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# Semitic Morphological Analysis and Generation Using Finite State Transducers with Feature Structures

**Authors:** [Michael Gasser](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/authors/michael-gasser/) · **Year:** 2009 · **Venue:** Proceedings of the 12th Conference of the European Chapter of the ACL (EACL 2009), pp. 309–317 **Link:** [aclanthology.org/E09-1036](https://aclanthology.org/E09-1036/) · library `aclbulk-2009-gasser-semitic-morphological-analysis-generation-finite` · **Licence:** [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) (ACL Anthology, before 2016) — summary only

[**15** citations](https://openalex.org/works?filter=cites:W2089440824) openalex · 2026-10-19[**10** citations in our library](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/cited-by/aclbulk-2009-gasser-semitic-morphological-analysis-generation-finite/) of the 140673 papers whose bibliographies we read[Proceedings of the 12th Conference of the European Chapter of the ACL (EACL 2009)](https://aclanthology.org/volumes/E09-1/)[licence](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

- [Publisher's page](https://aclanthology.org/E09-1036/)
- [PDF](https://aclanthology.org/E09-1036.pdf)
- [DOI 10.3115/1609067.1609101](https://doi.org/10.3115/1609067.1609101)
- [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W2089440824)

**Authors (1)**

1. [Gasser, Michael](https://openalex.org/A5069886855) [ORCID](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0390-1448) · [Semantic Scholar](https://www.semanticscholar.org/author/2740806) · h 17 · 1681 citations · 109 works

Citations and author metrics from openalex (2026-10-19); authors with the same name are not always told apart.

## What it is about

Gasser builds a finite-state analyser and generator for Tigrinya verbs, an Ethio-Semitic language with no digitised root dictionary. A stem is a root plus a derivational pattern, and the pattern is described by four binary features (passive, transitive, iterative, reciprocal), giving eight categories. Instead of a multi-tape machine, or a precompiled list of stems, the transducer's arcs carry feature-structure weights that unify along a path. The root and the pattern stay separate, and long-distance agreement, such as the negative circumfix that wraps the verb, is enforced by unification. The full orthographic network has 22,313 states and 118,927 arcs. On 400 random wordforms from a web word list, 308 of the 329 unambiguous verbs were analysed correctly, and the generator produced the correct form in all 272 tests. Without a root dictionary, one word can receive up to 15 analyses.

## Ideas

- I1. Agreement as weights: a feature set written at the start of a word and checked at its end, instead of duplicated subnetworks for the two branches. The closest case in our languages is the prefix and suffix agreement of Aramaic verbs ([The verb in Biblical Aramaic](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/arc/verbs/)), and the prefix chain of the `tools/hbo` segmenter (conjunction, preposition and article before a word) is a test of the same mechanism.
- I2. A root filter: once a list of roots exists, compose a root acceptor onto the analyser so that analyses with non-existent roots are rejected. Hebrew has no root list yet (`macula dict` has none), so the paper's gap is ours too; a roots table from `tools/macula` or the Wiktionary-derived tools would close it.
- I3. A measure: a random sample of 400 wordforms, the share of verbs analysed correctly, and the number of analyses per form as an ambiguity figure. Use the same design, with a human check, to report unpointed `tools/hbo` output.

## For Mova

I1 goes into [The verb in Biblical Aramaic](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/arc/verbs/) and the prefix chain of `tools/hbo`. I2 goes into [The lexicon](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/hbo/10-lexicon/) and `tools/macula` (roots). I3 is an evaluation for `tools/hbo`, dated when run.

## Cite

The paper itself, not this card. BibTeX from the library's record of the work. [DOI 10.3115/1609067.1609101](https://doi.org/10.3115/1609067.1609101)

```
@inproceedings{gasser2009semitic,
  title = {{Semitic Morphological Analysis and Generation Using Finite State Transducers with Feature Structures}},
  author = {Gasser, Michael},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the 12th Conference of the European Chapter of the ACL (EACL 2009)},
  year = {2009},
  doi = {10.3115/1609067.1609101},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3115/1609067.1609101}
}
```

- [← previous A Finite-State Morphological Grammar of Hebrew](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/aclbulk-2005-yona-finite-state-morphological-grammar-hebrew/)
- [next → Revisiting Multi-Tape Automata for Semitic Morphological Analysis and Generation](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/aclbulk-2009-hulden-revisiting-multi-tape-automata-semitic/)
- [↑ back to Ancient Hebrew](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/hbo/)

## References

16 references, 1 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet.

