arXiv · 2604.22626
From graphemic dependence to lexical structure: a Markovian perspective on Dante's Commedia
Abstract
This study investigates the structural organisation of Dante's Divina Commedia through a symbolic representation based on vowel-consonant (V/C) encoding. Modelling the resulting sequence as a four-state Markov chain yields a parsimonious index of graphemic memory, capturing local persistence and alternation patterns. Across the poem, this index shows a slight but consistent increase from the Inferno to the Paradiso, indicating a directional shift in local dependency structure. Trigram analysis identifies a restricted set of recurrent configurations acting as graphemic probes, linking Markov patterns to lexical environments and orthographic phenomena such as apostrophised forms. A complementary classification analysis identifies cantica-specific lexical anchors, showing that local symbolic dependencies reflect both the separation among the three cantiche and a continuous progression across the poem. The results provide an interpretable framework connecting local symbolic structure with higher-level textual organisation.
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Angelo Maria Sabatini. 2026-04-24. From graphemic dependence to lexical structure: a Markovian perspective on Dante's Commedia. https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.22626
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