Peter Otten wrote:
>>>> s = """
> ... In the framework of a project on evolutionary linguistics I wish to
> ... have a program to process words and simulate the effect of sound
> ... shift, for instance following the Rask's-Grimm's rule. I look to have
> ... python take a dictionary file or a string input and replace the
> ... consonants in it with the Grimm rule equivalent. For example:
> ... """
>>>> rules = ["bpf", ("d", "t", "th"), "gkx"]
>>>> for rule in rules:
> ... rule = rule[::-1] # go back in time
> ... for i in range(len(rule)-1):
> ... s = s.replace(rule[i], rule[i+1])
> ...
Warning: this simple-minded approach somewhat limits the possible rules.
E. g. it fails for
a --> b
b --> a
>>> "abba".replace("a", "b").replace("b", "a")
'aaaa'
while unicode.translate() can deal with it:
>>> u"abba".translate({ord(u"a"): u"b", ord(u"b"): u"a"})
u'baab'
Or, if you are using Python 3.x as Steven suggested:
>>> "abba".translate({ord("a"): "b", ord("b"): "a"})
'baab'
Peter
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