Programming games in historical linguistics with Python
Hello, Following a discussion that began 3 weeks ago I would like to ask a question regarding substitution of letters according to grammatical rules in historical linguistics. I would like to automate the transformation of words according to complex rules of phonology and integrate that script in a visual environment. Here follows the previous thread: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/3c55f9f044c3252f/fe7c2c82ecf0dbf5?lnk=gstq=evolutionary+linguistics#fe7c2c82ecf0dbf5 Is there a way to refer to vowels and consonants as a subcategory of text? Is there a function to remove all vowels? How should one create and order the dictionary file for the rules? How to chain several transformations automatically from multiple rules? Finally can anyone show me what existing python program or phonological software can do this? What function could tag syllables, the word nucleus and the codas? How easy is it to bridge this with a more visual environment where interlinear, aligned text can be displayed with Greek notations and braces as usual in the phonology textbooks? Best regards, Dax Bloom -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Using Python for a demonstration in historical linguistics
On Nov 6, 6:41 am, Vlastimil Brom vlastimil.b...@gmail.com wrote:
2010/11/6 Dax Bloom bloom@gmail.com:
Hello,
In the framework of a project on evolutionary linguistics I wish to
have a program to process words and simulate the effect of sound
shift, for instance following the Rask's-Grimm's rule. I look to have
python take a dictionary file or a string input and replace the
consonants in it with the Grimm rule equivalent. For example:
bʰ → b → p → f
dʰ → d → t → θ
gʰ → g → k → x
gʷʰ → gʷ → kʷ → xʷ
If the dictionary file has the word Abe I want the program to
replace the letter b with f forming the word Afe and write the
result in a tabular file. How easy is it to find the python functions
to do that?
Best regards,
Dax Bloom
--
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Hi,
I guess, the most difficult part would be, to select appropriate
words, to apply the simple rules on (in order not to get problems
with Verner's Law or other special rules).
You also normally wouldn't want to chain the changes like the above,
but to keep them separated
bʰ → b; p → f (ie. *bʰrāter- ... brother and not *p-... (at least
without the High German consonant shift)).
of course, there are also vowel changes to be dealt with and many more
peculiarities ...
As for implementation, I guess, the simplest way might be to use
regular expression replacements - re.sub(...) with a replace function
looking up the appropriate results in a dictionary.
maybe something along the lines:
Rask_Grimm_re = ur[bdgptk]ʰ?
Rask_Grimm_dct = {ub:up, ubʰ: ub, ut: uþ, } # ...
def repl_fn(m):
return Rask_Grimm_dct.get(m.group(), m.group())
ie_txt = u bʰrāter ...
almost_germ_txt = re.sub(Rask_Grimm_re, repl_fn, ie_txt)
print u%s %s % (ie_txt, almost_germ_txt) # vowel changes etc. TBD
bʰrāter ... brāþer ...
hth,
vbr
Hello,
Thx to every one of you for the prompt response. Resuming the thread
of November 5 on evolutionary linguistics, is there a way to refer to
a sub-category of text like vowels or consonants? If not, is there a
way to optimize the code by creating these sub-categories?
I would need to arrange substitution rules into groups because there
might be a whole lot more than the ones I mentioned in the example on
Rask-Grimm rule; I would like each substitution to produce a new entry
and not all substitutions to result in a single entry. I want to do
things in two steps (or ‘passes’) and apply to the results of the
group 1 of rules the rules of group 2.
I understand that it could be particularly useful for the study of
phonology to have a dynamic analysis system with adjustable rules; in
this branch of linguistics parts of a word like the nucleus or the
codas are tagged with abbreviatory notations explaining ‘phonological
processes’ with schemas; such historical mutations of language as the
metathesis, the prothesis, the anaptyxis or fusional assimilation
could be included among the rules that we mentioned for the
substitution. It might require the replacing of certain letters with
Greek notation in applying phonological processes. What function could
tag syllables, the word nucleus and the codas? How easy is it to
bridge this with a more visual environment where schematic analysis
can be displayed with highlights and notations such as in the
phonology textbooks?
To outline the goals of the program:
1) Arranging rules for substitution into groups of rules
2) Applying substitutions to string input in logic of “Multiple pass
multiple replace”
3) Returning a string for each substitution
4) Making program environment visual
When quoting parts of code can you please precise where to insert them
in the code and what the variables mean?
Best wishes,
Dax Bloom
--
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Using Python for a demonstration in historical linguistics
On Nov 6, 6:18 am, Peter Otten __pete...@web.de wrote:
Peter Otten wrote:
s =
... In the framework of a project onevolutionarylinguisticsI wish to
... have a program to process words and simulate the effect of sound
... shift, for instance following the Rask's-Grimm's rule. I look to have
... python take a dictionary file or a string input and replace the
... consonants in it with the Grimm rule equivalent. For example:
...
rules = [bpf, (d, t, th), gkx]
for rule in rules:
... rule = rule[::-1] # go back in time
... for i in range(len(rule)-1):
... s = s.replace(rule[i], rule[i+1])
...
Warning: this simple-minded approach somewhat limits the possible rules.
E. g. it fails for
a -- b
b -- a
abba.replace(a, b).replace(b, a)
''
while unicode.translate() can deal with it:
uabba.translate({ord(ua): ub, ord(ub): ua})
u'baab'
Or, if you are using Python 3.x as Steven suggested:
abba.translate({ord(a): b, ord(b): a})
'baab'
Peter
Hi Peter,
I read your interesting replies 20 days ago and after several exams
and a university semester, I would like to address more fully your
answers to my post. However could you please clarify some of the code
inputs that you suggested and in what order to insert them in the
script?
s =
... In the framework of a project onevolutionarylinguisticsI wish to
... have a program to process words and simulate the effect of sound
... shift, for instance following the Rask's-Grimm's rule. I look to have
... python take a dictionary file or a string input and replace the
... consonants in it with the Grimm rule equivalent. For example:
...
rules = [bpf, (d, t, th), gkx]
for rule in rules:
... rule = rule[::-1] # go back in time
... for i in range(len(rule)-1):
... s = s.replace(rule[i], rule[i+1])
...
Best regards,
Dax Bloom
--
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Using Python for a demonstration in historical linguistics
Hello, In the framework of a project on evolutionary linguistics I wish to have a program to process words and simulate the effect of sound shift, for instance following the Rask's-Grimm's rule. I look to have python take a dictionary file or a string input and replace the consonants in it with the Grimm rule equivalent. For example: bʰ → b → p → f dʰ → d → t → θ gʰ → g → k → x gʷʰ → gʷ → kʷ → xʷ If the dictionary file has the word Abe I want the program to replace the letter b with f forming the word Afe and write the result in a tabular file. How easy is it to find the python functions to do that? Best regards, Dax Bloom -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
