neng, Non-Extravagant Name Generator

Introduction

neng is a Golang package that can generate random English phrases from nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives according to user-specified pattern. It is powered by diverse collection of 43000 words compiled from WordNet Lexical Database. Inspired by Terraria's world name generator, neng is designed to be simple yet versatile name making tool for other projects.

If the embedded word database does not meet your requirements, you can provide neng with your own word lists.

Showcase

go run github.com/Zedran/neng/examples/phrase@latest

Sample use

Code

package main

import (
    "fmt"

    "github.com/Zedran/neng"
)

func main() {
    gen, _ := neng.DefaultGenerator()

    // <title case + noun> <Simple Present + verb> a <upper case + adjective> <upper case + noun>
    phrase, _ := gen.Phrase("%tn %Nv a %ua %un")

    // A single, transformed verb
    verb, _ := gen.Verb(neng.MOD_PAST_SIMPLE)

    // Transforming an arbitrary word
    word, _ := gen.Transform("STASH", neng.WC_VERB, neng.MOD_GERUND, neng.MOD_CASE_LOWER)

    fmt.Printf("Phrase -> %s\nVerb   -> %s\nWord   -> %s\n", phrase, verb, word)
}

Output

Phrase -> Serenade perplexes a STRAY SUPERBUG
Verb   -> share
Word   -> stashing

Phrase pattern commands

Escape character: %

Insertion

Symbol	WordClass	Description
%		Inserts % sign
a	WC_ADJECTIVE	Inserts a random adjective
m	WC_ADVERB	Inserts a random adverb
n	WC_NOUN	Inserts a random noun
v	WC_VERB	Inserts a random verb

Transformation

Transformations can only be applied to compatible parts of speech. It is possible to assign more than one modifier of the same type to a word (multiple tense mods or duplicates). Improper use of modifiers will therefore result in deformations.

Symbol	Compatible with	Package constant	Description
2	verb	MOD_PAST_SIMPLE	Past Simple (2nd form)
3	verb	MOD_PAST_PARTICIPLE	Past Participle (3rd form)
N	verb	MOD_PRESENT_SIMPLE	Present Simple (now)
c	adjective, adverb	MOD_COMPARATIVE	Comparative (better)
g	verb	MOD_GERUND	Gerund
l	any	MOD_CASE_LOWER	lower case
p	noun, verb*	MOD_PLURAL	Plural form
s	adjective, adverb	MOD_SUPERLATIVE	Superlative (best)
t	any	MOD_CASE_TITLE	Title Case
u	any	MOD_CASE_UPPER	UPPER CASE

*MOD_PLURAL is only compatible with verbs when combined with MOD_PAST_SIMPLE or MOD_PRESENT_SIMPLE.

Symbols are used to specify transformation parameters for words within a phrase. Package constants are designed to work with "single-word" methods.

State of the vocabulary

Generator's default vocabulary consists of:

• 25000 nouns
• 10000 adjectives
• 6000 verbs
• 2000 adverbs

Original WordNet lists have been thoroughly vetted. I have strived to remove any words that are offensive, too specific (chemistry, medicine) or relate to topics that are considered sensitive, controversial or fear-inducing. However, I am not native English speaker and the database is quite large, so it is likely I have missed something. If you find any unsuitable words, I will be happy to hear from you.

Attributions

Refer to NOTICE.md.

License

This software is available under MIT License.