Introduction

This is a documentation of the format of the file twolrules-saame.txt. The file is found in the directory 93-originals/.

File structure

The file format is documented in the Xerox manuals. The file consists of three sections: The Alphabet section, the Sets section and the Rule section. The sections are treated below, one by one.

The Alphabet section

The Sámi letters are indicated by a1, c1, d1, n1, s1, t1, z1. Unicode values for these Northern Sámi letters can be found at the relevant chapter of Michael Everson's The Alphabets of Europe.

The other numbered letters point to morphophonemes rather than to letters outside the ASCII range. The symbols e1, i1, u1, o1 refer to vowels with a special, alternating behaviour. The symbols h2, g2, m2, n2 refer to consonants that alternate in stem-final position.

The dummy symbols X1 to Y8 denote morphophonological processes. X are used for nouns only, Y for verbs only, and Q for processes common to both nouns and verbs, cf. the following table.

A first sketch


X1
-ALLA- ETC. DERIVATIVES FROM TRISYLLABLES
"Diphthong Simplification: Conditional in -alla- etc. Derivatives from Trisyllabics"
"Diphthong Simplification: Optional before Deverbal -alla-, -adda-, -us"
"Stem Vowel in Present Participials from i-Verbs"

X2
DIMINUTIVES;
GENERAL METAPHONY
"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Forms from u-Stems"
"Diphthong Simplification in Actor Nouns from u-Verbs (Optional)"
"Diphthong Simplification in Diminutives etc. from Trisyllabics with 2nd Syll u/o"
"Metaphony in Actor Nouns of i-, a-, and u-Verbs"
"Word Final Neutralization of g2, h2, m2"

X3 
Ill Sg Metaphony (i/a1, a/1, e1/a1)
"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Forms from u-Stems"
"Diphthong Simplification in Actor Nouns from u-Verbs (Optional)"
"Diphthong Simplification in IllSg and Certain Conjug. Forms of a-Stems"
"Illative Singular Metaphony"
"Metaphony in Actor Nouns of i-, a-, and u-Verbs"

X4 WG 
"Stem Vowel in Present Participials from i-Verbs"
"Word Final Deletion of n2 m2 g2 h2"

X5 WG 
"Diphthong Simplification in i-Stems before Suffixes Beginning with j:"
"Diphthong Simplification in Actor Nouns from i- and a-Stems (Optional)"
"Stem Vowel in Present Participials from i-Verbs"

X6 WG
GENERAL METAPHONY
"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Forms from u-Stems"
"Diphthong Simplification in Actor Nouns from u-Verbs (Optional)"
"Metaphony in Actor Nouns of i-, a-, and u-Verbs"
"Word Final Deletion of n2 m2 g2 h2"

X7
vow shortening after long 1st syll 
"Optional Shortening of a1 in Compounds after Long 1st Syllable 1"
"Optional Shortening of a1 in Compounds after Long 1st Syllable 2"
"Stem Vowel in Present Participials from i-Verbs"
"Word Final Neutralization of g2, h2, m2"

X8
WG vow shortening after long 1st syll 
"Optional Shortening of a1 in Compounds after Long 1st Syllable 1"
"Optional Shortening of a1 in Compounds after Long 1st Syllable 2"
"Stem Vowel in Present Participials from i-Verbs"
"Word Final Deletion of n2 m2 g2 h2"

X9 WG
vow shortening in caritives
"Word Final Deletion of n2 m2 g2 h2"

Q1  
"Indicative Present Singular 3rd Final Vowel"

Q2  
"Diphthong Simplification in IllSg and Certain Conjug. Forms of a-Stems"
"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Conjugational Forms of i- and u-Stems"
"Stem Vowel Shift a:e, i:e, u:o"

Q3  
"Diphthong Simplification in IllSg and Certain Conjug. Forms of a-Stems"
"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Conjugational Forms of i- and u-Stems"
"Imperative Present 1st/3rd Person and Connegative Final Vowel"

Q4  
"Stem Vowel in 1st and 2nd Person Singular Present"

Q5
DIPHT SIMPLIFIC BEFORE CONDITIONAL MARKER IN U-STEMS
"Diphthong Simplification in Actor Nouns from i- and a-Stems (Optional)"
"Diphthong Simplification in u-Stems before Conditional Marker"
"Stem Vowel before Conditional Marker"

Q6
Vow shortening in bisyll sg2 imp&conneg
"Vowel Shortening in Bisyllabic Sg2 Imperatives and Connegatives"

Q7  
"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Conjugational Forms of i- and u-Stems"
"Potential Marker Metaphony"

Q8    
"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Forms from u-Stems"
"Stem Vowel before Frequentative d"

Q9    
"Stem Vowel before Frequentative l"

Y1 Len
"Stem Vowel in Dual 2nd Person Imperative"

Y2 Len
"Stem Vowel in Dual 1st Person Imperative"

Y3 Len
"Stem Vowel in Plural 2nd Person Imperative"

Y4 Len WG 
"Stem Vowel in Imperative Plural 1st Person and Passive Stem"

