Part 4: An Algorithm for the Conversions of Parts of Speech and Negation of English Words
第四部分： 对英语单词进行词性和否定性转换的一个算法
I. 前言
中文不是一种具有词的后缀变化的语言， 但英语是。 在英语中， 经常要对一个词施加后缀, 以改变其词性。 中文一个句子中常有多个动词， 英语不同， 其句子围绕一个名词转动。 无论如何， 在英人思维中， 他们总是喜欢名词。 他们真可谓狂爱名词(noun-holic)， 憎恨动词(verb-phobia) （此俩词noun-holic 和 verb-phobia 是由鄙人搞出的)。 他们倾向于避免使用动词。 我们要采用他们的思路， 更改我们的思维习惯， 考虑万物时， 使用名词而非动词。
一些示例如下：
1. 有一个概念， 即有一个专门的过程叫 denomination 名词化即名称化: 把一个动词转化为名词。
例如: 他决定吃它 (in Chinese). He decided to eat it (in English). 这里句子的重点在于动作。
使用名词化的过程， 该句子可被等价地转化为：
His decision was an eating of it. 这里句子的重点在于事实的陈述。
2. 使用介词加名词以代替动词：
例如: 我回家 (in Chinese), I go home (in English)
同样的说法， 这个句子可被转化为：
I am on my way home = I go home
我走在回家的路上 = 我回家
这里不使用任何动词。 动词被改为 介词 + 名词： on way (to).
2. 干脆只用名词而不用动词：
美国人不说：
I like hardcopy (like 是动词)
反而说：
I am a fan of hardcopy (fan 是名词)
这种想法对我们中国人来说， 是很奇怪， 但这就是美国人的思维。 我认为， 他们就是憎恨动词。
下列的算法中， 有一例即通过 denomination 名词化， 通过名词， 才能把动词转化成形容词。
因为要精确描述动词很难， 使用名词时， 在编写计算机程序时， 有一个优势：
对名词进行逻辑判断比对动词容易得多。
我们这里的算法是基于我们的第二部分: 最常见英语单词前缀 和 第三部分: 最常见英语单词后缀 的研究成果。
第二部分: 最常见英语单词前缀
和 第三部分: 最常见英语单词后缀
希望我们这里的算法对您灵活使用英语单词有所裨益。
II. 对英语单词进行词性转换的一个算法
Noun
^ ^
// \\
v v
Verb <=====> Adjective <===> Adverb
名词
^ ^
// \\
v v
动词 <=====> 形容词 <===> 副词
此算法说明如何在名词，动词和形容词之间对一个英语单词进行一个词性转换 （如上图所示）。 形容词和副词之间的词性转换经常很容易： 把-ly加到形容词上， 我们就得到 一个副词， 反之， 把副词尾巴的ly去除掉， 我们就得到一个形容词。 所以副词和名词（或动词）之间的词性转换， 我们就不考虑。 若想把一个名词转换成一个副词， 如上图 所示， 只要通过名词中介即可。 上图也说明， 想要把动词转换成形容词, 你有时候需要先把动词转换成名词, 再把名词转换成形容词. 或反向进行转换， 通过名词， 把形容词变成动词.
1. 把动词转换成名词:
如 第三部分: 最常见英语单词后缀所示，
a） 可把-ion 或其变化形式如 -tion, -ation, -ication 等 加到动词词尾。 比如说：
tract (verb) -> traction (noun)
b） 加 -ance 或其变化形式 -ence. 如：
appear (verb) -> appearance (noun)
c） 加 -ment. 如：
enjoy (verb) -> enjoyment (noun)
2. 把形容词转换成名词:
如 第三部分: 最常见英语单词后缀所示，
加 -ity 或 -ness: 如：
infinite (adjective) -> infinity (noun)
acute (adjective) -> acuteness (noun)
3. 把名词转换成动词:
a) 加 -ize 或 其变化形式到名词词尾:
apology (noun) -> apologize (verb)
bureaucracy (noun) -> bureaucratize (verb)
b) 加 -ify 或 其变化形式到名词词尾:
liquid (noun) -> liquidify (verb)
horror (noun) -> horrify (verb)
c) 加 -ate 或 其变化形式到名词词尾:
accent (nound) -> accentuate (verb)
alien (noun) -> alienate (verb)
d) 加 prefix en- 或 其变化形式(em before b, p, m)到名词的前面:
power (noun) -> empower (verb)
trench (noun) -> entrench (verb)
e) 有时， 需要通过形容词作为中介才行：
industry (noun) -> industrial (adjective) -> industralize (verb)
4. 把形容词词转换成动词:
a) 加 -en 到形容词词尾:
light (adjective) -> lighten (verb)
em- + bold (adjective)-> embolden (verb)
sharp (adjective) -> sharpen (verb)
awake (adjective) -> awaken (verb)
b) 加 -ize:
industrial (adjective) -> industralize (verb)
c) 加 -ate:
active (adj) -> activate (verb)
d) 加 -ify:
intense (adj) -> intensify (verb)
e) 加 -er
low (adj) -> lower (verb)
5. 把名词转换成形容词
a) 加 -al 或 其变化形式 -ial
person (noun) -> personal (adjective)
b) 加 -ic 或 其变化形式-ical
linguist (noun) -> linguistic (adjective)
geometry (noun) -> geometrical
c) 加 -y
weed (noun) -> weedy (adjective)
d) 加 -ly
friend (noun) -> friendly (adjective)
e) 加 -ish
girl (noun) -> girlish (adjective)
f) 加 -ous
fame (noun) -> famous (adjective)
joy (noun) -> joyous (adjective)
g) 加 -ful, 有时 -ous 和 -ful 可互换.
