Abstract
The uniform information density (UID) hypothesis proposes that speakers aim to distribute information evenly throughout a text, balancing production effort and listener comprehension difficulty. However, language typically does not maintain a strictly uniform information rate; instead, it fluctuates around a global average. These fluctuations are often explained by factors such as syntactic constraints, stylistic choices, or audience design. In this work, we explore an alternative perspective: that these fluctuations may be influenced by an implicit linguistic pressure towards periodicity, where the information rate oscillates at regular intervals, potentially across multiple frequencies simultaneously. We apply harmonic regression and introduce a novel extension called time scaling to detect and test for such periodicity in information contours. Analyzing texts in English, Spanish, German, Dutch, Basque, and Brazilian Portuguese, we find consistent evidence of periodic patterns in information rate. Many dominant frequencies align with discourse structure, suggesting these oscillations reflect meaningful linguistic organization. Beyond highlighting the connection between information rate and discourse structure, our approach offers a general framework for uncovering structural pressures at various levels of linguistic granularity.
Abstract (translated)
统一信息密度（UID）假说认为，说话者在文本中力求均匀地分配信息，平衡生产努力与听众理解的难度。然而，语言通常不会维持严格的恒定信息率；相反，它会围绕一个全球平均值波动。这些波动往往由诸如句法约束、风格选择或受众设计等因素解释。在这项工作中，我们探讨了一个替代视角：认为这些波动可能受到周期性隐含语言压力的影响，在这种情况下，信息速率会在规则的时间间隔内振荡，并且可能同时在多个频率上进行。 为了检测并测试这种周期性，我们应用了谐波回归方法，并引入了一种称为时间缩放的新扩展技术。通过分析英语、西班牙语、德语、荷兰语、巴斯克语和巴西葡萄牙语的文本，我们发现信息率中的周期性模式一致存在。许多主要频率与话语结构相符，表明这些振荡反映了有意义的语言组织。 我们的方法不仅强调了信息速率与话语结构之间的联系，还为在语言各个层次的颗粒度上揭露结构性压力提供了一个通用框架。
URL
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.03902
