Afrikaans and English

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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 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 life may     sustain]

@ Astronomers    announce the discovery      of  Gliese 581 c, an Earth-like   planet  outside our solar system [that may  sustain life]
  • <dem><n><vaux><vblex> -> <dem><vaux><vblex><n>


Example 5
# Sy het   later badkamer  toe    gevlug nadat   sy  hulle sonder  sukses  gevra het   om te bedaar.
: She had [later bathroom  toward fled   after] [she them  without success asked had ] to    calm down.
           ADV   N         PR     VBLEX  PR      PRN PRN   PR      N       V     V

           ADV   VBLEX PR     N          PR      PRN V     PR      N       V     PRN     
: She had [later fled  toward bathroom   after] [she had   without success asked them] to    calm down.

@ She had later fled toward bathroom after she had without success asked them to calm down.

or 

@ She had later fled toward bathroom after she had asked him to calm down without success.

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
Fixed — If broken, report a bug!

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
  • nou dat -> now that
  • uiteindelik -> at last
  • ... list more here ...

Verbs with attached prepositions

e.g. terugkry, oopmaak, weghardloop, teruggebring, aankondig, afkondig, verkondig, opgedaag, aangerand, aangesê, teëgekom, weggekom, uitgeklim

For example: 

teruggekry
terug+ge+kry

back+PAST+get

= got back

List of prepositions: terug, oop, op, weg, aan, af, ver, teë, uit, ...

More examples: that don't work!!! 

aangery
aan+ge+ry

lit. on+PAST+ride = rode on

= drove

grootgeword
groot+ge+word

lit. big+PAST+become = became big

= grew up

Generating correct tense forms

  • Ek gaan ... verbind -> I will connect
  • Ek het gaan verbind -> I have gone to connect

The problem is that we have to wait until interchunk to find out if the verb is next to 'gaan' or not.


English to Afrikaans

Adjective inflection

Fixed — If broken, report a bug!

Attributive = before noun Predicative = after noun

Adjectives in Afrikaans sometimes change depending on their position. Adjectives in the attributive position often morph. e.g.[1] 

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

Present progressive

to be + verb gerund -> verb present + tans

Note, this is not perfect because many times English uses the present progressive (e.g. I am writing a letter) where Afrikaans would use the present indicative (e.g. I write a letter).

Passive sentence structure

Passive
  • [In other countries] [trade unions] are actively suppressed [by political or military regimes]
  • [In ander lande] word [vakbonde] aktief onderdruk [deur politieke en militêre regimes]
*         [trade unions] are    actively suppressed [by regimes]
*          NP            VBSER  ADV      VBLEX+PAST  PR NP
* word    [vakbonde]            aktief   onderdruk  [deur regimes]
* BECOME   NP                   ADV      VBLEX       PR   NP

* NP VBSER ADV VBLEX+PAST PR NP -> VBLEX NP ADV VBLEX PR NP

Perhaps we need to have a separate tag for "to become" ?

"word" ("ge-") vb. (copula) become, get (angry, cold, dark, drunk, late, tired); grow (old); go (blind, mad); turn (grey, pale, Democrat); fall (due, dumb, silent, ill, in love); (pass. auxiliary) is, are, (infml.) get;


Active
  • [In other countries political or military regimes] actively suppress [trade unions]
  • [In ander lande] onderdruk [politieke en militêre regimes] [vakbonde] aktief

Roadmap

apertium-en-af 0.1

  • 5,000 of the highest frequency words in each dictionary.
  • Rules dealing with basic verb tenses (past, present, future)
  • "cheaty" prepositions using <pr><vblex> -> <vblex> <pr>
  • Basic word re-ordering for simple phrases.
Aims and uses
  • For a non-native speaker to be able to discern the topic of a general news item.
  • To be able to identify who said what to who.
  • To be able to distinguish is a particular item is interesting enough to be translated properly.
  • Sentences of up to 5 words should be translated reasonably well in both directions.

apertium-en-af 0.5

  • Correct dealing with detachable prepositions.
  • Correct translation of active/passive.
Aims and uses
  • Post-editing translation made by Apertium should be slightly faster than translating from scratch.
  • Sentences of up to 7 words should be translated reasonably well in both directions.

apertium-en-af 1.0

  • 10,000 of the highest frequency words in each dictionary.
  • Compound noun identification and translation.
  • Rules dealing with
Aims and uses
  • Post-editing should be markedly faster than translating from scratch.
  • Sentences of up to 12 words should be translated reasonably well in both directions.

Competing products

Apertium output to compare in green

interpret.co.za

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 that/what to select not."
"For each English word you must choose one Afrikaans word and it is not always so clear wat to choose ."
Hierdie man is die meeste beroemd, hierdie is die mees beroemde man
"this man is the most famous , this is the most renowned man ..."
"This man are the most famous, #this are the #most famous man"
Die polisie het hom geboei en agter in die bakkie gesit. By Mimosa is hy laat gaan. Hy het glo nie sy selfoon teruggekry nie. Nel het na bewering ook weggehardloop en in 'n boom geskuil.
"the police have him handcuffed and behind in the bakkie sat down . at mimosa is he allow goes . he has believe not she/his selfoon teruggekry not . nel have allegedly also weggehardloop and in a tree geskuil. ..."
"The police had him handcuffed and after put in the truck. At Mimosa are he allows go. He had believe not got #back #his mobile phone . Nel had allegedly also ran away and hid in a tree."
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