7.0 SUPPLEMENTARIES
There are various supplementary elements in the Hierolex database, some of which were mentioned under the section 2.15 MAINLY HEADINGS.
7.1 Parts of speech
It was found useful to include parts of speech in the Hierolex database, and a subordinate parts-of-speech field was also considered sufficiently helpful to be included as well. However, the classification of a word into one part of speech or another has been broadly rather than exhaustively done, and grammarians could justly not concur with many of the decisions of parsing. Sometimes a word may be classified in a variety of ways; but in the present database there is only provision for one classification. So the choice made is often arbitrary.
Fig. 7.1 The two part-of-speech fields in use
The parts of speech commonly found in the Hierolex database are: noun / verb / adjective / pronoun / preposition / article / demonstrative / adverb. Other entries in the {part of speech} field include: phrase / sentence / NP (for ‘noun phrase’).
This is an admittedly crude rather than a precise area of the database, and one subject to alteration. But rough as it inevitably is, it is often useful nevertheless.
7.2 Category / subcategory
Nouns in particular have been categorised. For example, birds and animals have been classed as follows:
CATEGORY
|
SUBCATEGORY
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fauna: activity
|
|
fauna: amphibians
|
|
fauna: birds
|
|
fauna: birds
|
parts and products
|
fauna: bodily state
|
|
fauna: fishes
|
|
fauna: insects and spiders
|
|
fauna: mammals
|
|
fauna: mammals
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bat
|
fauna: mammals
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cat
|
fauna: mammals
|
dog
|
fauna: mammals
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macro
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fauna: mammals
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sex
|
fauna: mammals
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parts and products
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fauna: marine and aquatic life
|
|
fauna: parts and products
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|
fauna: parts and products
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insects
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fauna: parts and products
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marine and aquatic life
|
fauna: reptiles
|
Table 15 A selection (fauna) from around 200 categories and subcategories
So, for example, a search for ‘fauna: mammals > macro’ will bring up Ancient Egyptian words and the hieroglyphs for hippopotamus, elephant, rhinoceros, and giraffe.
7.3 Numeral
The Ancient Egyptians were more than capable with numbers, and had a system that could record any whole number at all.
(sefeX: sefeKH)
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"seven"
|
seven
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EAWB
|
[127:11]
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<cloth viper string>
|
 |
(diw: diwu)
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"five"
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five
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Gardiner
|
[192:5.1]
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<strokex5>
|
 |
(: 1534)
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"1534"
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1534
|
EAWB
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[131:8]
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<bud unwindx5 magnetx3 strokex4>
|
 |
(: )
|
"6823"
|
6823
|
Karnak inscribed wall
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[:]
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<budx6 unwindx8 magnetx2 strokex3>
|
 |
Table 16 Examples of numbers, in words or numerals, and glyphs
However, knowledge today of the words they used for numbers greater than ten is very limited.
Fig. 7.31 The blue field in the bottom left-hand corner is the {numeral} field
All numbers recorded in the database are entered in the {numeral} field.
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