Computer-Assisted Study of Chaucer's Metre

Computer-Assisted Study of Chaucer's Metre Elizabeth Solopova STATISTICAL S T U D Y O F M E T R E Poetic metre lends itself to statistical study because in many cases it is not the presence or the absence ofa particular feature, but the frequency of its occurrence that is metrically relevant. Metre includes constant characteristics realised in the form of prescriptions and prohibitions, and variable characteristics realised in the form of preferential rules. A statistical approach is especially fruitful for the study of variable characteristics; these have a particular interest for metrics, stylistics and textual criticism because they are primarily responsible for the unique rhythmic impression made by the verse of different poets. At the highest level of abstraction metre is an alternation of weak and strong positions; and in every given line this abstract metrical pattern receives a unique linguistic realisation. The choice of characteristics used to represent weak and strong positions, such as dynamic or musical accent, or syllabic length, depends on the phonological system of the language. Poets writing in the same language and metre create unique versions of metrical forms through deviations from the 1 Marina Tarlinskaja, 'General and Particular Aspects of Meter: Literatures, Ep Poets' in Phonetics and Phonology, I: Rhythm and Meter, ed. by Paul Kiparsky and Gilbert Youmans (San Diego: Academic Press, 1989), p. 122. 2 R. Jacobson, 'Retrospect', in Selected Writings, V: On Verse, Its Masters andExp (Mouton: The Hague, 1979), p. 587. 158 Elizabeth Solopova expected metrical pattern and individual use of secondary, not strictly regulated metrical features such as - in syllabic-accentual verse - the presence of linguistic stress in strong or weak positions, the placement of word boundaries, and so on. In the case of Chaucer, the rhythmic characteristics of his syllabicaccentual verse are insufficiently understood, partly because of the difficulties of interpreting linguistic and textual evidence in the surviving manuscripts. Statistical study can help evaluation of readings with uncertain textual status by putting them in a broader context of the poet's metrical usage. Determining whether a rhythmical pattern can be described as common, or as sufficiently well attested, or simply as possible will reflect on the textual status of lines whose authenticity is in question. The present study concentrates on metre, rhythm and textual problems in Chaucer's iambic pentameter. THE USE OF TEXT ANALYSIS SOFTWARE This study of rhythmical patterns in Chaucer's iambic pentameter has been assisted by the use of text-analysis applications such as the Oxford Concordance 3 Program (OCP) and WordSmith Tools. Unedited texts of the General Prologue and the Wife of Bath s Prologue from Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, Peniarth 392 (the 'Hengwrt Manuscript', henceforth referred to as Hg) were transcribed using a numerical transcription system. Every syllable in verse lines was given a numerical value in accordance with prosodically important characteristics such as its position in relation to stress and word boundary. The numerical transcript was processed with O C P which retrieved all the repeated sequences of numbers representing recurring prosodic patterns and built concordances of these patterns in K W I C (Key Word In Context) format. The K W I C format provides a convenient layout for the study of the prosodic contexts of each rhythmical pattern. The distribution of significant patterns was further 4 investigated using various functions in WordSmith Tools. 3 Full details for the Oxford Concordance Program and WordSmith Tools are ava in Frances Condron, Michael Fraser and Stuart Sutherland, CTI Textual Studies Guid to Digital Resources (Oxford: Humanities Computing Unit, 2000). I am very gratefu to Dr Michael Fraser of the Humanities Computing Unit, Oxford University Computing Services, for help and advice on using the Oxford Concordance Program and WordSmith Tools for metrical analysis. 4 Technical aspects of the software used and the history of computer-assisted metrical analysis are beyond the scope of this article and will be discussed in greater detail in a forthcoming paper. Computer-Assisted Study ofChaucer's Metre 159 THE N U M E R I C A L TRANSCRIPTION S Y S T E M In numerical transcription employed to record the rhythmical structure of iambic pentameter lines all words in Chaucer's verse...