1. Saba Amsalu and Girma A. Demeke. 2006. Non-concatenative finite-state morphotactics of Amharic simple verbs. ELRC Working Papers, 2(3). [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Saba+Amsalu+and+Girma+A%2E+Demeke%2E+2006%2E+Non%2Dconcatenative+finite%2Dstate+morphotactics+of+Amharic+simple+verbs%2E+ELRC+Working+Papers%2C+2%283%29%2E)
2. Jan Amtrup. 2003. Morphology in machine translation systems: Efficient integration of finite state transducers and feature structure descriptions. Machine Translation, 18:213–235. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Jan+Amtrup%2E+2003%2E+Morphology+in+machine+translation+systems%3A+Efficient+integration+of+finite+state+transducers+and+feature+structure+descriptions%2E+Machine+Translation%2C+18%3A213%E2%80%93235%2E)
3. Kenneth R. Beesley and Lauri Karttunen. 2003. Finite State Morphology. CSLI Publications, Stanford, CA, USA. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Kenneth+R%2E+Beesley+and+Lauri+Karttunen%2E+2003%2E+Finite+State+Morphology%2E+CSLI+Publications%2C+Stanford%2C+CA%2C+USA%2E)
4. Eugene Buckley. 2000. Alignment and weight in the Tigrinya verb stem. In Vicki Carstens and Frederick Parkinson, editors, Advances in African Linguistics, pages 165–176. Africa World Press, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Eugene+Buckley%2E+2000%2E+Alignment+and+weight+in+the+Tigrinya+verb+stem%2E+In+Vicki+Carstens+and+Frederick+Parkinson%2C+editors%2C+Advances+in+African+Linguistics%2C+pages+165%E2%80%93176%2E+Africa+World+Press%2C+Lawrencevi)
5. Bob Carpenter. 1992. The Logic of Typed Feature Structures. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Bob+Carpenter%2E+1992%2E+The+Logic+of+Typed+Feature+Structures%2E+Cambridge+University+Press%2C+Cambridge%2E)
6. Noam Chomsky and Morris Halle. 1968. The Sound Pattern of English. Harper and Row, New York. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Noam+Chomsky+and+Morris+Halle%2E+1968%2E+The+Sound+Pattern+of+English%2E+Harper+and+Row%2C+New+York%2E)
7. Yael Cohen-Sygal and Shuly Wintner. 2006. Finite-state registered automata for non-concatenative morphology. Computational Linguistics, 32:49–82. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Yael+Cohen%2DSygal+and+Shuly+Wintner%2E+2006%2E+Finite%2Dstate+registered+automata+for+non%2Dconcatenative+morphology%2E+Computational+Linguistics%2C+32%3A49%E2%80%9382%2E)
8. Ann Copestake. 2002. Implementing Typed Feature Structure Grammars. CSLI Publications, Stanford, CA, USA. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Ann+Copestake%2E+2002%2E+Implementing+Typed+Feature+Structure+Grammars%2E+CSLI+Publications%2C+Stanford%2C+CA%2C+USA%2E)
9. Yitna Firdyiwek and Daniel Yaqob. 1997. The system for Ethiopic representation in ascii. URL: citeseer.ist.psu.edu/56365.html. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Yitna+Firdyiwek+and+Daniel+Yaqob%2E+1997%2E+The+system+for+Ethiopic+representation+in+ascii%2E+URL%3A+citeseer%2Eist%2Epsu%2Eedu%2F56365%2Ehtml%2E)
10. C. Douglas Johnson. 1972. Formal Aspects of Phonological Description. Mouton, The Hague. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=C%2E+Douglas+Johnson%2E+1972%2E+Formal+Aspects+of+Phonological+Description%2E+Mouton%2C+The+Hague%2E)
11. Ronald M. Kaplan and Martin Kay. 1994. Regular models of phonological rule systems. Computational Linguistics, 20:331–378. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Ronald+M%2E+Kaplan+and+Martin+Kay%2E+1994%2E+Regular+models+of+phonological+rule+systems%2E+Computational+Linguistics%2C+20%3A331%E2%80%93378%2E)
12. Lauri Karttunen, Ronald M. Kaplan, and Annie Zaenen. 1992. Two-level morphology with composition. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Computational Linguistics, volume 14, pages 141–148. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Lauri+Karttunen%2C+Ronald+M%2E+Kaplan%2C+and+Annie+Zaenen%2E+1992%2E+Two%2Dlevel+morphology+with+composition%2E+In+Proceedings+of+the+International+Conference+on+Computational+Linguistics%2C+volume+14%2C+pages+141%E2%80%93148%2E)
13. George A. Kiraz. 2000. Multitiered nonlinear morphology using multitape finite automata: a case study on Syriac and Arabic. Computational Linguistics, 26(1):77–105. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=George+A%2E+Kiraz%2E+2000%2E+Multitiered+nonlinear+morphology+using+multitape+finite+automata%3A+a+case+study+on+Syriac+and+Arabic%2E+Computational+Linguistics%2C+26%281%29%3A77%E2%80%93105%2E) [our card](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/cl-2000-kiraz-multitiered-nonlinear-morphology-multitape-finite/)
14. Kimmo Koskenniemi. 1983. Two-level morphology: a general computational model for word-form recognition and production. Technical Report Publication No. 11, Department of General Linguistics, University of Helsinki. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Kimmo+Koskenniemi%2E+1983%2E+Two%2Dlevel+morphology%3A+a+general+computational+model+for+word%2Dform+recognition+and+production%2E+Technical+Report+Publication+No%2E+11%2C+Department+of+General+Linguistics%2C+Universit)
15. Wolf Leslau. 1941. Documents Tigrigna: Grammaire et Textes. Libraire C. Klincksieck, Paris. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Wolf+Leslau%2E+1941%2E+Documents+Tigrigna%3A+Grammaire+et+Textes%2E+Libraire+C%2E+Klincksieck%2C+Paris%2E)
16. Mehryar Mohri, Fernando Pereira, and Michael Riley. 2000. Weighted finite-state transducers in speech recognition. In Proceedings of ISCA ITRW on Automatic Speech Recognition: Challenges for the Millenium, pages 97–106, Paris. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Mehryar+Mohri%2C+Fernando+Pereira%2C+and+Michael+Riley%2E+2000%2E+Weighted+finite%2Dstate+transducers+in+speech+recognition%2E+In+Proceedings+of+ISCA+ITRW+on+Automatic+Speech+Recognition%3A+Challenges+for+the+Mille)