iClassifier—a new tool for classifier analysis

What we aim for?

Aim 1:

To create a “CLASSIFIER DICTIONARY” of Ancient Egyptian. Each classifier will be optimally followed by all tokens it appears after (its ‘host’ words). All classified meanings (CMs) calibrated statistically by their frequency of appearance with the word, will provide the semantic scope of the classifier’s category, and its variabilities through diachronic perspectives.

The user of the dictionary will get a clear picture of the spectrum of words that the classifier appears with - and will be provided with a clear information about the central and peripheral members in the knowledge structure. This “backwards” dictionary may be helpful also for philological work of word reconstruction in broken or partially lost inscriptions.

Aim 2:

To create an advanced computerized platform which will enable its user to conduct advanced research on classifiers, such as type (taxonomic, schematic, repeater etc.), level (lexeme, word-form, referent, meta-textual), or multi-classification, across a big corpus of Egyptian lemmata.

It would also be suitable for the analysis of other scripts containing classifiers (Cuneiform, Anatolian Hieroglyphs, Chinese etc.).

Dynamic, Digital and Growing!

• Joint scholarly research: easy to contribute. You could send your example and it will be added to the database by us under your name. You can start your own project and decide if and when to share your data online.

• Growing lemma list: if the lemma is already listed, you would just have to add your new token. Otherwise you simply type the common transliteration and reference (at least one dictionary) for a lemma, and then insert its token. Even if you will only feed the basic info, later you, or another researcher, could add more detailed analysis such as text type, date, syntax, register, etc.

• Real sources: iClassifier invites you to add pictures of your source inscription—one could press on an example and reach the source image.

• Track the story of a certain hieroglyph in the Egyptian script: iClassifier can open new horizons for the study of Egyptian hieroglyphs—by “search by classifier” in the database. For example, you may search “D40” 𓂡 and receive the current statistics of most frequent words classified by it, the genres it is mostly attested in and what semantic fields it classifies.