Danish Lexical Paradigms

Last update: 2007-07-06 10:12:24 CEST



Produced by gfdoc - a rudimentary GF document generator. (c) Aarne Ranta (aarne@cs.chalmers.se) 2002 under GNU GPL.

Aarne Ranta 2005 - 2006

This is an API for the user of the resource grammar for adding lexical items. It gives functions for forming expressions of open categories: nouns, adjectives, verbs.

Closed categories (determiners, pronouns, conjunctions) are accessed through the resource syntax API, Structural.gf.

The main difference with MorphoDan.gf is that the types referred to are compiled resource grammar types. We have moreover had the design principle of always having existing forms, rather than stems, as string arguments of the paradigms.

The structure of functions for each word class C is the following: first we give a handful of patterns that aim to cover all regular cases. Then we give a worst-case function mkC, which serves as an escape to construct the most irregular words of type C. However, this function should only seldom be needed: we have a separate module IrregDan, which haves a list of irregular verbs.

    resource ParadigmsDan = 
      open 
        (Predef=Predef), 
        Prelude, 
        CommonScand, 
        ResDan, 
        MorphoDan, 
        CatDan in {

Parameters

To abstract over gender names, we define the following identifiers.

    oper
      Gender : Type ; 
    
      utrum   : Gender ;
      neutrum : Gender ;

To abstract over number names, we define the following.

      Number : Type ; 
    
      singular : Number ;
      plural   : Number ;

To abstract over case names, we define the following.

      Case : Type ;
    
      nominative : Case ;
      genitive   : Case ;

Prepositions used in many-argument functions are just strings.

      mkPrep : Str -> Prep ;
      noPrep : Prep ;         -- empty string

Nouns

      mkN : overload {

The regular function takes the singular indefinite form and computes the other forms and the gender by a heuristic. The heuristic is that all nouns are utrum with the plural ending er or r.

        mkN : (bil : Str) -> N ;

Giving gender manually makes the heuristic more reliable.

        mkN : (hus : Str) -> Gender -> N ;

This function takes the singular indefinite and definite forms; the gender is computed from the definite form.

        mkN : (bil,bilen : Str) -> N ;

This function takes the singular indefinite and definite and the plural indefinite

        mkN : (bil,bilen,biler : Str) -> N ;

Worst case: give all four forms. The gender is computed from the last letter of the second form (if n, then utrum, otherwise neutrum).

        mkN : (dreng,drengen,drenge,drengene : Str) -> N ;
      } ;

Compound nouns

All the functions above work quite as well to form compound nouns, such as fodbold.

Relational nouns

Relational nouns (datter til x) need a preposition.

      mkN2 : N -> Prep -> N2 ;

The most common preposition is af, and the following is a shortcut for regular relational nouns with af.

      regN2 : Str -> Gender -> N2 ;

Use the function mkPrep or see the section on prepositions below to form other prepositions.

Three-place relational nouns (forbindelse fra x til y) need two prepositions.

      mkN3 : N -> Prep -> Prep -> N3 ;

Relational common noun phrases

In some cases, you may want to make a complex CN into a relational noun (e.g. tidligere kone til). However, N2 and N3 are purely lexical categories. But you can use the AdvCN and PrepNP constructions to build phrases like this.

Proper names and noun phrases

Proper names, with a regular genitive, are formed as follows

      mkPN : overload {
        mkPN : Str -> PN ;       -- utrum
        mkPN : Str -> Gender -> PN ;  
        mkPN : N -> PN ;
        } ;

Adjectives

The regular pattern works for many adjectives, e.g. those ending with ig. Two, five, or at worst five forms are sometimes needed.

      mkA : overload {
        mkA : (fin : Str) -> A ;
        mkA : (fin,fint : Str) -> A ;
        mkA : (galen,galet,galne : Str) -> A ;
        mkA : (stor,stort,store,storre,storst : Str) -> A ;

If comparison is formed by mer, mest, as in general for long adjective, the following pattern is used:

        mkA : A -> A ; -- -/mer/mest norsk
      } ;

Two-place adjectives

Two-place adjectives need a preposition for their second argument.

      mkA2 : A -> Prep -> A2 ;

Adverbs

Adverbs are not inflected. Most lexical ones have position after the verb. Some can be close to the verb like the negation ikke (e.g. altid).

      mkAdv : Str -> Adv ;
      mkAdV : Str -> AdV ;

Adverbs modifying adjectives and sentences can also be formed.

      mkAdA : Str -> AdA ;

Verbs

      mkV : overload {

The 'regular verb' function is the first conjugation.

        mkV : (snakke : Str) -> V ;

The almost regular verb function needs the infinitive and the preteritum.

        mkV : (leve,levde : Str) -> V ;

There is an extensive list of irregular verbs in the module IrregDan. In practice, it is enough to give three forms, as in school books.

        mkV : (drikke, drakk, drukket  : Str) -> V ;

The worst case needs six forms.

        mkV : (spise,spiser,spises,spiste,spist,spis : Str) -> V ;

Verbs with a particle.

The particle, such as in lukke op, is given as a string.

        mkV : V -> Str -> V ;
      } ;

Verbs with 'være' as auxiliary

By default, the auxiliary is have. This function changes it to være.

      vaereV : V -> V ;

Deponent verbs

Some words are used in passive forms only, e.g. undres, some as reflexive e.g. forestille sig.

      depV  : V -> V ;
      reflV : V -> V ;

Two-place verbs

Two-place verbs need a preposition, except the special case with direct object. (transitive verbs). Notice that, if a particle is needed, it comes from the V.

      mkV2 : overload {
        mkV2 : Str -> V2 ;
        mkV2 : V -> V2 ;
        mkV2 : V -> Prep -> V2 ;
      } ;

Three-place verbs

Three-place (ditransitive) verbs need two prepositions, of which the first one or both can be absent.

      mkV3     : V -> Prep -> Prep -> V3 ;  -- snakke, med, om
      dirV3    : V -> Prep -> V3 ;          -- give,_,til
      dirdirV3 : V -> V3 ;                  -- give,_,_

Other complement patterns

Verbs and adjectives can take complements such as sentences, questions, verb phrases, and adjectives.

      mkV0  : V -> V0 ;
      mkVS  : V -> VS ;
      mkV2S : V -> Prep -> V2S ;
      mkVV  : V -> VV ;
      mkV2V : V -> Prep -> Prep -> V2V ;
      mkVA  : V -> VA ;
      mkV2A : V -> Prep -> V2A ;
      mkVQ  : V -> VQ ;
      mkV2Q : V -> Prep -> V2Q ;
    
      mkAS  : A -> AS ;
      mkA2S : A -> Prep -> A2S ;
      mkAV  : A -> AV ;
      mkA2V : A -> Prep -> A2V ;

Notice: categories V2S, V2V, V2A, V2Q are in v 1.0 treated just as synonyms of V2, and the second argument is given as an adverb. Likewise AS, A2S, AV, A2V are just A. V0 is just V.

      V0, V2S, V2V, V2A, V2Q : Type ;
      AS, A2S, AV, A2V : Type ;