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Classifiers in Ancient Egyptian Scripts. A Digital Study of the Story of Sinuhe

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Universitat de Barcelona. Facultat de Filologia

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[eng] This study aims to delve into the Ancient Egyptian mindset by examining hieroglyphs that function as classifiers (determinatives). These signs offer an invaluable window into the semantic categories the Egyptians used to classify and, thus, understand their world. My dissertation presents the findings from a novel analysis of the classifier system in various preserved copies of the Story of Sinuhe, a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian literature. The results highlight the type of data analysis and mind-mapping facilitated by the digital research platform iClassifier, providing interpretations of the use and variation of specific classifier signs. Through this digital examination of the corpus, we can appreciate the complexity and richness of ancient Egyptian script and the role of classifiers in conveying meaning. The thesis begins with an introduction to the functions of signs in ancient Egyptian scripts, including phonograms, logograms, and classifiers. It also provides an overview of classification as a linguistic phenomenon, moving finally to the role of graphemic classifiers in ancient Egyptian scripts. Additionally, the chapter introduces the research platform iClassifier and summarises the research on various complex scripts conducted with this digital tool. Following this, chapter two presents the different versions of the Story of Sinuhe included in the corpus of research, concluding with a summary of the academic discussion on the difficult issue of the transmission of the text. Chapter three details the methodology, explaining the functioning of iClassifier and clarifying the terminology related to the platform and specific terminology related to the analysis of classifier signs. The results of the research are presented in the following two chapters. Chapter four thoroughly describes the classifier repertoire of the Story of Sinuhe, supported by a discussion of previous ‘classifier lists’. This section includes analyses of the most important conceptual categories represented by the signs and examines specific uses of the classifiers and their variations. Lastly, chapter five presents the innovative results of semantic network research with iClassifier, including a comparative analysis of different classifier networks. The behaviour of major conceptual categories is described, and the phenomenon of multi-classification in verb lexemes, with classifiers performing different semantic roles, is also explored. This part of the research underscores the importance of considering both synchronic and diachronic perspectives in the study of ancient texts, allowing us to see how language and meaning evolved over time. The discussion concludes with important considerations about the types of words that are typically not classified. The findings of this research demonstrate that studying classifiers and their variations not only enhances our understanding of the text itself but also contributes significantly to our knowledge of the linguistic and cognitive landscape of ancient Egypt.

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[cat] Aquest estudi té com a objectiu aprofundir en la mentalitat de l’antic Egipte examinant els jeroglífics que funcionen com a classificadors (determinatius). Aquests signes ofereixen una finestra inestimable a les categories semàntiques que els egipcis utilitzaven per classificar i, per tant, entendre el seu món. La meva tesi presenta els resultats d’una anàlisi nova del sistema de classificadors en diverses còpies conservades de la Història de Sinuhe, una obra mestra de la literatura egípcia antiga. Els resultats destaquen el tipus d’anàlisi de dades i mapatge mental facilitat per la plataforma digital de recerca iClassifier, que facilita a més interpretacions sobre l’ús i la variació de signes classificadors específics. A través d’aquest examen digital del corpus, podem apreciar la complexitat i riquesa de l’escriptura egípcia antiga i el paper dels classificadors en la transmissió de significat.

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Classifiers in Ancient Egyptian Scripts. A Digital Study of the Story of Sinuhe