Y5 Len WG 
Not Postvocalic j Surfacing (all other dummys have it)
Not Word Final Cns Neutralisation (all other dummys have it)
"Deletion: Final h s j z1 in Contracted Stems"
"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Forms from u-Stems"
"Stem Vowel in Contracted Stems"

Y6 Len WG
"Deletion: Final h s j z1 in Contracted Stems"
"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Forms from u-Stems"

Y7
Len WG 
"Diphthong Simplification in IllSg and Certain Conjug. Forms of a-Stems"
"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Conjugational Forms of i- and u-Stems"
"Stem Vowel in Imperative Plural 1st Person and Passive Stem"

Y8 WG 
"Stem Vowel before Reflexive s"

Q Len NonMPDummy
"Stem Vowel in Present Participials from i-Verbs"
Summary of dummy explanations:

X1
X2
X3
X4
X5
X6
X7
X8
X9

Y1
Y2
Y3
Y4
Y5
Y6
Y7
Y8

Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9

The Sets section

Vow and Cns are self-explanatory, StemCns are the stem-final consonants.

WeG is the set of Dummy symbols that trigger weak grade.

One set is added to the original inventory, the set DummyNotY5. In the original file, the rules here involved a subtraction operation that did not give the diesired result.

The Rules section

"Postvocalic j Surfacing"

Example: "bijlla > biilla".

This rule turns all underlying j's into i. The rule is actually just orthographic: The vowel 'i' does not occur postvocalic in NS, but 'j' does, albeit it is written as "i".

"Word Final Consonant Neutralization"

"Deletion: Final h s j z1 in Contracted Stems"

"Word Final Cluster Simplification 1"

"Word Final Cluster Simplification 2"

"Word Final Cluster Simplification 3"

"Word Final Cluster Simplification 4"

"Word Final Double Consonant Simplification"

The gradation rules

"Lengthening of Central Consonants hk etc."

"Lengthening of Central Consonants pm etc."

"Lengthening of Central Consonants tnj"

"Lengthening of Central Consonants dj"

"Lenition: Intervocalic Stops and Affricates"

"Vowel Shortening in Bisyllabic Sg2 Imperatives and Connegatives"

"Vowel Shortening in Compounds after Long 1st Syllable 1"

"Optional Vowel Shortening after Short 1st Syllable"

"Optional Vowel Shortening in Caritives"

"Optional Shortening of a1 in Compounds after Long 1st Syllable 2"

"Optional Shortening of a1 in Compounds after Long 1st Syllable 1"

"Optional Shortening of a1 in Compounds after Long 1st Syllable 2"

"Vowel Shortening in Caritives"

"Diphthong Simplification in i-Stems before Suffixes Beginning with j:"

"Diphthong Simplification in Actor Nouns from i- and a-Stems (Optional)"

"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Forms from u-Stems"

"Diphthong Simplification in Actor Nouns from u-Verbs (Optional)"

"Diphthong Simplification in Diminutives etc. from Trisyllabics with 2nd Syll u/o"

"Diphthong Simplification: Conditional in -alla- etc. Derivatives from Trisyllabics"

"Diphthong Simplification in IllSg and Certain Conjug. Forms of a-Stems"

"Diphthong Simplification in Certain Conjugational Forms of i- and u-Stems"

"Diphthong Simplification: Optional before Deverbal -alla-, -adda-, -us"

"Diphthong Simplification in u-Stems before Conditional Marker"

"Vowel Rising"

"General Metaphony"

"Metaphony in Derivatives -us, -alla, -adda 1"

"Metaphony in Derivatives -us, -alla, -adda 2"

"Illative Singular Metaphony"

"Metaphony in Actor Nouns of i-, a-, and u-Verbs"

"Metaphony in MUSH-Derivatives"

"Potential Marker Metaphony"

"Stem Vowel in Contracted Stems"

"Stem Vowel before Frequentative d"

"Stem Vowel before Frequentative l"

"Stem Vowel before Reflexive s"

"Indicative Present Singular 3rd Final Vowel"

"Imperative Present 1st/3rd Person and Connegative Final Vowel"

"Stem Vowel Shift a:e, i:e, u:o"

"Stem Vowel in 1st and 2nd Person Singular Present"

"Stem Vowel before Conditional Marker"

"Stem Vowel in Dual 2nd Person Imperative"

"Stem Vowel in Present Participials from i-Verbs"

"Stem Vowel in Dual 1st Person Imperative"

"Stem Vowel in Plural 2nd Person Imperative"

"Stem Vowel in Imperative Plural 1st Person and Passive Stem"

"Word Final Deletion of n2 m2 g2 h2"

"Word Final Neutralization of g2, h2, m2"

Corrections to the rules file

This section is here while I wait for a functioning cvs log.

The rules "Postvocalic j Surfacing" and "Word Final Consonant Neutralisation" had their right context changed from ":0 - Y5:" to a new set "DummyNotY5" (that was subsequently defined in the Sets section. Evidently, the subtraction operation did not work.

There are two problematic optional rules in the file. Current file is twolrules-saame.txt. The file orig-two.. contains the compiled verisoin of Pekka's file.