Cross-linguistic properties and characteristics of the lexical meanings of basic kernel words:Data from 61 languages
This study is based on a database of the meanings of basic kernel words in 61 languages,conducting a comprehensive comparison of the meanings of 60 basic kernel words.The database contains a total of 11,440 meaning items,with an average of 3.16 items per basic kernel word and a maximum of 21.When the depth of meaning extension is scored,the number of meaning items is found to align closely with the ranking of exten-sion capabilities.Verbs,nouns,and adjectives have a higher number of meaning items and stronger extension capabilities,while adverbs,numerals,and pronouns exhibit the oppo-site trend.The network digraph of basic kernel word meanings is weakly connected,with the maximum shortest distance being 8 and a mode of 4.Centrality analysis highlights tendencies towards verbs,body-part nouns,and adjectives.Modularization divides basic kernel words into 10 clusters,with verbs,nouns,and adjectives forming larger collec-tions.Within word classes,subcategories emerge based on characteristics such as the reference of a noun to a person or the emotional sentiment expressed by an adjective.Some words serve as bridges between clusters;for instance,"hand"connects verbs and body-part nouns,while words like"die"links verbs and adjectives.
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
