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Experiments on predictability of word in context and information rate in natural language

Manin, Dmitrii (2006) Experiments on predictability of word in context and information rate in natural language. [Journal (Paginated)]

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Abstract

Based on data from a large-scale experiment with human subjects, we conclude that the logarithm of probability to guess a word in context (unpredictability) depends linearly on the word length. This result holds both for poetry and prose, even though with prose, the subjects don't know the length of the omitted word. We hypothesize that this effect reflects a tendency of natural language to have an even information rate.

Item Type:Journal (Paginated)
Additional Information:Text is somewhat extended compared to the published version.
Keywords:Natural language, information theory, information rate, entropy, experiment, word guessing
Subjects:Computer Science > Language
Linguistics > Computational Linguistics
ID Code:5817
Deposited By: Manin, Dmitrii
Deposited On:13 Nov 2007 00:51
Last Modified:11 Mar 2011 08:57

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