-Even = predA (regA "jämn") ;+For the French version, we write +
+ Even = predA (regA "pair") ; +@@ -207,6 +231,44 @@ Extra constraint: we want open-source free software and hence cannot use existing proprietary resources. + +
Answers to questions in grammar library design
+ +The current GF resource grammar library has +made the following decisions: +
+The library has, for each language
+
+
+
+Organization and presentation:
+
+
+
+
+
+Where do we get the data from?
+
+
+
+
+The resource grammar library is entirely +open-source free software (under GNU GPL license). + + + @@ -351,6 +413,11 @@ The first three letters (Dan etc) are used in grammar module names
Library structure 1: language-independent API
+ ++
V ; NP ; CN ; Det ; -- verb, noun phrase, common noun, determiner @@ -360,29 +427,44 @@ The first three letters (Dan etc) are used in grammar module names DetNP : Det -> CN -> NP ; -- combine Det and CN into NP
and_Conj : Conj ; +Numerals, number words from 1 to 999,999 with their +inflections, e.g. +
+ n8 : Digit ; +Basic lexicon of (now 218) frequent everyday words +
+ man_N : N ;+
+ +In addition, and not included in Lang, there is +
+ squeeze_V : V ; ++Of course, there is some overlap between SwadeshLex and the other modules. +
Library structure 2: language-dependent modules
-mkN : Str -> Str -> Str -> Str -> Gender -> N ; -- worst-case nouns mkN : Str -> N ; -- regular nouns-
angripa_V = irregV "angripa" "angrep" "angripit" ;-
- man_N = mkN "man" "mannen" "män" "männen" masculine ; --
PassBli : V2 -> NP -> VP ; -- bli överkörd av ngn@@ -399,28 +481,20 @@ to implement the current API. Reservations:
-
-
- does not necessarily extend to all other languages -
- does not necessarily cover the most idiomatic expressions +
- this does not necessarily extend to all other languages +
- this does not necessarily cover the most idiomatic expressions of each language -
- may not be the easiest API to implement (e.g. negation and +
- this may not be the easiest API to implement (e.g. negation and inversion with do in English suggest that some other structure would be more natural) -
- does not guarantee that same structure has the same semantics -in different languages +
- it is not guaranteed that same structure has the same semantics
+in all different languages
Library structure: language-independent API
-- - - - -
-Library structure: test bed for the language-independent API
-
-Alternative views on sentence formation: +Two alternative views on sentence formation by predication: Clause, Verbphrase @@ -519,11 +593,27 @@ Import a set of LangX grammars: i english/LangEng.gf i swedish/LangSwe.gf -Test with random generation, translation, morphological analysis... +Alternatively, you can make a precompiled package of +all the languages by using lib/resource/Makefile:
- - + make + gf langs.gfcm
+Then you can test with translation, random generation, morphological analysis... ++ > p -lang=LangEng "I have loved her." | l -lang=LangFre + Je l' ai aimée. + + > gr -cat=NP | l -multi + The sock + Strumpan + Strømpen + La media + La calza + La chaussette + Sukka +
+Use as top-level grammar: language learning quizzes
@@ -586,14 +676,14 @@ when developing a resource. Using the -v option shows if the parser fails because of unknown words.- > p -cat=S -v "jag ska åka till Chalmers" + > p -cat=S -v -lexer=words "jag ska åka till Chalmers" unknown tokens [TS "åka",TS "Chalmers"]
Then try to select words that LangX recognizes:- > p -cat=S "jag ska gå till Danmark" + > p -cat=S "jag ska springa till Danmark" UseCl (PosTP TFuture ASimul) - (AdvCl (SPredV i_NP go_V) + (AdvCl (SPredV i_NP run_V) (AdvPP (PrepNP to_Prep (UsePN (PNCountry Denmark)))))Use these API structures and extend vocabulary to match your need. @@ -609,7 +699,7 @@ You can run the syntax editor on LangX to find resource API functions through context-sensitive menus. For instance, the shell command- jgf LangEng.gf LangFre.gf + gfeditor LangEng.gf LangFre.gf
opens the editor with English and French views. The @@ -682,42 +772,48 @@ for this set of grammars.-Just issue the following GF commands -
- i -src AnimalsEng.gf ;; s - i -src AnimalsFre.gf ;; s - i -src AnimalsSwe.gf ;; s - pm | wf animals.gfcm -
-and you get an end-user grammar animals.gfcm. - -- -You can also write the commands in a gfs (GF script) +To produce an end-user multilingual grammar animals.gfcm, +write the sequence of compilation commands in a gfs (GF script) file, say mkAnimals.gfs, and then call GF with
gf <mkAnimals.gfs
+To try out the grammar, ++ > i animals.gfcm + + > gr | l -multi + vem jagar hundar ? + qui chasse des chiens ? + who chases dogs ? +
+Grammar writing by examples
-(New in GF 3/6/2005) +(New in GF 2.3)You can use the resource grammar as a parser on a special file format, -.gfe ("GF examples"). Here is the new source, +.gfe ("GF examples"). Here is the real source, QuestionsI.gfe, which -generates -QuestionsI.gf, -when you execute the command +generated +QuestionsI.gf. +when you executed the GF command
- gf -examples QuestionsI.gfe + i -ex AnimalsEng.gf
+Since QuestionsI is an incomplete module ("functor"), +it need only be built once. This is why only the first +command in mkAnimals.gfs needs the flag -ex. + ++ Of course, the grammar of any language can be created by parsing any language, as long as they have a common resource API. The use of English resource is generally recommended, because it @@ -792,6 +888,30 @@ If many substitutions are needed, semicolons are used as separators: + +
Implementation details: low-level files
+ +For developers of resource grammars. +The modules listed in this section should never be imported in application +grammars. + ++ +Each of the API implementations uses the following auxiliary resource modules: +
-
+
- Types, the morphological paradigms and word classes +
- Morpho, inflection machinery +
- Syntax, complex categories and their combinations +
-
+
- Predef, operations whose definitions are hard-coded in GF +
- Prelude, generic string and boolean operations +
- Coordination, coordination structures for arbitrary categories +
Implementation details: the structure of low-level files
@@ -800,14 +920,53 @@ If many substitutions are needed, semicolons are used as separators: + +How to change a resource grammar?
+ +In many cases, the source of a bug is in one of +the low-level modules. Try to trace it back there +by starting from the high-level module. + ++ +(Much more to be written...) + + + +
How to write a resource grammar?
+ +Start with a more limited goal, e.g. to implement +the stoneage grammar (examples/stoneage) +for your language. + ++ +For this, you need +
-
+
- most of Types +
- most of Morpho +
- some of Syntax +
- most of Paradigms +
+ +A useful command to test opers: +
+ i -retain MorphoRot.gf + cc regNoun "foo" +
+ +The use of parametrized modules
-In two language families: +In two language families, a lot of code is shared.- Romance: French, Italian, Spanish
- Scandinavian: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
English: +missing uncontracted negations.
Finnish: -missing many nominal forms of verbs; compiling the heuristic paradigms is slow; -the basic lexicon has some erroneous inflectional forms; possessive and interrogative suffixes have no proper lexer.
French: @@ -869,7 +1027,7 @@ some verbs in Basic should be reflexive; bad forms of reflexive infinitives
Norwegian: -possessives bilen min not included +possessives of type bilen min not included
Russian
@@ -894,4 +1052,9 @@ GF Download Page
. The current libraries are in lib/resource. Version 0.6 is in lib/resource-0.6. ++ +The very very latest version of GF and its libraries is in +Snapshots. +