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A Mathematical Structure Underlying Sentences and Its Connection with Short–Term Memory
Version 1
: Received: 11 December 2023 / Approved: 12 December 2023 / Online: 12 December 2023 (15:36:55 CET)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Matricciani, E. A Mathematical Structure Underlying Sentences and Its Connection with Short–Term Memory. AppliedMath 2024, 4, 120-142. Matricciani, E. A Mathematical Structure Underlying Sentences and Its Connection with Short–Term Memory. AppliedMath 2024, 4, 120-142.
Abstract
The mathematical structure underlying a sentence is made of two independent processing units in series. The conditional probability density function of sentence length (measured in words) recordable in the extended short–term memory (E–STM) buffer made of CF cells is Gaussian. The number of sentences that authors of Italian and English Literatures have written is compared to that theoretically available to them. The multiplicity factor α describes this comparison. α>1 is more likely than α<1 and often α≫1, therefore the same sentence pattern is reused many times. These texts are easier to read. Very few novels show α<1. In these cases, there are enough diverse sentence patters to convey meaning, but most of them are not used. Texts are more difficult to read, as measured by a universal readability index GU. A mismatch index IM synthetically describes the process. α, GU. and IM increase with year of publication. Future work will concern other literatures – including ancient ones as Greek and Latin – to confirm what, in our opinion, is general feature of human mind.
Keywords
Alphabetical Languages; Extended Short–Term Memory; Human Communication; Human Mind; Sentences: Mathematical Modeling; Universal Readability Index
Subject
Computer Science and Mathematics, Other
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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