Afrikaans and English

This file contains some observations and a general "TODO" list / discussion.

# Afrikaans
: lit. English
@ English

* Solutions?

Tagger

A tagger needs to be generated. Currently both en-af.prob and af-en.prob are copies of the de-en.prob

Transfer

Afrikaans to English

SOV to SVO transfer

Example 1

# nie een van hulle die taal     kan praat nie.
: not one of  them  the language can speak not.
  NP                NP           V 

@ [not one of them] [can  speak not] [the language] 
   NP                V                NP

Example 2

# Vir elke Engelse woord moet   jy    een Afrikaanse woord   kies    en  dis   nie altyd  so duidelik wat   om te kies   nie.
: For each English word [must] [you] [one Afrikaans  word ] [choose] and it's  not always so clear    what  to    choose not.
                                NP    NP                     V
                         VAUX   SUB   OBJ                    V 
                         VAUX   PRN   DET ADJ        N       VBLEX

@ For each English word [you] [must] [choose] [one Afrikaans word]   and it is not always so clear    which to    choose.
                         SUB   VAUX   V        OBJ
                         PRN   VAUX   VBLEX    DET ADJ       N

• <vaux><prn><det><adj><n><vblex> --> <prn><vaux><vblex><det><adj><n>

Example 3

# Sterrekundiges kondig   die ontdekking aan van Gliese 581 c, 'n Aarde-agtige planeet buite   ons sonnestelsel wat  lewe mag     onderhou
: Astronomers    announce the discovery      of  Gliese 581 c, an Earth-like   planet  outside our solar system that life may     sustain

@ Astronomers    announce the discovery      of  Gliese 581 c, an Earth-like   planet  outside our solar system that may  sustain life

Example 4

# Ek dink  hulle sal  hulp waardeer   van mense  wat Afrikaans ken
: I  think they  will help appreciate of  people who Afrikaans know

  I  think they  will appreciate help of people who Afrikaans know

  I  think they  will appreciate help of people who know Afrikaans

  <prpers> <vblex> <prpers> <vaux> <n> <vblex> <pr> <n> <rel> <n> <vblex>

  NP VBLEX NP    VAUX NP                                       VBLEX                      

@ I think they will appreciate help of people who know Afrikaans.

• <rel> <n> <vblex> -> <rel> <vblex> <n>
• <vaux> <n> <vblex> -> <vaux> <vblex> <n>

Double negatives

# nie een van hulle die taal kan praat nie.
: not one of them the language can speak not.

@ [not one of them] [can speak] [the language]

One solution:

• <vaux><vblex>nie --> <vaux><vblex>

Or... basically drop the extra negative at the end of all sentences (well, at the full stop).

• nie<sent> --> <sent>

Example 1

# Ek is nie so bekend   met   presies hoe die opstelling werk  nie
: I  am not so familiar with  exactly how the setup      works not 

@ I  am not so familiar with  exactly how the setup      works

Constructions with 'do'

# Nee, ek het  ook  nie       'n idee wat  dit beteken nie

No,  I [have also not]      an idea what it  means   not

No,  I [also have not]      an idea what it  means

No,  I [also do   not have] an idea what it  means

No,  I [also don't    have] an idea what it  means

@ No, I don't have an idea what it means either

Tenses

The ge<verb> construction

The past tense is formed regularly by adding the prefix ge- to the verb's infinitive/present form.

• Ek breek - I break
• Ek het gebreek - I broke, I have broken, I had broken

het               gebreek
^het<vaux><pres>$ ^ge<past><prefix>+breek<vblex><inf>$

= breek<vblex><past>

= break<vblex><past>

Detachable prefixes

* Ek tree op

     optree

Multi-prepositions

• om met
• om uit
• oor te
• om in
• toe om
• ... list more here ...

Verbs with attached prepositions

e.g. terugkry, oopmaak, weghardloop

For example:

teruggekry
terug+ge+kry

back+PAST+get

= got back

English to Afrikaans

Adjective inflection

Fixed

http://web.sois.uwm.edu/AFR101/Document/index.asp?Parent=7324

Attributive = before noun Predicative = after noun

Adjectives in Afrikaans sometimes change depending on their position. Adjectives in the attributive position often morph. e.g.

Die blompot is goud. > Die goue   blompot.
The vase    is gold. > The golden vase.

goud -> goue

This    man is     most famous   , this    is the most famous   man
Hierdie man is die meeste beroemd, hierdie is die mees beroemde man

Rule that says:

• <adj><noun> -> <adj><attr><noun>
• <noun><adj> -> <noun><adj><pred>

Determiners

His dog is red.
Sy hond is rooi.

This is his dog, the dog is his = 
Dit is sy hond,  die hond is syne.

Verbs

That was a nice = Dit was lekker, Dit was lekker gewees

It was a good poem = Dit was 'n goeie gedig, dit was 'n goeie gedig gewees

It will be a good poem = dit sal 'n goeie gedig wees

It would have been a good poem = Dit sou 'n goeie gedig gewees het.

it would have been a good idea = dit sou 'n goeie idee wees, dit sou 'n goeie idee gewees het (both correct)

it would have been a good poem = dit sou 'n goeie gedig gewees het (only this form is correct)

Separable verbs

afskei, oplaai, inkoop, aftel

Ek het  dit op   die kar gelaai.
I  have it  into the car loaded.

I loaded it onto the car