Analyzing and generating English phrases with finite-state methods to match and translate inflected Plains Cree word-forms

AbstractThis paper presents two finite-state transducer tools, which can be used to analyze or generate simple English verb and noun phrases, that can be mapped with inflected Plains Cree (nêhiyawêwin) verb and noun forms. These tools support fetching an inflected Cree word-form directly with an appropriate plain English phrase, and conversely providing a rough translation of an inflected Cree word-form. Such functionalities can be used to improve the user friendliness of on-line dictionaries. The tools are extendable to other similarly morphologically complex languages.