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'''M-rule''' is the formalism used for describing morphological behavior in the UNL framework. It is used in [[inflectional paradigms]], in [[inflectional rules]], in [[attribute rules]] and in [[language settings|morphological settings]].
'''A-rule''' (affixation rule) is a specific type of [[transformation rule]] used for generating affixes (prefixes, suffixes, infixes) in the UNLarium framework.  
== When to use A-rules ==
A-rules are used for prefixation, suffixation and infixation, i.e., for adding morphemes to a given base form. They are used for generating '''inflections''' (such as "book">"books", "love">"loved") or '''derivations''' (such as "dress">"undress", "write">"writer").  


== Syntax ==  
== When not to use A-rules ==
A-rules are not used for '''composition''' (i.e., to form new words by combining or putting together old words), as in "give">"give in", "go">"have gone" or "man">"fireman"). This should be treated by [[C-rule]]s.


A M-rule rule should comply with the following syntax:
== Types of A-rules ==
There are two types of A-rules:
*'''simple A-rules''' involve a single action (such as prefixation, suffixation, infixation and replacement); and
*'''complex A-rules''' involve more than one action (such as circumfixation).


<M-RULE>          ::= <CONDITION> “:=” <ACTION> [, <ACTION>]* “;”
== Simple A-rules ==
<CONDITION>        ::= <ATAG>[&[“^”]<ATAG>]*
There are four types of simple A-rules:
<ATAG>            ::= {one of the attribute tags defined in the [[UNL Tagset]]}
*'''prefixation''', for adding morphemes at the beginning of a base form.
<ACTION>          ::= <LEFT APPENDING> | <RIGHT APPENDING> | <REPLACEMENT>
*'''suffixation''', for adding morphemes at the end of a base form
  <LEFT APPENDING>  ::= <ADDED> {“<” | “<<”} [ <DELETED> ]
*'''infixation''', for adding morphemes to the middle of the base form
  <RIGHT APPENDING>  ::= [ <DELETED> ] {“>” | “>>”}   <ADDED>
*'''replacement''', for changing the base form
  <REPLACEMENT>      ::= [ <DELETED> ":" ] <ADDED>
=== Syntax ===
  <ADDED>            ::= <STRING>
The syntax for simple A-rules is the following:
<DELETED>          ::= <STRING> | <NUMBER> 
<br>
<STRING>          ::= “ “ “ [a..Z]+ “ “ “
<br>
<NUMBER>          ::= [0..9]+
'''prefixation'''
 
  CONDITION := "ADDED" < DELETED;
where
'''suffixation'''
  CONDITION := DELETED > "ADDED";
'''infixation'''
  CONDITION := [REFERENCE] > "ADDED";
  CONDITION := "ADDED" < [REFERENCE];
'''replacement'''
  CONDITION := DELETED : "ADDED";
'''duplication'''
  CONDITION := [REFERENCE]+;
Where:
*CONDITION = tag (such as "PLR", "FEM", etc) or list of tags ("FEM&PLR") that indicates when the rule should be applied
*ADDED (between quotes) = the string to be added ;
*REFERENCE (between square brackets) = the reference string (between quotes) or the position (without quotes) of the string to be added;
*DELETED = the string (between quotes) or the number of characters (without quotes) to be deleted.


<a> = a is a non-terminal symbol<br />
=== Examples ===
“a“ = a is a constant<br />
{|border="1" align="center" cellpadding="2"
[a] = a can be omitted<br />
|+Prefixation
a | b = a or b<br />
{ a | b } = either a or b<br />
a* = a can be repeated 0 or more times<br />
a+ = a can be repeated 1 or more times<br />
 
