Lexifer documentation

Contents

1. About NSCA
2. Interface
1. Options
2. File save / load
3. Using comments
4. Anatomy of a rule
5. Change basics
   1. Simple change
   2. Concurrent change
   3. Merging change
   4. Optional change
6. Categories
7. Features
8. Condition basics
1. Simple condition
2. Multiple conditions in one rule
3. Word boundaries
4. Wildcard
5. Matching previous expression
6. Matching multitudes of previous expression
7. Matching multitudes of wildcards
9. Exception basics
1. Simple Exception
2. Complex exception
3. Word-based exception
10. Intermediate rules
1. Insertion
2. Deletion
3. Gemination
4. Degemination
11. Advanced rules
1. Metathesis
2. Pickers and blockers
12. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
13. Matching the right character
1. Escaping syntax characters
2. Digraphs
3. Combining diacritics
4. Ignore
14. Flags
1. Reverse
2. Strict
3. Strict reverse
4. First and last
5. Percentage
6. Case insensitive
15. Do, Then and Otherwise
16. Clusterfield
17. Cheatsheat

About NSCA

This is the complete documentation for NSCA version 1.0.0

Interface

Use the Apply button

Options

Verbose mode

File save / load

Use the Save button to download your sound changes as a file called 'lexifer.txt', or what you named your file in the File name: field. The file is always a ".txt" type.

Use the Load button to load a file on your system into the file editor.

Using comments

Comments are made with a semicolon ; anything after it on the same line is treated as a comment. Comments are useful to explain what a rule does.

; This is a comment
  e > o ;and this is a comment following a rule.

Anatomy of a rule

CHANGE / CONDITION ! EXCEPTION | FLAG

Every rule must begin on a new line and contain a CHANGE. The CONDITION, EXCEPTION or FLAG parts are optional.

Change basics

The format of The Change can be expressed as BEFORE > AFTER.

BEFORE specifies which part of the word is being changed. Then followed by a space and the > character. > can be swapped with either ->, =>, ⇒ or → if you prefer. AFTER is what BEFORE is changing into, or in other words, replacing.

Simple change

Lets look at a simple unconditional rule.

; Replace every o with an x
  o -> x
; bodido ==> bxdidx

In this rule, we see every instance of o become x.

Concurrent change

A concurrent change is achieved by listing multiple phonemes in BEFORE separated by commas, and listing the same amount of resultant phonemes in AFTER separated by commas.

; Switch o and e around
  o, a -> a, o
; boda ==> bado

Notice that the above example is different to the example below:

  o -> a
  a -> o
; boda ==> bodo

where each change is on its own line. We can see o merge with a, then a becomes o.

Merging change

Merging change is accomplished by placing a list of phonemes in BEFORE separated by spaces.

; Three phonemes becoming two phonemes
  ʃ z, dz -> s, d
; zeʃadzas ==> sesadas

Optional change

Optional change only works when it connects an expression without spaces.

; Merge x and xw into h
  x(w) -> h
; xwaxaħa ==> hahaħa

Optional change can also attach to a list of phonemes in a set of curly braces.

; Merge x, xw, ħ and ħw into h
  {x ħ}(w) -> h
; xwaxaħa ==> hahaha

The optionalised segment can also have a result in AFTER if it is captured.

; Like the previous rule, but preserve labialisation
  {x ħ}(w) -> h(w)
; xwaxaħa ==> hwahaha

The optionalised segment can also be a concurrent change, or

; Like the previous rule, but preserve palatalisation and labialisation 
  {x ħ}(w, j) -> h(w, j)
; xwaxjaxa ==> hwahjaha

a merging change.

; Like the previous rule, but preserve palatalisation and merge it with labialisation
  {x ħ}(w j) -> h(j)
; xwaxjaxa ==> hjahjaha

Categories

[p t k] > [b d g] / [vowel]_[vowel]

  plosive = p t k
  fricative = f s x
  vowel = a e i o u
  [plosive] > [fricative] / [vowel]_[vowel];
; papatakak ==> pafasaxak

Features

  featureset: ipa
  [nasal]

The other featureset is called ANSX-SAMPA

  featureset: ansx-sampa
  [nasal]

Condition basics

/ PRE_POST

Conditions are placed after a forward slash. The condition may also be called the environment.

Simple condition

a -> e / p_p
; apaptat ==> apeptat

Multiple conditions in one rule

a -> e / p_p, t_t
; apaptat ==> apeptet

Word boundaries

a -> e / p_p#
; apappap ==> apappep

Wildcard

a -> e / _[]
; apappap ==> apappep

Previous

a -> e / r~_-
; apappap ==> apappep

Multitudes of previous

a -> e / r+_-
; apappap ==> apappep

Multitudes of wildcard

a -> e / r[]+_
; apappap ==> apappep

Exception basics

Exception without context

Simple Exception

Complex Exception

The below rule demonstrates multiple exceptions, word boundaries, wildcards and previouses

a -> o ! #_, _#
; apappapa ==> apoppopa

Word-based exception

swore sworn

Word-based exceptions

Intermediate rules

Insertion

^ -> a / b_t
; bt ==> bat

Deletion

b -> ^
; bubda ==> uda

Gemination

p -> p@ / a_a

Degemination

p -> ^ / @_

Advanced rules

Metathesis

Reordering of phonological features in a word

Local metathesis

One-place metathesis

Gascon forming word initial cluster except where stress first syllable or first consonant is m or h

An intervocalic stop + nasal sequence will become nasal + stop

[stop]&[nasal] -> 2&1 / V12V 
 ;watna > wanta

[stop]&r -> 12& / #_+_ ! #" 
 ;kabatros > krabatos

Long-distance metathesis

v&l -> l&v / _._ 
 ;cavalry > calavry

v&l -> 21& / _._ 
 ;cavalry > calvary

r&o&l -> l&^&r 
/_...[plosive]__
; parabola ==> palabra

Blockers and non-blockers

[a i u] > [ã ĩ ũ] / [ã ĩ ũ].*_{cons(nonblocker)}
pabãdruliga > pabãdrũlĩga

[i ɯ] > [y u] / {vowel([ö y o u])}.*_

pödi-podɯ-pedi > pödy-podu-pedi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ignore

ignore: \. "
tt > dd
; at.ta ==> ad.da

Multi-character symbol

Escape character

Combining diacritics

Do, Then and Otherwise

Clusterfield

Regular expressions

Flags

S R F L percentage

Do, Then and Otherwise

Clusterfield

Cheatsheet