and
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buttons to 'Remove epoch 1' or 'Add Epoch'. 'modeling
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options' is a single selected radio button labeled
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'Default output' with buttons labeled 'Run Changes' and
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'Clear Output'. 'Results of Run' is a list headed 'epoch
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1' and containing newline separated words 'annɯ anat ant
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annɯ tʰa nnɯ")))
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(h3 "an unfinished project")
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(p
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"some background on conlanging and my interst in conlanging software
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can be found in this "
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(a ((href "/unsettled/1"))
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"introductory post about conlanging software"))
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(p
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"this project was initially intended to function as a sound change
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applier: a software tool that takes as input a list of lexical items
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in a language and a list of sound change rules and produces as
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output a new list of lexical items resulting from the application of
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each rule to each of the lexical items in the input. more info about
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sound change appliers will be available: "
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(a ((href "/unsettled/?"))
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"[pending] review of existing conlanging tools"))
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(p
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"there are two ways in which i sought to extend the functionality of
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the typical sound change applier: through feature-based rules, and
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through the processing of multiple rule sets at one time. "
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(a ((href "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinctive_feature"))
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"phonological features")
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" are proposed binary attributes of phonology that can be used to
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distinguish different phonemes. [+/- nasal] is the distinguishing
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feature in the minimal pair of phones [n][d]. the processing of
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multiple rule sets is accomplished in this project via the notion
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of an 'epoch.' at least one epoch must be defined, which takes as
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its input the initial lexicon. any additional epochs must have
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their input lexicons configured by the user, but they will default
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to running in sequence. what this allows is for 'snapshots' of
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lexicons between suites of rules (analogous to 'intermediate'
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phases in historical linguistics, such as old english>middle
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english>early modern english>modern english.) this also allows for
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comparisons of different rule sets or the simulation of sound
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changes across a family of related languages (analogous to vulgar
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latin>italo-western, vulgar-latin>eastern romance, vulgar
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latin>southern romance)")
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(p
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"both of these additional features are present, although the app is
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quite buggy and unreliable"))
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(section
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(hgroup
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(h2 "how does it work?")
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(p (em "i'll tell you what i remember"))
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(hr))
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(p
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"i made this a few years ago, right after i first learning how to
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write web apps and so i used the tools that i knew a few years ago.
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this means that it's javascript! specifically, a react app, where
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all the fun processing stuff happens via the react hooks useReducer
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pattern. "
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(a
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((href
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"https://github.com/sorrelbri/feature-change-applier/tree/sj_latl/src/reducers"
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)) "all of the reducers are here"))
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(p
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"at the end of my meaningful work on the project, i started using a "
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(a ((href "https://nearley.js.org/"))
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"javascript earley parser called nearley")
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" as i started conceptualizing the tool as just one component in a
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larger suite of tools i hoped to create. the language part never got
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very far--writing a language is hard! writing a language when you've
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not had significant programming experience is hard! ill advised? "
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(a
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((href
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"https://github.com/sorrelbri/feature-change-applier/blob/sj_latl/src/utils/latl/grammar.ne"))
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"there's the start of something like an ebnf grammar for the
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project"))
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(p
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"this project isn't done! and it never will be!"))) |