LanguaDeriv Help
LanguaDeriv is a tool for modeling word derivation based on a given list of lexemes and affixes.
Using LanguaDeriv
Lexemes
Enter a list of all lexemes that should be used as roots to be derived from. Also add a brief gloss for each of the lexemes.
Derivational Affixes
Enter a list of all derivational affixes that should be used to derive new words. Each gloss should contain a single hyphen that marks the point at which the affix attaches to the root. If the hyphen is placed at the start, the affix will be a suffix. If the hyphen is placed at the end, the affix will be a prefix. If the hyphen is placed within the affix, it will be split and attached as a circumfix on either side of the root. Add a gloss for each of the affixes and a brief definition of the change the affix creates.
Derive
When the list of lexemes and affixes is ready, click the Derive button to generate a list of roots with possible derivational affixes added to them. Hovering over the affix glosses in the results will display the affix’s definition below that gloss.
There are also a couple adjustments you can make. First, you can choose the total number of words that should be derived from the input. The tool will always filter out duplicates, so there will never be more results than are mathematically possible given the input. Second, you can choose the type of output that should be generated. You can choose to use just a single root and generate the chosen number of words using different affixes on that root, you can choose to use just a single affix and generate the chosen number of words by attaching it to different roots, or you can choose to randomly combine any root with any affix.
After the derivations have been generated, some statistics are shown below, including how many derivations were printed to the output and how many derivations are possible based on the number of lexemes and affixes provided.
Saving and Loading Settings
Clicking the Save button will save the current settings to the browser’s local storage and generate a small .lngd text file containing the current settings that can be saved to your disk. This .lngd file can be loaded using the Open button to reload saved settings.
Acknowledgments
Much thanks should be given to Jan Strasser and the Derivizer. LanguaDeriv was mainly built as a modernized and updated version of the Derivizer.