Re: [SHOEBOX] answers to David and jeff

The Generate Feature is the easiest part.  Here I have my Phonetic rules,
which generally mangle the roots when there are liquids or fricatives
involved.

\id ERADPHON.RUL
\co Phonological Rules for Erad   --- Erad WAS the temporary name for the
lang...

\def C
b c d f g h j k l m n ñ p q r s t v w x y z

\co unvoiced consonants
\def Cu
p f t s c k x

\def Cv
b v d z j g q

\co Fricatives
\def Ca
f v s z c j x q

\co Plosives
\def Cp
p t k b d g

\co Liquids
\def Cl
w l y r

\def Cn
m n ñ

\co Unvoiced plosives
\def Cuna
p t k

\def Cvna
b d g

\def Cua
f c x s

\co many rules need a second identical set defined to make Generation easier.
\co This is one such set.
\def Cua2
f c x s

\def Cva
v j q z

\def Cva2
v j q z

\def Cl2
w y r l

\def V
a e i o u

\def V2
a e i o u

\co Front vowels... Yeah I know, a is technically front, but there is no
equivalent back vowel.
\def Vf
e i

\def Vf2
e i

\co backs
\def Vb
o u

\def Vb2
o u

\co high
\def Vh
i u

\co low, a only...
\def Vl
a

\co Morphology Rules

\co Generate can handle Vowel Harmony better than the Lookup step can.
\co Vowel Harmony
\ru [Vf][C]-[C][Vb]
[Vf][C][C][Vf2]
\ru [Vb][C]-[C][Vf]
[Vb][C][C][Vb2]
\ru [Vf][C]-[Vb]
[Vf][C][Vf2]
\ru [Vb][C]-[Vf]
[Vb][C][Vb2]
\ru [Vf]-[C][Vb]
[Vb2][C][Vb]
\ru [Vb]-[C][Vf]
[Vf2][C][Vf]

\co Affix Application Pushes everything together real nicely.
\ru -

\co All rules after this do not deal with
\co affixes.
\ru #y[V]
#[V]
\co That rule just above eliminates word initial y.

\co :[V]: below is a Vowel marked for deletion.  The second rule below
eliminates
\co this dummy vowel.
\ru #[V][Cu][V2]
#:[V]:[Cv][V2]
\ru :[V]:

\ru [Vh][Ca][Vl]
[Vh][Vl]

\ru [Cp][Cva]
[Cp][Cl2]
\ru [Cp][Cua]
[Cp][Cl2]

\co h is typically thrown away here
\ru [V]h[V]
[V][V]

\co and h is reintroduced here.
\ru [V]a
he
\ru [V]e
hi
\ru [V]i
hi
\ru [V]o
hu
\ru [V]u
hu
\ru [Cl]h
[Cl]

\ru [Cuna]h
[Cua]
\ru [Cvna]h
[Cva]

\ru [Cua][Cl][V]
[Cva][V]
\ru [Cva][Cl][V]
[Cua][Cl][V]

\ru [Cuna][Cl]
[Cua][Cl]
\ru [Cvna][Cl]
[Cva][Cl]

\ru h[Cuna]
[Cn]
\ru h[Cvna]
[Cn]
\ru h[C]
[C]

\ru [Cva][Cva]
[Cva]
\co in the next rule, the index into the set [Cva] is used to determine which
member of [Cua2] is used.  The rule, and the others in the area, make sure
that two fricatives glommed together take the articulation of the first, but
the vocalization of the second.
\ru [Cva][Cua]
[Cua2]
\ru [Cua][Cua]
[Cua]
\ru [Cua][Cva]
[Cva2]

\ru [Cva][Cvna]
[Cva]
\ru [Cua][Cuna]
[Cuna]
\ru [Cva][Cuna]
[Cvna]
\ru [Cua][Cvna]
[Cuna]

\ru [Cva]h
[Cua]
\ru sh
c
\ru [Cua]h
[Cuna]

\co couldn't figure a better way for the following rules at the time, so I
brute forced it.
\ru nk
ñk
\ru mk
ñk
\ru ng
ñg
\ru mg
ñg
\ru np
mp
\ru ñp
mp
\ru nb
mb
\ru ñb
mb
\ru mt
nt
\ru ñt
nt
\ru md
nd
\ru ñd
nd
\ru [Cn][Cn]
[Cn]

\co final h becomes he.
\ru h#
he#

\ru [V][Ca]u#
[V][Ca]#
\ru [V][Cp]u#
[V][Cp]#
\ru [V][Cn]u#
[V][Cn]#

\ru pt
p
\ru q#
ñ#

\ru #h
#p

So I am obviously very familiar with the Generate rule.  It's primarily the
lookup steps that are giving me Vowel Harmony trouble, but I'll go back when
I have time and mess around with it.  Last I checked you can't use rule files
directly with the lookup step, but I may be wrong.

Also, David's question was well answered by BP Jonsson.

Jeff Sheets

"On two occasions I have been asked by members of Parliament, `Pray, Mr.
Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers
come out?'  I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas
that could provoke such a question." -- Charles Babbage