# Abzu
[](https://travis-ci.org/tresoldi/abzu)
[](https://codecov.io/gh/tresoldi/abzu)
Abzu system for simulating language evolution, which used the
[ngesh](https://github.com/tresoldi/ngesh) and
[alteruphono](https://github.com/tresoldi/alteruphono) libraries.
It is named after the
[underground aquifers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abzu) that were the
domais of
[Enki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enki), the Sumerian god of language and
confusion.
*Please remember that `abzu` is a work-in-progress.*
## Installation
In any standard Python environment, `abzu` can be installed with:
```
pip install abzu
```
The `pip` instalation will also fetch dependencies, such as `ngesh` and
`alteruphono`, if necessary. Installation in a virtual environment is
recommended.
## How to use
The library is under development, and the best way to understand its
usage is to follow the
[tests](https://github.com/tresoldi/abzu/blob/master/tests/test_abzu.py).
A quick generation of a vocabulary following a random phonological
system can be performed from the command-line:
```
$ abzu
Language: Aburo
1: oː e
2: i ŋ ẽ
3: f ɔ j ŋ
4: e h ɪ̃ s eː ʃ
5: i
6: k ɔː m ĩ ŋ uː
7: h a eː
8: u f
9: iː p
10: a o a ŋ
```
The utility accepts `size` (indicating the number of words in the
vocabulary) and `seed` (for reproducibility) parameters:
```
$ abzu --size 15 --seed jena
Language: Rafvo
1: a m ã
2: e m e ɔ n ɨ n
3: p ɪ ʒ ɔ
4: ĩ b a ɔ
5: i n
6: ɪ a ŋ u j ʃ
7: t ɪ l u
8: n ɔ e
9: d u ɔ e ʃ
10: i s ɪ x
11: a b ẽ j
12: ɪ̃ ɪ b l a t u ʂ
13: e m ɔ n a ɪ ɲ e j s
14: n ɪ̃ tʃ ĩ ã
15: a ʃ a
```
## TODO
*See internal notes*
## How to cite
If you use `abzu`, please cite it as:
> Tresoldi, Tiago (2019). Abzu, a system for simulating language evolution.
Version 0.0.1dev. Jena. Available at https://github.com/tresoldi/abzu
In BibTex:
```
@misc{Tresoldi2019abzu,
author = {Tresoldi, Tiago},
title = {Abzu, a system for simulating language evolution},
howpublished = {\url{https://github.com/tresoldi/abzu}},
address = {Jena},
year = {2019},
}
```
## Author
Tiago Tresoldi (tresoldi@shh.mpg.de)
The author was supported during development by the
[ERC Grant #715618](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/206320/factsheet/en)
for the project [CALC](http://calc.digling.org)
(Computer-Assisted Language Comparison: Reconciling Computational and Classical
Approaches in Historical Linguistics), led by
[Johann-Mattis List](http://www.lingulist.de).
