29.2517, Software: Phono, software for historical phonology

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-29-2517. Wed Jun 13 2018. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 29.2517, Software: Phono, software for historical phonology

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Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2018 12:42:23
From: Lee Hartman [lhartman at siu.edu]
Subject: Phono, software for historical phonology

 
Phono, 2018 version, is a free, Windows-based program for creating and testing
models of regular historical sound change in natural languages.  

Etymons for input, whether documented (e.g. Latin for Spanish) or
reconstructed (e.g. Proto-Algonquian for Shawnee), are typed on the keyboard. 
Keyboard characters are encoded as arrays of binary feature values. 
Sound-change rules are applied in succession to the feature values.  After
each change, feature values are decoded and the results are displayed as a
string of IPA phonetic symbols for each stage in the word's history.

Phono's unique rule notation consists of an ''if-clause''—or a hierarchy of
if-clauses—and one or more ''then-clauses'', all expressed in terms of binary
feature values.  Phono's internal rule editor enables the user to compose
rules of some complexity by clicking buttons and choosing options on pop-up
menus.

The chronological order of rules can be manipulated; any rule can be
temporarily disabled; and any rule can be marked as ''persistent''—that is,
reapplying throughout the history whenever the rule's if-conditions become
true.

In addition to the ''interactive'' mode (one word at a time), Phono can be run
in a ''batch'' mode, processing dozens or hundreds of words in quick
succession to compare computed reflexes with documented modern words, as a
measure of the overall accuracy of the model. 

The program is bundled with models for Spanish, Shawnee, and Pig Latin
(children's ''secret'' language).  The Spanish and Pig Latin models can be
operated online.  With the downloadable version, users can create and edit
their own models.  

The link is mypage.siu.edu/lhartman/phonoTOC.html .


Linguistic Field(s): Computational Linguistics
                     Historical Linguistics
                     Phonology



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