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Inferring Propp’s Functions from Semantically Annotated Text
Abstract
Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale is a seminal work in folkloristics and a compelling subject of computational study. I demonstrate a technique for learning Propp’s functions from semantically annotated text. Fifteen folktales from Propp’s corpus were annotated for semantic roles, co-reference, temporal structure, event sentiment, and dramatis personae. I derived a set of merge rules from descriptions given by Propp. These rules, when coupled with a modified version of the model merging learning framework, reproduce Propp’s functions well. Three important function groups--namely A/a (villainy/lack), H/I (struggle and victory), and W (reward)--are identified with high accuracies. This is the first demonstration of a computational system learning a real theory of narrative structure.
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“In 'Inferring Propp's Functions from Semantically Annotated text' (2016) Finlayson demonstrates a technique for learning Propp's functions from semantically annotated texts.”
From The Thirty-One Functions in Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale: An Outline and Recent Trends in the Applicability of the Proppian Taxonomic Model (2017) · cites this paper as Finlayson, 2016
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“The Proppian template as a subject of machine learning can be of wider applicability if the morphology could be 'automatically' extracted.”
From The Thirty-One Functions in Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale: An Outline and Recent Trends in the Applicability of the Proppian Taxonomic Model (2017) · cites this paper as Finlayson, 2016
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Jawaharlal Nehru University, & Dogra, S. (2017) · Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities · doi:10.21659/rupkatha.v9n2.41 · Cited by 10
Metadata
- Authors
- Finlayson, M. A.
- Corresponding author
- Finlayson, Mark Alan
- ORCID
- Finlayson, Mark Alan
- Venue
- Journal of American Folklore
- Publisher
- University of Illinois Press
- Published
- 2016-01-01
- Volume
- 129
- Issue
- 511
- Pages
- 55-77
- ISSN
- 0021-8715 (ISSN-L)
- 1535-1882
- OpenAlex
- W2332793758
- Cited by
- 31
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3
- FWCI
- 44.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of American Folklore (publishedVersion)
- Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Digital Humanities and Scholarship
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Natural Language Processing Techniques
- Keywords
- Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folktale, folk tales, narrative structure, semantic annotation, thematic roles, coreference, temporal structure, dramatic characters
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