OldSaxon

A collection of tools for processing the Old Saxon (Old Low German) language. These utilities are intended to support work in comparative linguistics, historical phonology, and morphological analysis.

---

Old Saxon to IPA Converter

A modern web application for converting standardized Old Saxon orthography into IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcriptions with real-time conversion and an intuitive user interface.

📖 Overview

This tool provides accurate phonetic transcriptions of Old Saxon (Old Low German) words based on established linguistic research. It features a beautiful, modern interface with real-time conversion, making it useful for linguists, students, and anyone interested in historical Germanic languages.

Features

• ✨ Real-time conversion as you type
• 📋 One-click copy to clipboard
• 📚 Conversion history tracking
• 🎯 Pre-loaded examples for quick testing
• 📱 Responsive design for mobile and desktop
• 🎨 Modern, intuitive UI with glassmorphic design

🎓 Potential Use Cases

• Phonological comparison with other Germanic languages
• Supporting linguistic reconstruction work
• Teaching and linguistic visualization in academic settings
• Research into historical phonology and sound changes
• Digital humanities projects involving Old Saxon texts

📚 Linguistic Foundation

Conversion Rules Based On:

• Old Saxon phonology — Wikipedia
• Manganella, G. (1976). L'anglosassone e il sassone antico: Grammatica. Napoli: Liguori

Orthographic Standardization Reference:

• Tiefenbach, H. (2010). Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary. De Gruyter

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• npm or yarn package manager

Installation

Option 1: Vite (Recommended - Fastest)

# Create a new Vite project
npm create vite@latest old-saxon-ipa -- --template react
cd old-saxon-ipa

# Install dependencies
npm install
npm install lucide-react

# Start the development server
npm run dev

Open your browser to http://localhost:5173

Option 2: Create React App

# Create a new React app
npx create-react-app old-saxon-ipa
cd old-saxon-ipa

# Install dependencies
npm install lucide-react

# Install and configure Tailwind CSS
npm install -D tailwindcss@3 postcss autoprefixer
npx tailwindcss init -p

Configure Tailwind by updating tailwind.config.js:

module.exports = {
  content: [
    "./src/**/*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx}",
  ],
  theme: {
    extend: {},
  },
  plugins: [],
}

Add Tailwind directives to src/index.css:

@tailwind base;
@tailwind components;
@tailwind utilities;

Replace src/App.js with the phonetic-converter.jsx file and run:

npm start

Open your browser to http://localhost:3000

Option 3: Try Online (No Installation)

CodeSandbox:

1. Go to codesandbox.io/s/new
2. Choose "React" template
3. Install lucide-react in the dependencies panel
4. Paste the code into App.jsx

StackBlitz:

1. Go to stackblitz.com/fork/react
2. Follow the same steps as CodeSandbox

📝 Usage

Basic Conversion

1. Type or paste an Old Saxon word in the input field
2. The IPA transcription appears automatically below
3. Click the copy button to copy the result to your clipboard
4. Press "Add to History" to save the conversion

Using Examples

Click any of the pre-loaded example words to see their transcription instantly:

• werthan → wɛrθɑn
• thū → θu:
• kuning → kʊnɪŋk
• wesan → wɛzɑn

Viewing History

All converted words are saved in the history section, allowing you to:

• Review previous conversions
• Copy any historical result
• Clear the entire history with one click

🔧 Conversion Rules

The converter implements comprehensive Old Saxon phonological rules:

Consonants

• Gemination: Double consonants → lengthened (e.g., tt → t:)
• th → θ: Voiceless dental fricative
• c palatalization: c before front vowels → ts, otherwise → k
• f voicing: Between vowels or before d → v
• g allophony:
  • Word-final → x (or k after nasals)
  • Before front vowels → ʝ
  • Elsewhere → ɣ
• Velar nasal: n before velars → ŋ
• Intervocalic voicing: f, θ, s between vowels → v, ð, z
• Final devoicing: Voiced fricatives at word end → voiceless

Vowels

• Short vowels: a → ɑ, e → ɛ, i → ɪ, o → ɔ, u → ʊ
• Long vowels: ā → ɑ:, ē → e:, ī → i:, ō → o:, ū → u:
• Diphthongs: ai → ɛ:, au → ɔ:

Special Rules

• Verbal prefix: bi before f is handled specially
• Final s: Word-final s → apical s̺
• qu: qu before u → kw

🛠️ Customization

Modifying Conversion Rules

All phonological rules are contained in the toIPA function. Key sections:

• Lines 20-22: Diphthong replacement
• Lines 24-26: Geminate consonants
• Lines 38-45: Vowel mapping
• Lines 48-97: Consonant mappings and contextual rules
• Lines 100-106: Intervocalic voicing
• Lines 109-118: Final devoicing

📊 Example Conversions

Old Saxon	IPA	Meaning
werthan	wɛrθɑn	to become
thū	θu:	you
kuning	kʊnɪŋk	king
wesan	wɛzɑn	to be
lahs	lɑxs̺	salmon
bifelhan	bɪfɛlhɑn	to command
naht	nɑxt	night
hluttar	hlʊt:ɑr	clear, pure
sah	s̺ɑx	saw (verb)
fāhan	fɑ:hɑn	to seize
brōthar	bro:ðɑr	brother
hēliand	he:lɪɑnd	savior

🏗️ Project Structure

old-saxon-ipa/
├── src/
│   ├── App.jsx              # Main component
│   ├── index.css            # Tailwind directives
│   └── main.jsx             # React entry point
├── public/
├── package.json
└── README.md

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Areas for improvement:

• Additional phonological rules or edge cases
• Support for dialectal variations
• Batch conversion of multiple words
• Export functionality (CSV, JSON)
• Phonetic feature analysis
• Audio pronunciation generation

📄 License

This project is available under the MIT License. Feel free to use, modify, and distribute as needed.

📚 References

Primary Sources

1. Wikipedia Contributors. "Old Saxon phonology." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Saxon_phonology

2. Manganella, G. (1976). L'anglosassone e il sassone antico: Grammatica. Napoli: Liguori.

3. Tiefenbach, H. (2010). Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary. Berlin/New York: De Gruyter.

Additional Reading

• Gallée, J. H. (1993). Altsächsische Grammatik. Tübingen: Niemeyer.
• Holthausen, F. (1921). Altsächsisches Elementarbuch. Heidelberg: Winter.
• Ramat, P. (1981). Einführung in das Germanische. Tübingen: Niemeyer.

🙏 Acknowledgments

This tool builds upon decades of scholarly work in Germanic philology and historical linguistics. Special thanks to the linguists and researchers who have documented Old Saxon phonology and orthography.

📧 Contact

For questions, suggestions, or issues, please open an issue on the GitHub repository.

---

Note: This is a scholarly tool based on reconstructed phonology. Actual Old Saxon pronunciation varied by time, place, and individual speakers. The transcriptions represent standardized reconstructions based on comparative linguistics and manuscript evidence.

---

osx-declinator (Planned)

Purpose:
Tool for generating noun declensions in Old Saxon.
Status: To be implemented.

---

osx-verb-conjugator (Planned)

Purpose:
Tool for generating verb conjugations (strong/weak classes) in Old Saxon.
Status: To be implemented.

---

Repository Goals

• Develop a suite of tools for automated analysis of Old Saxon texts
• Enable linguistic modeling and phonological/morphological parsing
• Build a foundation for computational historical linguistics in West Germanic studies