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On the application of statistics to determine the poetic meter (the case of Tonga texts)

https://doi.org/10.28995/2073-6355-2018-9-79-89

Abstract

In the article, an attempt is made to raise the question of limits for the applicability of statistics to determine the type of the system of versification in traditions for which by now it has not been done. Using the example of Tongan laments, it was shown that even if the researcher deals with a well homogeneous genre, the differences between individual texts are extremely significant. Some Tongan texts are almost strictly syllabic, while others are greatly shaken loose, and that fact does not allow final conclusions on the main principle of the Tongan versification to be drawn. The author also demonstrated that criteria based on counting the number of lines that fit strictly into a certain meter, can due to a more elaborate terminology available for the syllabic-tonic versification, make it possible to include non-strictly tonic or non-strictly syllabic traditions into the syllabic-tonic category.

About the Author

Evgeniya V. Korovina
Institute of Linguistics RAS
Russian Federation

Institute of Linguistics RAS;

bldg. 1, bld.1, B. Kislovskii lane, Moscow, 125009



References

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Review

For citations:


Korovina E.V. On the application of statistics to determine the poetic meter (the case of Tonga texts). RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2018;(9):79-89. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2073-6355-2018-9-79-89

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ISSN 2073-6355 (Print)