== Examples ==
 
=== Left appending (prefixation) rules ===
 
{|border="1" align="center" cellpadding="5"
! RULE
! RULE
! BEHAVIOR
! BEHAVIOR
Line 37: Line 46:
! AFTER
! AFTER
|-
|-
| X:=”y”<”z”;
|width=100| X:="y"<"z";
| if X replace the string “z” by the string “y” in the beginning of the string
|width=300| if X replace the string "z" by the string "y" in the beginning of the string
| '''z'''abc
|width=50| '''z'''abc
| '''y'''abc
|width=50| '''y'''abc
|-
|-
| X:=”y”<1;
| X:="y"<1;
| if X replace the first character of the string  by “y”
| if X replace the first character of the string  by "y"
| '''z'''abc
| '''z'''abc
| '''y'''abc
| '''y'''abc
|-
|-
| X:=”y”<0;
| X:="y"<0;
| if X add the string “y” to the beginning of the string
| if X add the string "y" to the beginning of the string
| zabc
| zabc
| '''y'''zabc
| '''y'''zabc
|-
|-
| X:=”y”<;
| X:="y"<;<ref name="not">This feature is not supported by the UNL<sup>dev</sup>.</ref>
| if X add the string “y” to the beginning of the string (idem previous)
| if X add the string "y" to the beginning of the string (idem previous)
| zabc
| zabc
| '''y'''zabc
| '''y'''zabc
|-
|-
| X:=”y”<<0;
| X:="y"<<0;<ref name="not"/>
| if X add the string “y” and a blank space to the beginning of the string
| if X add the string "y" and a blank space to the beginning of the string
| zabc
| zabc
| '''y''' zabc
| '''y''' zabc
|-
|-
| X:=”y”<<;
| X:="y"<<;<ref name="not"/>
| if X add the string “y” and a blank space to the beginning of the string (idem previous)
| if X add the string "y" and a blank space to the beginning of the string (idem previous)
| zabc
| zabc
| '''y''' zabc
| '''y''' zabc
|}
|}
 
<br>
=== Right appending (suffixation) rules ===
{|border="1" align="center" cellpadding="2"
 
|+Suffixation
{|border="1" align="center" cellpadding="5"
! RULE
! RULE
! BEHAVIOR
! BEHAVIOR
Line 76: Line 84:
! AFTER
! AFTER
|-
|-
| X:=”z”>”y”;
|width=100| X:="z">"y";
| if X replace the string “z” by the string “y” in the end of the string
|width=300| if X replace the string "z" by the string "y" in the end of the string
| abc'''z'''
|width=50| abc'''z'''
| abc'''y'''
|width=50| abc'''y'''
|-
|-
| X:=1>”y”;
| X:=1>"y";
| if X replace the last character of the string  by “y”
| if X replace the last character of the string  by "y"
| abc'''z'''
| abc'''z'''
| abc'''y'''
| abc'''y'''
|-
|-
| X:=0>”y”;
| X:=0>"y";
| if X add the string “y” to the end of the string
| if X add the string "y" to the end of the string
| abcz
| abcz
| abcz'''y'''
| abcz'''y'''
|-
|-
| X:=>”y”;
| X:=>"y";<ref name="not"/>
| if X add the string “y” to the end of the string (idem previous)
| if X add the string "y" to the end of the string (idem previous)
| abcz
| abcz
| abcz'''y'''
| abcz'''y'''
|-
|-
| X:=0>>”y”;
| X:=0>>"y";<ref name="not"/>
| if X add a blank space  and the string “y” to the end of the string
| if X add a blank space  and the string "y" to the end of the string
| abcz
| abcz
| abcz '''y'''
| abcz '''y'''
|-
|-
| X:=>>”y”;
| X:=>>"y";<ref name="not"/>
| if X add a blank space  and the string “y” to the end of the string (idem previous)
| if X add a blank space  and the string "y" to the end of the string (idem previous)
| abcz
| abcz
| abcz '''y'''
| abcz '''y'''
|}
|}
 
