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# -path=.:../romance:../common:../abstract:../../prelude

Spanish Lexical Paradigms

Aarne Ranta 2003

This is an API to the user of the resource grammar for adding lexical items. It gives functions for forming expressions of open categories: nouns, adjectives, verbs.

Closed categories (determiners, pronouns, conjunctions) are accessed through the resource syntax API, Structural.gf.

The main difference with MorphoSpa.gf is that the types referred to are compiled resource grammar types. We have moreover had the design principle of always having existing forms, rather than stems, as string arguments of the paradigms.

The structure of functions for each word class C is the following: first we give a handful of patterns that aim to cover all regular cases. Then we give a worst-case function mkC, which serves as an escape to construct the most irregular words of type C.

    resource ParadigmsSpa = 
      open 
        (Predef=Predef), 
        Prelude, 
        CommonRomance, 
        ResSpa, 
        MorphoSpa, 
        BeschSpa,
        CatSpa in {
    
      flags optimize=all ;

Parameters

To abstract over gender names, we define the following identifiers.

    oper
      Gender : Type ; 
    
      masculine : Gender ;
      feminine  : Gender ;

To abstract over number names, we define the following.

      Number : Type ; 
    
      singular : Number ;
      plural   : Number ;

Prepositions used in many-argument functions are either strings (including the 'accusative' empty string) or strings that amalgamate with the following word (the 'genitive' de and the 'dative' à).

      Preposition : Type ;
    
      accusative : Preposition ;
      genitive   : Preposition ;
      dative     : Preposition ;
    
      mkPreposition : Str -> Preposition ;

Nouns

Worst case: two forms (singular + plural), and the gender.

      mkN  : (_,_ : Str) -> Gender -> N ;   -- uomo, uomini, masculine

The regular function takes the singular form and the gender, and computes the plural and the gender by a heuristic. The heuristic says that the gender is feminine for nouns ending with a or z, and masculine for all other words. Nouns ending with a, o, e have the plural with s, those ending with z have ces in plural; all other nouns have es as plural ending. The accent is not dealt with.

      regN : Str -> N ;

To force a different gender, use one of the following functions.

      mascN : N -> N ;
      femN  : N -> N ;

Compound nouns

Some nouns are ones where the first part is inflected as a noun but the second part is not inflected. e.g. numéro de téléphone. They could be formed in syntax, but we give a shortcut here since they are frequent in lexica.

      compN : N -> Str -> N ;

Relational nouns

Relational nouns (fille de x) need a case and a preposition.

      mkN2 : N -> Preposition -> N2 ;

The most common cases are the genitive de and the dative a, with the empty preposition.

      deN2 : N -> N2 ;
      aN2  : N -> N2 ;

Three-place relational nouns (la connessione di x a y) need two prepositions.

      mkN3 : N -> Preposition -> Preposition -> N3 ;

Relational common noun phrases

In some cases, you may want to make a complex CN into a relational noun (e.g. the old town hall of). However, N2 and N3 are purely lexical categories. But you can use the AdvCN and PrepNP constructions to build phrases like this.

Proper names and noun phrases

Proper names need a string and a gender.

      mkPN : Str -> Gender -> PN ;          -- Jean

To form a noun phrase that can also be plural, you can use the worst-case function.

      mkNP : Str -> Gender -> Number -> NP ; 

Adjectives

Non-comparison one-place adjectives need five forms in the worst case (masc and fem singular, masc plural, adverbial).

      mkA : (solo,sola,soli,sole, solamente : Str) -> A ;

For regular adjectives, all other forms are derived from the masculine singular. The types of adjectives that are recognized are alto, fuerte, util.

      regA : Str -> A ;

These functions create postfix adjectives. To switch them to prefix ones (i.e. ones placed before the noun in modification, as in petite maison), the following function is provided.

      prefA : A -> A ;

Two-place adjectives

Two-place adjectives need a preposition for their second argument.

      mkA2 : A -> Preposition -> A2 ;

Comparison adjectives

Comparison adjectives are in the worst case put up from two adjectives: the positive (bueno), and the comparative (mejor).

      mkADeg : A -> A -> A ;

If comparison is formed by mas, as usual in Spanish, the following pattern is used:

      compADeg : A -> A ;

The regular pattern is the same as regA for plain adjectives, with comparison by mas.

      regADeg : Str -> A ;

Adverbs

Adverbs are not inflected. Most lexical ones have position after the verb.

      mkAdv : Str -> Adv ;

Some appear next to the verb (e.g. siempre).

      mkAdV : Str -> AdV ;

Adverbs modifying adjectives and sentences can also be formed.

      mkAdA : Str -> AdA ;

Verbs

Regular verbs are ones inflected like cortar, deber, or vivir. The regular verb function is the first conjugation (ar) recognizes the variations corresponding to the patterns actuar, cazar, guiar, pagar, sacar. The module BeschSpa gives the complete set of Bescherelle conjugations.

      regV : Str -> V ;

The module BeschSpa gives all the patterns of the Bescherelle book. To use them in the category V, wrap them with the function

      verboV : Verbum -> V ;

To form reflexive verbs:

      reflV : V -> V ;

Verbs with a deviant passive participle: just give the participle in masculine singular form as second argument.

      special_ppV : V -> Str -> V ; 

Two-place verbs

Two-place verbs need a preposition, except the special case with direct object. (transitive verbs). Notice that a particle comes from the V.

      mkV2  : V -> Preposition -> V2 ;
    
      dirV2 : V -> V2 ;

You can reuse a V2 verb in V.

      v2V : V2 -> V ;

Three-place verbs

Three-place (ditransitive) verbs need two prepositions, of which the first one or both can be absent.

      mkV3     : V -> Preposition -> Preposition -> V3 ; -- parler, à, de
      dirV3    : V -> Preposition -> V3 ;                -- donner,_,à
      dirdirV3 : V -> V3 ;                               -- donner,_,_

Other complement patterns

Verbs and adjectives can take complements such as sentences, questions, verb phrases, and adjectives.

      mkV0  : V -> V0 ;
      mkVS  : V -> VS ;
      mkV2S : V -> Preposition -> V2S ;
      mkVV  : V -> VV ;  -- plain infinitive: "je veux parler"
      deVV  : V -> VV ;  -- "j'essaie de parler"
      aVV   : V -> VV ;  -- "j'arrive à parler"
      mkV2V : V -> Preposition -> Preposition -> V2V ;
      mkVA  : V -> VA ;
      mkV2A : V -> Preposition -> Preposition -> V2A ;
      mkVQ  : V -> VQ ;
      mkV2Q : V -> Preposition -> V2Q ;
    
      mkAS  : A -> AS ;
      mkA2S : A -> Preposition -> A2S ;
      mkAV  : A -> Preposition -> AV ;
      mkA2V : A -> Preposition -> Preposition -> A2V ;

Notice: categories V2S, V2V, V2Q are in v 1.0 treated just as synonyms of V2, and the second argument is given as an adverb. Likewise AS, A2S, AV, A2V are just A. V0 is just V.

      V0, V2S, V2V, V2Q : Type ;
      AS, A2S, AV, A2V  : Type ;

The definitions of the paradigms

The definitions should not bother the user of the API. So they are hidden from the document.