arXiv:2506.03902cs.CL2025-06ACL被引 9

发现语言信息密度有周期性波动,与话语结构相关。

The Harmonic Structure of Information Contours

  • 用谐波回归检测文本中信息率的周期性变化
  • 跨六种语言发现信息率存在多频周期震荡
  • 揭示语言组织背后的隐性节律机制,适合语言学研究者

统一信息密度(UID)假说认为,说话人试图在文本中均匀分布信息,以平衡表达努力与听者理解难度。然而语言通常不保持严格均匀的信息速率,而是在全局平均值附近波动。这些波动常被语法约束、风格选择或受众设计解释。本文提出新视角:波动可能受隐性语言压力驱动,即信息速率以规则间隔振荡,可能同时包含多个频率。我们采用谐波回归,并引入时间缩放的新扩展方法,检测和验证信息轮廓中的周期性。分析英语、西班牙语、德语、荷兰语、巴斯克语及巴西葡萄牙语文本,均发现稳定的周期模式。许多主导频率与话语结构吻合,表明这些振荡反映了有意义的语言组织。本研究不仅揭示信息速率与话语结构的关联,还提供了一个通用框架,可揭示语言不同层级的结构性压力。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

The uniform information density (UID) hypothesis proposes that speakers aim to distribute information evenly throughout a text, balancing production effort and listener comprehension difficulty. However, language typically does not maintain a strictly uniform information rate; instead, it fluctuates around a global average. These fluctuations are often explained by factors such as syntactic constraints, stylistic choices, or audience design. In this work, we explore an alternative perspective: that these fluctuations may be influenced by an implicit linguistic pressure towards periodicity, where the information rate oscillates at regular intervals, potentially across multiple frequencies simultaneously. We apply harmonic regression and introduce a novel extension called time scaling to detect and test for such periodicity in information contours. Analyzing texts in English, Spanish, German, Dutch, Basque, and Brazilian Portuguese, we find consistent evidence of periodic patterns in information rate. Many dominant frequencies align with discourse structure, suggesting these oscillations reflect meaningful linguistic organization. Beyond highlighting the connection between information rate and discourse structure, our approach offers a general framework for uncovering structural pressures at various levels of linguistic granularity.

语言学信息密度周期性话语结构

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