<br>
=== Replacement (infixation) rules ===
{|border="1" align="center" cellpadding="2"
 
|+Infixation
{|border="1" align="center" cellpadding="5"
! RULE
! BEHAVIOR
! BEFORE
! AFTER
|-
|width=100| X:=[2]>"y";
|width=300| if X add "y" to the right of the second character
|width=50| abc
|width=50| ab'''y'''c
|-
| X:="y"<[3];
| if X add "y" to the left of the third character
| abc
| ab'''y'''c
|-
| X:=["b"]>"y";
| if X add "y" to the right of "b";
| abc
| ab'''y'''c
|-
| X:="y"<["c"];
| if X add "y" to the left of "c"
| abc
| ab'''y'''c
|-
| X:="y"<[3="c"];
| if X add "y" to the left of "c", if "c" is the third character
| abc
| ab'''y'''c
|-
| X:=[2,="b"]>"y";
| if X add "y" to the right of "b", if "b" is the second character;
| abc
| ab'''y'''c
|-
| X:=[-2]>"y";
| if X add "y" to the right of the second character from the right
| abc
| ab'''y'''c
|-
| X:="y"<[-2];
| if X add "y" to the left of the second character from the right
| abc
| a'''y'''bc
|}
<br>
{|border="1" align="center" cellpadding="2"
|+Replacement
! RULE
! RULE
! BEHAVIOR
! BEHAVIOR
Line 115: Line 170:
! AFTER
! AFTER
|-
|-
| X:=”y”;
|width=100| X:="y";
| if X replace the whole by “y”
|width=300| if X replace the whole by "y"
| X
|width=50| X
| '''y'''
|width=50| '''y'''
|-
|-
| X:=”z”:”y”;
| X:="z":"y";
| if X replace the string “z” by “y”
| if X replace the string "z" by "y"
| a'''z'''bc
| a'''z'''bc
| a'''y'''bc
| a'''y'''bc
|-
|-
| X:=[2;3]:”y”;
| X:=[2-3]:"y";
| if X replace the second to the third character by “z”
| if X replace the second to the third character by "y"
| a'''bc'''z
| a'''bc'''z
| a'''y'''z
| a'''y'''z
|}
<br>
{|border="1" align="center" cellpadding="2"
|+Duplication
! RULE
! BEHAVIOR
! BEFORE
! AFTER
|-
|width=100| X:=[2]+;
|width=300| if X duplicate the second character
|width=50| abc
|width=50| ab'''b'''c
|-
|-
| X:=Y;
|width=100| X:=[-2]+;
| replace the feature X by the feature Y
|width=300| if X duplicate the second last character
| X
|width=50| abc
| Y
|width=50| ab'''b'''c
|-
|width=100| X:=[2="b"]+;
|width=300| if X duplicate the second character, if it is "b"
|width=50| abc
|width=50| ab'''b'''c
|}
|}


