Time Series Analysis of Word Length in Oedipus the King
Favonius Supplementary, Vol. I, pp. 65-79, 1987
15 Pages Posted: 15 Oct 2009
Date Written: 1987
Abstract
A time-series analysis of word length from the iambic portions of several plays of Sophocles shows where verses begin and end, and the locations of principle caesuras within them. This result is shown to be a function of sentence length and Wackernagel’s law. It illustrates an author’s freedom to choose whatever word s/he wishes, modified by the choice of the previous word, and by certain features of Greek syntax and style functioning within the strictures of meter.
Keywords: Sophocles, time series, word length, Wackernagel's law, metrics
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Clayman, Dee, Time Series Analysis of Word Length in Oedipus the King (1987). Favonius Supplementary, Vol. I, pp. 65-79, 1987, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1487312
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