The Advanced Theory of Language as Choice and Chance
In trying to give an account of the statistical properties of language, one is faced with the problem of having to find the common thread which would show the many and multifarious forms of language statistic- embodied in scattered papers written by lingu
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The Advanced Theory of Language as Choice and Chance By
Gustav Herdan M. Sc., PH. D., LL. D .. University of Bristol
With 30 Figures
Springer -Verlag Berlin· Heidelberg. New York 1966
ISBN-13: 978-3-642-88390-3
e-ISBN-13: 978-3-642-88388-0
DOl: 10.1007/978-3-642-88388-0 All rights reserved, especiaUy that of translation into foreign languages. It is also forbidden to reproduce this book, either whole or in part, by photomechanical means (photostat, microfilm and/or microcard) without written permission from the Publishers. © by Springer-Verlag Berlin· Heidelberg· 1966.
Sofcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1966 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 65-26057 The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trade marks, etc. in this publication, even if the former are not especially identified, is not to be taken as a sign that such names, as understood by the Trade Marks and Merchandise Marks Act, may accordingly be used freely by anyone
Titel-Nr.6133
To my Wife
Preface In trying to give an account of the statistical properties of language, one is faced with the problem of having to find the common thread which would show the many and multifarious forms of language statistics embodied in scattered papers written by linguists, philosophers, mathematicians, engineers, each using his own professional idiom - as belonging to one great whole: quantitative linguistics. This means that the investigator has to find the system of this branch of science which would enable him to arrange the vast material in an orderly fashion, and present it as an organic whole. Such a system is conceived in this book, as comprising the following disciplines as the four main branches of literary statistics: Statistical Linguistics, Stylostatistics, Optimal Systems of Language Structure, and Linguistic Duality (Parts I-IV). The Introduction is meant to define the position of the book with regard to both, linguistics and statistics. Since the system is one peculiar to the subject of linguistics as a quantitative science, the argument must also proceed on these lines, with statistics introduced when necessary. It seemed inadvisable to interrupt the main argument by lengthy mathematical derivations, with the consequence that the statistics introduced ad hoc are not in the systematic order in which a text-book of statistics would present them. This is somewhat unsatisfactory from the statistical angle, however welcome and useful it may be to the linguist. It was, therefore, thought advisable to add Part Vas a systematic presentation of the statistical devices used in the main body of the book, with worked examples from literary statistics. The linguist who has no desire to go deeper into the mathematics than is absolutely necessary for understanding the main argument, need not consult Part V, though he would find it useful when planning work of this kind for the linguistic seminary. With a view to its being used as a text-book in the linguistic seminary, the material which forms the basis for the development of the argumen
