u/KiwiHellenist

Studies on stylometry in Luke-Acts?

I was experimenting with function words in Koine -- that is, words that are relatively context-insensitive, which makes them of interest in stylometry.

I saw there's not a huge amount to distinguish Luke-Acts from other NT texts in terms of the most common function words. There are some words where they have a consistent profile that is different from other NT texts:

  • Luke and Acts both use δέ more than the NT average (27.9-30.1 times per 1000 words; NT average 20.1)

  • Luke and Acts both use ἀπό more than the NT average (6.3-6.4 times per 1000 words; NT average 4.7)

-- though Matthew uses both words about as frequently as Luke-Acts.

  • Luke and Acts both use πρός slightly more than the NT average (7.2-8.5 times per 1000 words; NT average 5.1; other gospels 2.3-6.5)

  • Luke and Acts both use ἀλλά relatively infrequently (1.6-1.8 times per 1000 words; NT average 4.7; other gospels 2.0-6.6)

  • Luke and Acts both use εἰ relatively slightly infrequently (1.9-2.7 times per 1000 words; NT average 3.6; other gospels 3.0-3.2)

But there's one function word with an absolutely exceptional usage profile, namely τε in Acts.

Acts is responsible for 70% of all occurrences of τε in the New Testament. It appears a whopping 8.2 times per 1000 words; NT average 1.6; Luke 0.5; other gospels 0.0-0.2). That's 17.7 times more frequently than Luke.

Are there any stylometric studies that talk about this kind of thing with a bit more expertise? (I've found one PhD dissertation on τε in Acts, but it doesn't touch on the fact that it's much rarer in other NT texts, or that there's a huge discrepancy with Luke.)

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u/KiwiHellenist — 15 days ago