We seem to have several different conventions for segment id, all based on the Mahāsaṅgīti Pali.
dn1:1.1.1 So I have heard
mn1:1.1 Why is that?
mn1:28-49:1 They directly know water
Further, although grouping is implied in these segment ids, it is not always consistent. For example, the following segments actually come from a single paragraph group in the Pali original.
mn1:29-49.23 They directly know extinguishment …
mn1:50.1 But they shouldn’t conceive extinguishment …
The implication of the inconsistencies of current segment ids means they cannot be used to infer semantic grouping. Essentially, the current segment ids can only serve as unique, invariant identifiers.
Why do these inconsistencies matter?
For voice-assistance, it is important to not overwhelm the listener. Sighted people are accustomed to skimming massive amounts of information at a glance. The visually impaired do not have this luxury of skimming and would be overwhelmed and rapidly bogged down in minutiae. Grouping can greatly improve the search experience for the visually impaired by providing progressive disclosure.
For example, a vision-assisted search for “pleasure in extinguishment” would provide a choice of phrases
- extinguishment is mine, they take pleasure in extinguishment
- pleasure in extinguishment
- that extinguishment is mine, they don’t take pleasure in extinguishment
- that extinguishment is mine, he doesn’t take pleasure in extinguishment
For a given choice (e.g., #3), progressive disclosure could then offer this paragraph:
They directly know extinguishment as extinguishment. But they shouldn’t conceive extinguishment, they shouldn’t conceive regarding extinguishment, they shouldn’t conceive as extinguishment, they shouldn’t conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, they shouldn’t take pleasure in extinguishment. (MN1 Sujato)
However, given the inconsistency of labeling, what they would actually get is this:
But they shouldn’t conceive extinguishment, they shouldn’t conceive regarding extinguishment, they shouldn’t conceive as extinguishment, they shouldn’t conceive that ‘extinguishment is mine’, they shouldn’t take pleasure in extinguishment. (MN1 Sujato)
This example shows how segment naming inconsistency affects the user experience and leads to the omission of potentially useful information.
What should we do about it?
Given that changing segment ids in any way would be laborious, it’s probably not worth the effort. The user experience will be affected, but not horribly so. This post is essentially a disclaimer and answer to future questions.