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Yanru Xu

Yanru Xu

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a picture of neural network connected to a semantic network shaped as bird wings .jpg

The evolution of Egyptian hieroglyphic classifiers resembles the evolution of birds’ wings.
Feathers were initially used for thermal insulation and display; only later did they begin to assist with flight.

Analogously, classifiers initially performed limited functions—reference tracking and disambiguation—but evolved over time to perform new functions. Without feathers, birds could not have developed the ability to fly. Similarly, classifiers opened the door to complex categorization, priming the mental lexicon of the reader.

Wings allow birds to fly high and survey vast landscapes; classifiers enable us to observe the landscape of the Ancient Egyptian mind

(O. Goldwasser) 

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