== Observations ==  
=== Observations ===
;The symbol “^” can be used for negation (“^MCL” means “not MCL”):
:NOU&^MCL:=”x”:”y”; (If NOU and not MCL then replace “x” by “y”)
;Rules will only be applied if all conditions are true:  
;Rules will only be applied if all conditions are true:  
:X:=”y”<”z”; ( “zabc” changes to “yabc”, but “abc” remains “abc”)
:X:="y"<"z"; ( "zabc" changes to "yabc", but "abc" remains "abc" since there is no "z" to be replaced)
;There can be as many rules as necessary, but they will always be applied from left to right.
;String fields are necessarily continuous:
:X:=”y”<”z”,”a”<”y”; (“zabc” > “yabc” > “aabc”)
:X:="aaa"<"xyz"; ( "xyzbbb" changes to "aaabbb", but "bxbybz" remains "bxbybz" since there is no continuous string "xyz" to be replaced)
;The replacement rule applies only once the same action:
;Prefixation, infixation and suffixation rules apply only once (i.e, rules are not exhaustive)
:X:=”a”:”b”; ( “aaa” becomes “baa” and not “bbb”)
:PLR:=0>"s"; ("X" becomes "Xs", and not "Xssssss...")
;“<<” and “>>” add blank spaces
;Replacement rules apply as long as the conditions are true:
:X:=”a”<<”b” (“bc” becomes “a bc” and not “abc”)
:X:="a":"b"; ( "aaa" becomes "bbb" and not "abb")
;In prefixation and suffixation rules, the part to be deleted may be represented by the number of characters (without quotes):
{|align=center cellpadding=2
|-
|width=150|PLR := "X"<"";
|=
|width=150|PLR := "X"<0;
|(ABC becomes XABC)
|-
|PLR:= "X"<"A";
|=
|PLR:= "X"<1;
|(ABC becomes XBC)
|-
|PLR:= "XY"<"AB";
|=
|PLR:= "XY"<2;
|(ABC becomes XYC)
|-
|PLR:="">"X";
|=
|PLR:= 0>"X";
|(ABC becomes ABCX)
|-
|PLR:="C">"X";
|=
|PLR:= 1>"X";
|(ABC becomes ABX)
|-
|PLR:="BC">"XY";
|=
|PLR:= 2>"XY";
|(ABC becomes AXY)
|}
;In infixation and duplication rules, the position of the addition may be made with reference to the end of string by using "-".
{|border="1" align="center" cellpadding="2"
! RULE
! BEHAVIOR
! BEFORE
! AFTER
|-
|width=70| X:=[2]>"y";
|width=300| if X add "y" to the right of the second character
|width=50| abc
|width=50| ab'''y'''c
|-
|X:=[-2]>"y";
|if X add "y" to the right of the second last character
|abc
|ab'''y'''c
|-
|X:="y"<[2];
|if X add "y" to the left of the second character
|abcde
|a'''y'''bc
|-
|X:="y"<[-2];
|if X add "y" to the left of the second last character
|abcde
|abc'''y'''de
|}
;In infixation and duplication rules, the reference may be either a string, a position or both:
{|border="1" align="center" cellpadding="2"
! RULE
! REFERENCE
|-
|width=100| X:=[1]>"y";
|width=300| The reference is the position only ("y" will be inserted to the right of the first character)
|-
| X:=["a"]>"y";
| The reference is the string only ("y" will be inserted to the right of any "a")
|-
| X:=[1="a"]>"y";
| The reference is the position and the string ("y" will be inserted to the right of the first character if the first character is "a")
|}
;In replacement rules, the part to be deleted may be omitted if the whole string is to be replaced:
{|cellpadding=2
|-
|width=150|PLR:="ABC":"XYZ";
|=
|width=150|PLR:="XYZ"
|(ABC becomes XYZ)
|}
;In replacement rules, the part to be deleted may be represented by an interval of characters in the format [beginning-end]:
{|cellpadding=3
|-
|width=150|PLR:="B":"X";
|=
|width=150|PLR:=[2-2]:"X";
|(ABC becomes AXC)
|}
;The symbol "^" is used for negation ("^MCL" means "not MCL"):
:NOU&^MCL:="x":"y"; (If NOU and not MCL then replace "x" by "y")
;"<<" and ">>" add blank spaces<ref name="not"/>
:X:="a"<<"b" ("bc" becomes "a bc" and not "abc")
;A-rules do not generate new words but only modify the existing ones.
:The A-rule "FUT:="will"<<0;" (i.e, generate "will" as a prefix to the base form in case of future) will transform "love" into "will love", which will be considered, however, as a single word and not as a compound. Notice that this is the reason why compound tenses must never be generated through A-rules; otherwise, it would never be possible to generate other words (such as "not", "always", etc) between "will" and "love".


