Abstract
In this paper I examine three statistical measures of topic continuity, i.e., Topic Quotient (TQ), Referential Distance (RD) and Topic Persistence (TP), using the text of a short novel, Rashomon by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. It turns out that these measures are very unreliable as predictors of the WAtopic in Japanese. Even worse, in the case of TP, and for different referents, contradictory results were obtained. At closer inspection it turns out that this is due to the differences in status which referents possess within some segment of a text. What matters is not the numerical frequency of a referent, but its status, i.e., whether it referrs to a topic entity, or, from the expression point of view, to a topic chain of referential forms within the text, or not.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
