Testing a stylometric tool in the study of Middle English documentary texts
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Martti Mäkinen
Abstract
This article is about testing Stylo, a stylometric script for R, in the study of Middle English documents. The main aim of the paper is to be able to discriminate between Middle English documents and document groups with the help of an automatic classification script. The basic assumption is that stylometric tools, and Stylo in particular, may provide new insights into affinity between Middle English texts. In other words, stylometric tools in general help to identify text groups the members of which have something in common in their parentage; Stylo for R is no exception in this.
Abstract
This article is about testing Stylo, a stylometric script for R, in the study of Middle English documents. The main aim of the paper is to be able to discriminate between Middle English documents and document groups with the help of an automatic classification script. The basic assumption is that stylometric tools, and Stylo in particular, may provide new insights into affinity between Middle English texts. In other words, stylometric tools in general help to identify text groups the members of which have something in common in their parentage; Stylo for R is no exception in this.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Linguistic norms and conventions 1
- Usage guides and the Age of Prescriptivism 1
- “Splendidly prejudiced” 29
- Paradigm shifts in 19th-century British grammar writing 49
- Promotional conventions on English title-pages up to 1550 73
- What can we learn from constructed speech errors? 99
- The proverbial discourse tradition in the history of English 129
- Testing a stylometric tool in the study of Middle English documentary texts 149
- Pragmatic and formulaic uses of shall and will in Older Scots and Early Modern English official letter writing 167
- Studying dialect spelling in its own right 191
- Index 213
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Linguistic norms and conventions 1
- Usage guides and the Age of Prescriptivism 1
- “Splendidly prejudiced” 29
- Paradigm shifts in 19th-century British grammar writing 49
- Promotional conventions on English title-pages up to 1550 73
- What can we learn from constructed speech errors? 99
- The proverbial discourse tradition in the history of English 129
- Testing a stylometric tool in the study of Middle English documentary texts 149
- Pragmatic and formulaic uses of shall and will in Older Scots and Early Modern English official letter writing 167
- Studying dialect spelling in its own right 191
- Index 213