== Common mistakes ==  
=== Common mistakes ===
*nou:= ”y”<”z”;  (WRONG: Tags are case sensitive)
*nou:= "y"<"z";  (WRONG: Tags are case sensitive)
*NNN:= ”y”<”z”;  (WRONG: NNN is not defined in the tagset)
*NNN:= "y"<"z";  (WRONG: NNN is not defined in the tagset)
*NOUFEM:=”y”<”z”; (WRONG: Tags must be separated by “&”)
*NOUFEM:="y"<"z"; (WRONG: Tags must be separated by "&")
*NOU,FEM:=”y”<”z”; (WRONG: Tags must be separated by “&”)
*NOU,FEM:="y"<"z"; (WRONG: Tags must be separated by "&")
*NOU & FEM:=”y”<”z”;  (WRONG: There can be no blank spaces between tags)
*NOU & FEM:="y"<"z";  (WRONG: There can be no blank spaces between tags)
*X:=1<1; (WRONG: The left side must always be a string in a left appending rule)
*X:=1<1; (WRONG: The left side must always be a string in a prefixation rule)
*X:=1>1; (WRONG: The right side must always be a string in a right appending rule)
*X:=1>1; (WRONG: The right side must always be a string in a suffixation rule)
*X:=1; (WRONG: Replacement rules do not allow for numbers)
*X:=1; (WRONG: Replacement rules do not allow for numbers)
*X:=1:1; (WRONG: Replacement rules do not allow for numbers)
*X:=1:1; (WRONG: Replacement rules do not allow for numbers)
== Complex A-rules ==
Complex A-rules are formed from the combination of simple A-rules:
*circumfixation (prefixation + suffixation), to add a prefix and a suffix at the same time
*prefixation + infixation, to add a prefix and a infix at the same time
*infixation + suffixation, to add an infix and a suffix at the same time
*prefixation + infixation + suffixation, to add a prefix, an infix and a suffix at the same time
=== Syntax ===
Complex A-rules are formed by concatenating simple a-rules with ",":
<br>
<br>
'''circumfixation'''
CONDITION := "ADDED" < DELETED , DELETED > "ADDED";
'''prefixation + infixation'''
CONDITION := "ADDED" < DELETED , DELETED > "ADDED";
'''infixation + suffixation'''
CONDITION := DELETED > "ADDED" , "DELETED" > "ADDED";
etc.
=== Examples ===
{|border="1" align="center" cellpadding="2"
|+Complex m-rules
! RULE
! BEHAVIOR
! BEFORE
! AFTER
|-
|width=100| X:="x"<0, 0>"y";
|width=300| if X add "x" to the beginning and "y" to the end of the string
|width=50| A
|width=50| '''x'''A'''y'''
|-
| X:="x"<0, "A":"y";
| if X add "x" to the beginning and replace "A" by "y"
| ABC
| '''xy'''BC
|-
| X:="A":"y", 0>"x";
| if X replace "A" by "y" and add "x" to the end of the string
| ABC
| '''y'''BC'''x'''
|-
| X:="x"<0, "A":"y", 0>"z";
| if X add "x" to the beginning, replace "A" by "y" and add "z" to the end of the string
| ABC
| '''xy'''BCz
|}
=== Observations ===
;Complex A-rules are also used to integrate different simple A-rules:
{|cellpadding=2 border=1 align=center
|-
|ORD:="1">"1st";<br>ORD:="2">"2nd";<br>ORD:="3">"3rd";
|ORD:="1">"1st", "2">"2nd", "3">"3rd";
|}
;Actions are applied from left to right (i.e., order is important)
:PLR := "s" > "ses", "y" > "ies";  (kiss > kisses, city > cities)
:PLR := "y" > "ies", "s" > "ses";  (kiss > kisses, city>cities>citieses)
== Formal syntax ==
A-rules comply with the following syntax:
<A-RULE>          ::= <CONDITION> ":=" <ACTION> ("," <ACTION>)* ";"
<CONDITION>        ::= <ATAG>("&"("^")?<ATAG>)*
<ATAG>            ::= {one of the tags defined in the [[Tagset|UNDLF Tagset]]}
<ACTION>          ::= <PREFIXATION> | <SUFFIXATION> | <INFIXATION> | <REPLACEMENT>
<PREFIXATION>      ::= <ADDED> {"<" | "<<"} (<DELETED>)?
<SUFFIXATION>      ::= (<DELETED>)? {">" | ">>"} <ADDED>
<INFIXATION>      ::= "["<DELETED"]" ">" <ADDED> | <ADDED> "<" "["<DELETED"]"
<REPLACEMENT>      ::= ( <STRING> ":" )? <ADDED> | "[" <INTEGER> "-" <INTEGER> "]" ":"  <ADDED>
<ADDED>            ::= <STRING>
<DELETED>          ::= <STRING> | <INTEGER> 
<STRING>          ::= " " " [a..Z]+ " " "
<INTEGER>          ::= [0..9]+
where
<a> = a is a non-terminal symbol<br />
"a" = a is a constant<br />
a | b = a or b<br />
{ a | b } = either a or b<br />
(a)? = a can occur 0 or 1 time<br />
(a)* = a can be repeated 0 or more times<br />
(a)+ = a can be repeated 1 or more times<br />
== Notes ==
<references/>

Latest revision as of 14:00, 5 September 2014

A-rule (affixation rule) is a specific type of transformation rule used for generating affixes (prefixes, suffixes, infixes) in the UNLarium framework.