mind (noun) -> mindful (adjective)
h) 加 -some
worry (noun) -> worrisome (adjective)
6. 把动词转换成形容词:
注： 因形容词常由名词变化而来， 所以有时候， 需要把动词先变成名词， 然后再把名词变成形容词。
a) 加 -ory, -ary 或 -ery
advise (verb) -> advisory (adjective)
ambulate (verb) -> ambulatory (adj)
b) 加 -ous
continue (verb) -> continuous (adjective)
c) 加 -al
因形容词常由名词再加后缀-al变化而来， 所以有时候， 您需要把动词先变成名词， 然后再在名词基础之上， 变成形容词。
judge (verb) = judgement (noun) -> judgemental (adjective)
inflect (verb) = inflection (noun) -> inflectional (adjective)
d) 加 -ful
forget (verb) -> forgetful (adjective)
deceive (verb) - > deceit (noun) -> deceitful (adj)
e) 加 -ive
appreciate (verb) -> appreciative (adj)
talk (verb) -> talkative (adj)
f) 加 -ing
annoy (verb) -> annoying (adj)
frighten (verb) -> frightening (adj)
g) 加 -y
wear (verb) -> weary (adj)
speed (verb) -> speedy (adj)
zip (verb) -> zippy (adj)
wear (verb) -> weary (adj)
h) 加 -able 或 其变化形式-ible
deduct (verb) -> deductible (adjective)
i) 加 -less 以变成一个否定形式的形容词
care (verb) -> careless (adjective, 意思被否定)
7. 环形转换例子
a) 名词 到 名词
industry (noun) -> industrial (adjective) -> industrialize (verb) -> industrialization (noun)
capital (noun) -> capitalize (verb) -> capitalization (noun)
carbon (noun) -> carbonize (verb) -> carbonization (noun)
character (noun) -> characterize (verb) -> characterization (noun)
b) 形容词 到 形容词
modern (adjective) -> modernize (verb) -> modernization (noun) -> modernizational (adjective) or modernized (adjective)
classic (adjective) -> classification (noun) -> classificatory (adjective)
diverse (adjective) -> diversion (noun) -> diversionary (adjective)
just (adjective) -> justify (verb) -> justifiable (adjective)
pacific (adjective) -> pacifist (noun) -> pacifistic (adjective)
c) 动词 到 动词
fract (verb) -> fraction (noun) -> fractional (adjective) -> fractionalize (verb)
center (verb) -> central (adjective) -> centralize (verb)
circle (verb) -> circular (adjective) -> circularize (verb)
collect (verb) -> collective (adjective) -> collectivize (verb)
compute (verb) -> computer (noun) -> computerize (verb)
III. 对一个英语单词进行否定性转换的一个算法
逻辑学上， 我们有三个逻辑操作符： 非， 或， 与。 在此三个逻辑操作符中， 非最为重要， 因为或 和 与 可分别采用把非施加到与和或上， 计算而得。如第二部分: 最常见英语单词前缀 所示， 人类发明了很多的前缀来表示否定。
要对一个英语单词进行否定性转换, 使用如下的一个前缀或后缀：
non-, un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, anti-, de-, dis-, -less
因为在第二部分: 最常见英语单词前缀中， 我们有很多否定性的例子， 所以这里就不再重复了。
注1： -less只能用于名词或动词。
注2： in-, im-, il-, ir- 都等价， 它们实际上就是in-。 请见第二部分对同化的解释。
任何算法都需要有一个前提条件才能工作。 若您对此有进一步的兴趣， 我们可以进一步讨论。
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I. Introduction
Chinese is not an inflectioal language, English is. It is quite common to perform the conversions of parts of speech on an English word by adding suffixes. Unlike Chinese where a sentence tends to have multiple verbs, English sentence is centered around a noun. No matter what, a noun is always preferred in the thinking of English people. In their mind, they are noun-holic and verb-phobia (these two words are cooked up by meself). They are inclined to avoid using verb. We need to follow their thought process, change our mindset, think about everything with nouns instead of verbs.
