Infinitive

NAME

Lingua::EN::Infinitive - Determine the infinitive form of a conjugated word

SYNOPSIS

	use Lingua::EN::Infinitive;

	my($spell) = Lingua::EN::Infinitive -> new();
	my($word)  = 'rove';

	# Method 1:
	my($word1, $word2, $suffix, $rule) = $spell -> stem($word);

	# Method 2:
	$spell -> stem($word);
	my($word1, $word2, $suffix, $rule) =
	(
		$spell -> {'word1'},  # A possibility.
		$spell -> {'word2'},  # A possibility, or ''.
		$spell -> {'suffix'},
		$spell -> {'rule'},
	);

	print "Conjugated: $word. Infinitive: $word1. \n";

DESCRIPTION

Determine the infinitive form of a conjugated word. Also, determine the suffix used to identify which rule to apply to transform the conjugated word into the infinitive form.

Either 1 or 2 possible infinitives are returned. You must check that the first is really an English word. If it is, then it is the result. If it is not valid, then check the second.

Failure to deconjugate is indicated by $word1 eq ''.

In general, you can ignore the 3rd and 4th values returned from stem().

The algorithm is based on McIlroy's article (see below), after first checking for irregular words.

In the hash 'suffix2Rule', you'll see the key 'order'. This specifies the sort order in which to check McIlroy's rules. I've changed his ordering in a number of places.

INSTALLATION

You install Lingua::EN::Infinitive, as you would install any perl module library, by running these commands:

	perl Makefile.PL
	make
	make test
	make install

If you want to install a private copy of Lingua::EN::Infinitive in your home directory, then you should try to produce the initial Makefile with something like this command:

	perl Makefile.PL LIB=~/perl
		or
	perl Makefile.PL LIB=C:/Perl/Site/Lib

If, like me, you don't have permission to write man pages into unix system directories, use:

	make pure_install

instead of make install. This option is secreted in the middle of p 414 of the second edition of the dromedary book.

WARNING

Don't make the false assumption that

	"$word1$suffix" eq $word
		or
	"$word2$suffix" eq $word

REFERENCE

	Title:   Development of a Spelling List
	Author:  M. Douglas McIlroy
	Journal: IEEE Transactions on Communications
	Issue:   Vol COM-30, No 1, January 1982

AUTHOR

Lingua::EN::Infinitive was written by Ron Savage in 1998.

LICENCE

Australian copyright © 1999-2002 Ron Savage.

	All Programs of mine are 'OSI Certified Open Source Software';
	you can redistribute them and/or modify them under the terms of
	The Artistic License, a copy of which is available at:
	http://www.opensource.org/licenses/index.html