Why this matters: choosing a level is only useful if you can verify what actually stuck. The model records provenance, so you can check a pin instead of trusting the spec by eye.
The one idea
Every lexeme carries origin and locked.
Specified means you pinned it; sampled means
the generator chose it. Locked means it should survive
regeneration. See the domain glossary.
A subtle distinction: concepts chooses which words exist,
while lexicon pins a root. A word can be listed as a concept
and still have a sampled root.
Look at level 3
| Lexeme | Root | Origin | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
lex:sun | ʃa | specified | Pinned in lexicon |
lex:see | ʔis | specified | Pinned in lexicon |
lex:water | lasutoʔ | sampled | Concept only; root invented |
affix:noun-I:pl | na | sampled | Affixes were left to the generator |
Open out/language-levels/level-3-rich.json and search
for lex:water. It exists because the concept list named it, but its
origin is sampled.
Retrieval check
Which value means a root was pinned?
Which Spec key pins a root?
Which level still samples its affixes?
Do it once
- Open
out/language-levels/level-3-rich.json. - Find
lex:sunandlex:water. - Compare their
root,origin, andlocked. - Ask: which one would survive a regeneration unchanged?
Expected: sun is specified and locked; water
is sampled and unlocked. That is the visible difference between a pin and a concept.
Primary source: the
Spec reference entries for
concepts and lexicon, plus the
glossary entries for Origin and Lock.
Ask your teacher: if a word keeps changing when you regenerate, ask whether it is a concept or a lexicon entry.
Previous: Three generation levels. Next: Read the grammar sketch. Reference: Generation levels cheat sheet.