西夏文字典《文海》的网络分析2022年发表于清华大学《数字人文》期刊。我们借助AI技术生成了上述类似于访谈节目的音频（英文版）来帮助帮助大家了解该研究。《数字人文》期刊公众号对本论文的推送：西夏文字典《文海》的网络分析，音频中提到内容一些可视化的内容可以在其中查看。
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FAQ: Network Analysis of the Tangut Dictionary WenhaiThe Wenhai (文海) is a Tangut-language dictionary compiled by the Tangut people themselves, modeled after the Chinese dictionary Guangyun (廣韻). It provides detailed explanations for each Tangut character, including phonetic annotations, structural analysis, and definitions.2. What challenges do modern scholars face when studying the Wenhai?The sheer number of Tangut characters (around 5,900) and the complex web of interrelationships between them pose significant challenges for manual analysis. The intricate structure of definitions, especially the prevalence of circular definitions, makes it difficult to trace the origins of character meanings and understand the underlying principles of the Tangut writing system.3. How does network analysis help in studying the Wenhai?Network analysis provides a powerful tool for visualizing and analyzing the complex structure of the Wenhai. By representing the dictionary as a network, where nodes represent Tangut characters and edges represent definition relationships, researchers can identify patterns and insights that would be difficult to discern through manual inspection. This approach helps to untangle the web of circular definitions, identify fundamental characters, and reveal the hierarchical structure of the dictionary.4. What are circular definitions and why are they problematic?Circular definitions occur when the definition of a character refers to another character, whose definition in turn refers back to the original character, creating a closed loop. This can make it difficult to determine the fundamental building blocks of meaning in the dictionary.5. How does the study identify the core set of Tangut characters?The study uses a network-based approach to identify the core set of Tangut characters, referred to as the "basic character set." This set is defined as the minimum number of characters needed to derive all other characters in the dictionary through their definitions. The process involves iteratively removing characters with zero outgoing connections (i.e., characters not used to define any other character) until a stable set is reached.6. What are strongly connected components and what do they reveal about the Wenhai?Strongly connected components (SCCs) are groups of characters in the network where every character can be reached from every other character through a series of definition links. These components suggest clusters of characters that are semantically related and may have played a role in the formation of meaning in the Tangut writing system. For example, one SCC identified in the study consists of characters related to "male child" and "quiet, gentle."7. What is definition distance and how is it used to understand the structure of the dictionary?Definition distance is a measure of how many steps it takes to reach a particular character from the basic character set through a chain of definitions. By calculating the definition distance for all characters in the Wenhai, the study reveals a hierarchical structure, with the basic character set at the core (distance 0) and subsequent layers of characters at increasing distances, reflecting their dependence on the core set.8. What are the potential implications of this study for Tangut language studies?The study provides a novel and rigorous framework for analyzing the Wenhai, offering valuable insights into the structure and organization of the Tangut writing system. The identification of a core set of characters and the hierarchical structure of the dictionary could have implications for modern Tangut language learning, as well as for understanding the cognitive processes involved in the creation and learning of the Tangut script. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the potential of network analysis as a powerful tool for digital humanities research, paving the way for similar investigations into other ancient Chinese characters and scripts.引文
张光伟. 西夏文字典《文海》的网络分析[J]. 数字人文, 2022(1): 14-27.