Some examples are given below:
1. There is a concept or process called denomination: changing a verb to a noun.
Example: 他决定吃它 (in Chinese). He decided to eat it (in English). The stress here is on movement or action.
By applying the denomination process, the sentence can be equivalently transformed into:
His decision was an eating of it. The stress here is on the statement of a fact.
2. Use a preposition with a noun to replace a verb.
Example: 我回家 (in Chinese), I go home (in English)
To say the same thing, the sentence can be converted to:
I am on my way home = I go home
without using any verb. Verb go is replaced with preposition + noun: on way (to).
2. Simply use noun without any verb
Instead of saying:
I like hardcopy (like is a verb)
Americans say:
I am a fan of hardcopy (fan is a noun)
A thinking like this seems weird to us Chinese, but that is how Americans think. In my opinion, they are verb-phobia.
In the algorithm below, one example to convert a verb to an adjective is through denomination or noun.
Because it is extremely difficult to describe a verb accurately, using a noun has a benefit when writing computer code:
It is much easier to do a logic test on a noun then on a verb.
The algorithm is based on our research results in Part 2: Most Frequently Used Prefixes and Part 3: Most Frequently Used Suffixes.
Part 2: Most Frequently Used Prefixes
Part 3: Most Frequently Used Suffixes
We hope the algorithm here will improve your flexibility of using an English word.
II. Algorithm for changing the part of speach of an English word:
Noun
^ ^
// \\
v v
Verb <=====> Adjective <===> Adverb
The algorithm shows the conversions between a noun and verb, verb and adjective, noun and adjective and vice versa (as shown in picture above). The conversion betweew an adjective and adverb is usually very simple: add suffix -ly to an adjective we get an adverb, or conversely remove the suffix -ly from an adverb we get an adjective. So the conversion between a noun (or a verb) and an adverb is not considered here in the algorithm. To convert a noun to adverb, use an adjective as a medium, as shown in picture above. Occasionally (but not frequently) an adverb can be produced by prefixing a- to a noun, verb, or even an adjective, examples:
a- + way (noun) -> away (adverb)
a- + head (noun) -> ahead (adverb)
a- + float (verb) -> afloat (adverb)
a- + far (adjective) -> afar (adverb)
a- + loud (adjective) -> aloud (adverb)
It is shown in the picture above that sometimes to convert a vert into an adjective, you have to go through a noun first, then convert the noun into an adjective, or vice versa.
1. Transforming a verb into a noun:
As shown in the table in Part 3: Most Frequently Used Suffixes,
a） add -ion or its variants such as -tion, -ation, -ication etc. to the end of a verb. Example：
tract (verb) -> traction (noun)
b） add -ance or its variant -ence. Example：
appear (verb) -> appearance (noun)
c） add -ment. Example：
enjoy (verb) -> enjoyment (noun)
2. Transforming an adjective into a noun:
As shown in the table in Part 3: Most Frequently Used Suffixes,
add -ity or -ness: Example：
infinite (adjective) -> infinity (noun)
acute (adjective) -> acuteness (noun)
3. Transforming a noun into a verb:
a) add -ize or its variants to the end of a noun:
apology (noun) -> apologize (verb)
bureaucracy (noun) -> bureaucratize (verb)
b) add -ify or its variants to the end of a noun:
liquid (noun) -> liquidify (verb)
horror (noun) -> horrify (verb)
c) add -ate or its variants to the end of a noun:
accent (nound) -> accentuate (verb)
alien (noun) -> alienate (verb)
d) add prefix en- or its variants (em before b, p, m) before a noun:
power (noun) -> empower (verb)
trench (noun) -> entrench (verb)
e) Sometimes, you have to go through an adjective:
industry (noun) -> industrial (adjective) -> industralize (verb)
4. Transforming an adjective into a verb:
a) add -en to the end of an adjective:
light (adjective) -> lighten (verb)
em- + bold (adjective)-> embolden (verb)
sharp (adjective) -> sharpen (verb)
awake (adjective) -> awaken (verb)
b) add -ize:
industrial (adjective) -> industralize (verb)
c) add -ate:
active (adj) -> activate (verb)
d) add -ify:
intense (adj) -> intensify (verb)
e) add -er
low (adj) -> lower (verb)
5. Transforming a noun to an adjective
a) add -al or its variant -ial
person (noun) -> personal (adjective)
b) add -ic or its variant -ical
linguist (noun) -> linguistic (adjective)
geometry (noun) -> geometrical
c) add -y
weed (noun) -> weedy (adjective)
d) add -ly
friend (noun) -> friendly (adjective)
e) add -ish
girl (noun) -> girlish (adjective)
f) add -ous
fame (noun) -> famous (adjective)
joy (noun) -> joyous (adjective)
g) add -ful, sometimes -ous and -ful are interchangable.