When to use A-rules

A-rules are used for prefixation, suffixation and infixation, i.e., for adding morphemes to a given base form. They are used for generating inflections (such as "book">"books", "love">"loved") or derivations (such as "dress">"undress", "write">"writer").

When not to use A-rules

A-rules are not used for composition (i.e., to form new words by combining or putting together old words), as in "give">"give in", "go">"have gone" or "man">"fireman"). This should be treated by C-rules.

Types of A-rules

There are two types of A-rules:

  • simple A-rules involve a single action (such as prefixation, suffixation, infixation and replacement); and
  • complex A-rules involve more than one action (such as circumfixation).

Simple A-rules

There are four types of simple A-rules:

  • prefixation, for adding morphemes at the beginning of a base form.
  • suffixation, for adding morphemes at the end of a base form
  • infixation, for adding morphemes to the middle of the base form
  • replacement, for changing the base form

Syntax

The syntax for simple A-rules is the following:

prefixation 

CONDITION := "ADDED" < DELETED;

suffixation 

CONDITION := DELETED > "ADDED";

infixation 

CONDITION := [REFERENCE] > "ADDED";
CONDITION := "ADDED" < [REFERENCE];

replacement 

 CONDITION := DELETED : "ADDED";

duplication 

 CONDITION := [REFERENCE]+;

Where:

  • CONDITION = tag (such as "PLR", "FEM", etc) or list of tags ("FEM&PLR") that indicates when the rule should be applied
  • ADDED (between quotes) = the string to be added ;
  • REFERENCE (between square brackets) = the reference string (between quotes) or the position (without quotes) of the string to be added;
  • DELETED = the string (between quotes) or the number of characters (without quotes) to be deleted.

Examples

Prefixation
RULE BEHAVIOR BEFORE AFTER
X:="y"<"z"; if X replace the string "z" by the string "y" in the beginning of the string zabc yabc
X:="y"<1; if X replace the first character of the string by "y" zabc yabc
X:="y"<0; if X add the string "y" to the beginning of the string zabc yzabc
X:="y"<;[1] if X add the string "y" to the beginning of the string (idem previous) zabc yzabc
X:="y"<<0;[1] if X add the string "y" and a blank space to the beginning of the string zabc y zabc
X:="y"<<;[1] if X add the string "y" and a blank space to the beginning of the string (idem previous) zabc y zabc


Suffixation
RULE BEHAVIOR BEFORE AFTER
X:="z">"y"; if X replace the string "z" by the string "y" in the end of the string abcz abcy
X:=1>"y"; if X replace the last character of the string by "y" abcz abcy
X:=0>"y"; if X add the string "y" to the end of the string abcz abczy
X:=>"y";[1] if X add the string "y" to the end of the string (idem previous) abcz abczy
X:=0>>"y";[1] if X add a blank space and the string "y" to the end of the string abcz abcz y
X:=>>"y";[1] if X add a blank space and the string "y" to the end of the string (idem previous) abcz abcz y


Infixation
RULE BEHAVIOR BEFORE AFTER
X:=[2]>"y"; if X add "y" to the right of the second character abc abyc
X:="y"<[3]; if X add "y" to the left of the third character abc abyc
X:=["b"]>"y"; if X add "y" to the right of "b"; abc abyc
X:="y"<["c"]; if X add "y" to the left of "c" abc abyc
X:="y"<[3="c"]; if X add "y" to the left of "c", if "c" is the third character abc abyc
X:=[2,="b"]>"y"; if X add "y" to the right of "b", if "b" is the second character; abc abyc
X:=[-2]>"y"; if X add "y" to the right of the second character from the right abc abyc
X:="y"<[-2]; if X add "y" to the left of the second character from the right abc aybc


