---
name: "mallex"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "malaga-bin"
version: "7.12-9"
release: "Debian 12 (Bookworm)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/mallex"
---

# mallex(1)

generate a Malaga run-time lexicon

## NAME

mallex - generate a Malaga run-time lexicon

## SYNOPSIS

**mallex** \[**-binary**\|**-readable**\|**-prelex**\] *project-file*

**mallex** \[**-binary**\|**-readable**\|**-prelex**\] *symbol-file* *rule-file* \[*lexicon-file*\] \[*prelex-file*\]

## DESCRIPTION

Malaga is a development environment for natural-language grammars based on the Left-Associative Grammar formalism.  Malaga grammars can be used for automatic morphological and/or syntactic analysis.

The program **mallex** generates a Malaga run-time lexicon by letting allomorph rules process a base-form lexicon. It can be started in *interactive mode* to help find bugs in the base-form lexicon or in the allomorph rules.

**mallex** uses the following grammar components:

- *symbol-file*

  The *symbol-file* has the suffix **.sym** and contains the symbols that are used in the lexicon and/or the allomorph rules.

- *rule-file*

  The *rule-file* has the suffix **.all** and contains the allomorph rules used to create the runtime-lexicon.

- *lexicon-file*

  The *lexicon-file* has the suffix **.lex** and contains the base-form lexicon entries that are used as input for the allomorph rules.

- *prelex-file* (optional)

  The *prelex-file* has the suffix **.prelex** and contains precompiled allomorph entries, which have been created by a former run of **mallex** with the option **-prelex**.

You can give the names of the grammar components as command line arguments, in any order.  Alternatively, you can describe these components in a *project-file* and use the name of the project file as **mallex**' single command-line argument. A project file has the suffix **.pro**.

If no command line options are given, **mallex** runs in interactive mode, and you can enter commands.  The *lexicon-file* and *prelex-file* are not used in interactive mode. If you are not sure about the name of a command, use the command **help** to get an overview of all **mallex** commands.

If you want to quit **mallex**, enter the command **quit**.

See **info Malaga** for details.

## OPTIONS

- **-b**\[**inary**\]

  Create the run time lexicon file from the base form lexicon file and the optional prelex file, and save it as a binary run-time lexicon, which can be used by **malaga**.

- **-h**\[**elp**\]

  Print a help text about **mallex**' command line arguments and exit.

- **-p**\[**relex**\]

  Create the run time lexicon, and save it as a binary *prelex-file*, which can be read in later by another **mallex** run.  output stream.

- **-r**\[**eadable**\]

  Create the run time lexicon but don't save it, but print its entries in human-readable form on the standard output stream.

- **-v**\[**ersion**\]

  Print **mallex**' version number and exit.

## AUTHORS

Malaga has been developed by Bjoern Beutel.  Numerous other people distributed to it.  This manpage was originally written for the Debian distribution by Antti-Juhani Kaijanaho.

## SEE ALSO

[**malaga**(1)](/malaga/1.md), [**malmake**(1)](/malmake/1.md), [**malrul**(1)](/malrul/1.md), [**malshow**(1)](/malshow/1.md), [**malsym**(1)](/malsym/1.md)

\`\`Malaga 7, User's and Programmer's Manual''.  Available in Debian systems via **info Malaga**, and, if the malaga-doc package is installed, in various formats (DVI, Postscript, PDF, HTML) under */usr/share/doc/malaga-doc/*.