Morphology 3
English verbs
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walk, walks, walked, walking
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miss, misses; bake, baked, baking;
try, tried, tries
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make, made; take, took, taken
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weak, weaken; strength, strengthen; saw, saw
Swahili verbs
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ninapenda 'I like'; wanapenda 'they like'
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nilipenda 'I liked'; walipenda 'they liked'
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nitapenda 'I will like'; watapenda 'they will like'
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ninawapenda 'I like them'; wananipenda 'they like me'
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sipendi 'I don't like'; sikupenda 'I didn't like';
sitapenda 'I won't like'
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penda 'like!';
nipende 'let me like'; nikipenda 'if I like';
ningependa 'if I liked'; ningalipenda 'if I'd liked';
hupenda 'I(you, he, etc.) like'; kupenda 'to like'
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ninapenda 'I like'; ninapendwa 'I am liked'; ninapendeza 'I cause to like (please)'; ninapendezwa 'I am pleased'; wanapendana 'they like each other'
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kuandika 'to write', kuandikia 'to write for';
kutupa 'to throw', kutupia 'to throw to';
kuleta 'to bring', kuletea 'to bring to/for';
kusoma 'to read', kusomea 'to read for'
What we want
- A way to analyze words:
ninawapenda → [pend-, SBJ=1s, OBJ=3p, TNS=pres]
- A way to generate words:
[pend-, SBJ=1s, OBJ=3p, TNS=pres] → ninawapenda
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A way to handle alternation rules:
twende → tu+ende → [end-, SBJ=1p, TNS=sbj] 'let's go'
[end-, SBJ=1p, TNS=sbj] → tu+ende → twende