Replacement
RULE BEHAVIOR BEFORE AFTER
X:="y"; if X replace the whole by "y" X y
X:="z":"y"; if X replace the string "z" by "y" azbc aybc
X:=[2-3]:"y"; if X replace the second to the third character by "y" abcz ayz


Duplication
RULE BEHAVIOR BEFORE AFTER
X:=[2]+; if X duplicate the second character abc abbc
X:=[-2]+; if X duplicate the second last character abc abbc
X:=[2="b"]+; if X duplicate the second character, if it is "b" abc abbc

Observations

Rules will only be applied if all conditions are true
X:="y"<"z"; ( "zabc" changes to "yabc", but "abc" remains "abc" since there is no "z" to be replaced)
String fields are necessarily continuous
X:="aaa"<"xyz"; ( "xyzbbb" changes to "aaabbb", but "bxbybz" remains "bxbybz" since there is no continuous string "xyz" to be replaced)
Prefixation, infixation and suffixation rules apply only once (i.e, rules are not exhaustive)
PLR:=0>"s"; ("X" becomes "Xs", and not "Xssssss...")
Replacement rules apply as long as the conditions are true
X:="a":"b"; ( "aaa" becomes "bbb" and not "abb")
In prefixation and suffixation rules, the part to be deleted may be represented by the number of characters (without quotes)
PLR := "X"<""; = PLR := "X"<0; (ABC becomes XABC)
PLR:= "X"<"A"; = PLR:= "X"<1; (ABC becomes XBC)
PLR:= "XY"<"AB"; = PLR:= "XY"<2; (ABC becomes XYC)
PLR:="">"X"; = PLR:= 0>"X"; (ABC becomes ABCX)
PLR:="C">"X"; = PLR:= 1>"X"; (ABC becomes ABX)
PLR:="BC">"XY"; = PLR:= 2>"XY"; (ABC becomes AXY)
In infixation and duplication rules, the position of the addition may be made with reference to the end of string by using "-".
RULE BEHAVIOR BEFORE AFTER
X:=[2]>"y"; if X add "y" to the right of the second character abc abyc
X:=[-2]>"y"; if X add "y" to the right of the second last character abc abyc
X:="y"<[2]; if X add "y" to the left of the second character abcde aybc
X:="y"<[-2]; if X add "y" to the left of the second last character abcde abcyde
In infixation and duplication rules, the reference may be either a string, a position or both
RULE REFERENCE
X:=[1]>"y"; The reference is the position only ("y" will be inserted to the right of the first character)
X:=["a"]>"y"; The reference is the string only ("y" will be inserted to the right of any "a")
X:=[1="a"]>"y"; The reference is the position and the string ("y" will be inserted to the right of the first character if the first character is "a")
In replacement rules, the part to be deleted may be omitted if the whole string is to be replaced
PLR:="ABC":"XYZ"; = PLR:="XYZ" (ABC becomes XYZ)
In replacement rules, the part to be deleted may be represented by an interval of characters in the format [beginning-end]
PLR:="B":"X"; = PLR:=[2-2]:"X"; (ABC becomes AXC)
The symbol "^" is used for negation ("^MCL" means "not MCL")
NOU&^MCL:="x":"y"; (If NOU and not MCL then replace "x" by "y")
"<<" and ">>" add blank spaces[1]
X:="a"<<"b" ("bc" becomes "a bc" and not "abc")
A-rules do not generate new words but only modify the existing ones.
The A-rule "FUT:="will"<<0;" (i.e, generate "will" as a prefix to the base form in case of future) will transform "love" into "will love", which will be considered, however, as a single word and not as a compound. Notice that this is the reason why compound tenses must never be generated through A-rules; otherwise, it would never be possible to generate other words (such as "not", "always", etc) between "will" and "love".

