Contents
Preface xix
1 Introduction 1
2 The quantitative analysis of language and text 9
2.1 The objective of quantitative linguistics 9
2.2 Quantitative linguistics as a scientific discipline 12
2.3 Foundations of quantitative linguistics 13
2.4 Theory, laws, and explanation 19
2.5 Conclusion 24
3 Empirical analysis and mathematical modelling 27
3.1 Syntactic units and properties 27
3.2 Quantitation of syntactic concepts and measurement 29
3.3 The acquisition of data from linguistic corpora 31
3.4 Syntactic phenomena and mathematical models 42
4 Hypotheses, laws, and theory 137
4.1 Towards a theory of syntax 137
4.2 Structure, function, and processes 169
4.3 Perspectives 202
References 205
Subject index 217
Author index 223