TECH: word and syllable generation, sound changes and text generation

(My first post to this list!)

A few weeks ago, I started on a naming language for some fiction and
decided I needed a bit of automation in generating syllables and words.
As is usual, I got absorbed in the technology and now have a full blown
compiler and the start of a development environment!

The syntax I'm using can be seen at
http://jebbo.home.texas.net/syntax.htm
Any comments on this gratefully accepted . . .

As for the state of things, the tool can:
-  define which characters from the IPA are in the alphabet
-  assign an ascii representation to each (primitive as of now!)
-  generate syllables / words from rules as described in the link
-  generate text from rules as described in the link

Limitations:
-  no named variables yet, only $1 through $n (scope within a
rule/rewrite)
-  no lexicon yet, so generated word need writing down by hand :-(
-  no syntax highlighting editor yet
-  no wizards for automating the initial stages, though I've almost
finished
   one for generating number-systems
-  the parser isn't very robust yet
-  sound changes don't work yet

Anyway, in another few weeks, I'll post a binary but for now I'm just
after comments on the syntax.

--- Tony Jebson

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