mind (noun) -> mindful (adjective)
h) add -some
worry (noun) -> worrisome (adjective)
6. Transforming a verb to an adjective
Note: Because an adjective is usually made from a noun, so sometimes you will have to convert a verb into a noun first, then to an adjective.
a) add -ory, -ary or -ery
advise (verb) -> advisory (adjective)
ambulate (verb) -> ambulatory (adj)
b) add -ous
continue (verb) -> continuous (adjective)
c) add -al
Because -al is usually used to add to a noun to change a noun into an adjective, so you will have to go through a noun from a verb first:
judge (verb) = judgement (noun) -> judgemental (adjective)
inflect (verb) = inflection (noun) -> inflectional (adjective)
d) add -ful
forget (verb) -> forgetful (adjective)
deceive (verb) - > deceit (noun) -> deceitful (adj)
e) add -ive
appreciate (verb) -> appreciative (adj)
talk (verb) -> talkative (adj)
f) add -ing
annoy (verb) -> annoying (adj)
frighten (verb) -> frightening (adj)
g) add -y
wear (verb) -> weary (adj)
speed (verb) -> speedy (adj)
zip (verb) -> zippy (adj)
wear (verb) -> weary (adj)
h) add -able or its variant -ible
deduct (verb) -> deductible (adjective)
i) add -less to make a negative adjective
care (verb) -> careless (adjective, meaning is negated)
7. Examples of circular conversion
a) From noun back to noun
industry (noun) -> industrial (adjective) -> industrialize (verb) -> industrialization (noun)
capital (noun) -> capitalize (verb) -> capitalization (noun)
carbon (noun) -> carbonize (verb) -> carbonization (noun)
character (noun) -> characterize (verb) -> characterization (noun)
b) From adjective back to adjective
modern (adjective) -> modernize (verb) -> modernization (noun) -> modernizational (adjective) or modernized (adjective)
classic (adjective) -> classification (noun) -> classificatory (adjective)
diverse (adjective) -> diversion (noun) -> diversionary (adjective)
just (adjective) -> justify (verb) -> justifiable (adjective)
pacific (adjective) -> pacifist (noun) -> pacifistic (adjective)
c) From verb back to verb
fract (verb) -> fraction (noun) -> fractional (adjective) -> fractionalize (verb)
center (verb) -> central (adjective) -> centralize (verb)
circle (verb) -> circular (adjective) -> circularize (verb)
collect (verb) -> collective (adjective) -> collectivize (verb)
compute (verb) -> computer (noun) -> computerize (verb)
III. Algorithm for applying negation on an English word
In logic, we have three operators: negation, or, and. Of the three, negation is the most important, because and or or operator can be calculated with negation on or or and operator respectively. As shown in Part 2 Most Frequently Used Prefixes, mankind invents a lot of prefixes to describe negation.
To make negation on an English word, use the following prefixes or suffix:
non-, un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, anti-, de-, dis-, -less
Examples about using them are given in Part 2 Most Frequently Used Prefixes, so they will not be repeated here.
Note 1: -less can only be applied to a noun or verb.
Note 2: in-, im-, il-, ir- are all equivalent, they are actually the same as in-. See Part 2 for an explanation of assimilation.
For any algorithm to work, it needs precondition. Let me know if you have further interest in this.