TITLE:
A Mathematical Analysis of Texts of Greek Classical Literature and Their Connections
AUTHORS:
Emilio Matricciani
KEYWORDS:
Alphabetical Languages, Deep-Language Variables, Extended Short-Term Memory, Greek Literature, Iliad, Linguistic Channels, New Testament, Odyssey, Universal Readability Index
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Statistics,
Vol.15 No.1,
February
7,
2025
ABSTRACT: A multi-dimensional mathematical theory applied to texts belonging to the classical Greek Literature spanning eight centuries reveals interesting connections between them. By studying words, sentences, and interpunctions in texts, the theory defines deep-language variables and linguistic channels. These mathematical entities are due to writer’s unconscious design and can reveal connections between texts far beyond writer’s awareness. The analysis, based on 3,225,839 words contained in 118,952 sentences, shows that ancient Greek writers, and their readers, were not significantly different from modern writers/readers. Their sentences were processed by a short-term memory modelled with two independent processing units in series, just like modern readers do. In a society in which people were used to memorize information more often than modern people do, the ancient writers wrote almost exactly, mathematically speaking, as modern writers do and for readers of similar characteristics. Since meaning is not considered by the theory, any text of any alphabetical language can be studied exactly with the same mathematical/statistical tools and comparisons are possible, regardless of different languages and epochs of writing.