The Syntax of Stage. Studying Linguistic Patterns in Molière

Theatrical dialogue is a very peculiar type of communication, namely a written text that aims to mimic orality. Great playwrights use dialogue to create iconic human types, that actors then bring to life. Characterisation, comical effects and other plot devices are often achieved through the use of specific linguistic patterns. For this reason theatrical dialogue is an interesting test bed for computer-aided literary analysis and stylometric tools. In this talk we shall analyse the application of advanced pattern extraction techniques to the study of Molière's dialogue and characters, where by "pattern" we mean sequences of lexical elements and parts of speech. In particular we shall see how different types of extractions may provide experts with different views on the texts and target different aspects of stylistic choice.