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 4

# 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

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

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