Common mistakes

  • nou:= "y"<"z"; (WRONG: Tags are case sensitive)
  • NNN:= "y"<"z"; (WRONG: NNN is not defined in the tagset)
  • NOUFEM:="y"<"z"; (WRONG: Tags must be separated by "&")
  • NOU,FEM:="y"<"z"; (WRONG: Tags must be separated by "&")
  • NOU & FEM:="y"<"z"; (WRONG: There can be no blank spaces between tags)
  • X:=1<1; (WRONG: The left side must always be a string in a prefixation rule)
  • X:=1>1; (WRONG: The right side must always be a string in a suffixation rule)
  • X:=1; (WRONG: Replacement rules do not allow for numbers)
  • X:=1:1; (WRONG: Replacement rules do not allow for numbers)

Complex A-rules

Complex A-rules are formed from the combination of simple A-rules:

  • circumfixation (prefixation + suffixation), to add a prefix and a suffix at the same time
  • prefixation + infixation, to add a prefix and a infix at the same time
  • infixation + suffixation, to add an infix and a suffix at the same time
  • prefixation + infixation + suffixation, to add a prefix, an infix and a suffix at the same time

Syntax

Complex A-rules are formed by concatenating simple a-rules with ",":

circumfixation 

CONDITION := "ADDED" < DELETED , DELETED > "ADDED";

prefixation + infixation 

CONDITION := "ADDED" < DELETED , DELETED > "ADDED";

infixation + suffixation 

CONDITION := DELETED > "ADDED" , "DELETED" > "ADDED";

etc.

Examples

Complex m-rules
RULE BEHAVIOR BEFORE AFTER
X:="x"<0, 0>"y"; if X add "x" to the beginning and "y" to the end of the string A xAy
X:="x"<0, "A":"y"; if X add "x" to the beginning and replace "A" by "y" ABC xyBC
X:="A":"y", 0>"x"; if X replace "A" by "y" and add "x" to the end of the string ABC yBCx
X:="x"<0, "A":"y", 0>"z"; if X add "x" to the beginning, replace "A" by "y" and add "z" to the end of the string ABC xyBCz

Observations

Complex A-rules are also used to integrate different simple A-rules
ORD:="1">"1st";
ORD:="2">"2nd";
ORD:="3">"3rd"; 		ORD:="1">"1st", "2">"2nd", "3">"3rd";
Actions are applied from left to right (i.e., order is important)
PLR := "s" > "ses", "y" > "ies"; (kiss > kisses, city > cities)
PLR := "y" > "ies", "s" > "ses"; (kiss > kisses, city>cities>citieses)

Formal syntax

A-rules comply with the following syntax: 

<A-RULE>           ::= <CONDITION> ":=" <ACTION> ("," <ACTION>)* ";"
<CONDITION>        ::= <ATAG>("&"("^")?<ATAG>)*
<ATAG>             ::= {one of the tags defined in the UNDLF Tagset}
<ACTION>           ::= <PREFIXATION> | <SUFFIXATION> | <INFIXATION> | <REPLACEMENT>
<PREFIXATION>      ::= <ADDED>	 {"<" | "<<"} 	(<DELETED>)?
<SUFFIXATION>      ::= (<DELETED>)? {">" | ">>"} 	<ADDED>
<INFIXATION>       ::= "["<DELETED"]" ">" <ADDED> | <ADDED> "<" "["<DELETED"]"
<REPLACEMENT>      ::= ( <STRING> ":" )? <ADDED> | "[" <INTEGER> "-" <INTEGER> "]" ":"  <ADDED>
<ADDED>            ::= <STRING> 
<DELETED>          ::= <STRING> | <INTEGER>  
<STRING>           ::= " " " [a..Z]+ " " "
<INTEGER>          ::= [0..9]+

where

<a> = a is a non-terminal symbol
"a" = a is a constant
a | b = a or b
{ a | b } = either a or b
(a)? = a can occur 0 or 1 time
(a)* = a can be repeated 0 or more times
(a)+ = a can be repeated 1 or more times

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 This feature is not supported by the UNLdev.
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