Validity of Menzerath‐Altmann's law: Graphic representation of language, information processing systems and synergetic linguistics

The Menzerath‐Altmann hypothesis is accepted for the given problem and the wide range of validity that is claimed for the law, even outside language, is shown and its close relation to synergetic linguistics is discussed.

Abstract

Abstract The paper presents results of an investigation on Menzerath‐Altmann' s Law in the field of graphic representation of language (Sino‐Japanese characters, kanji). The Menzerath‐Altmann hypothesis is accepted for the given problem. The test data and one table with new data on grapheme size and grapheme frequency in the kanji inventory are added. There is no hypothesis for the latter problem. A second part of the paper surveys the so far published literature on Menzerath‐Altmann's Law and presents a near‐to‐complete bibliography. It shows the wide range of validity that is claimed for the law, even outside language, and discusses its close relation to synergetic linguistics.