An Exploratory Study of Stylistic Features Reflected in the Part-of-Speech Composition of Lyrics

A Quantitative Analysis of Tokyo Elementary, Junior High, and High School Songs

Abstract

MVR (Modifier Verb Ratio), an index that captures the stylistic features of texts in terms of part-of-speech composition, has not been sufficiently examined for its correspondence with specific stylistic features. This study explored the correspondence between MVR and stylistic features using school-song lyrics, which are texts with a relatively limited range of variation. Analysis of song lyrics from elementary, junior high, and high schools in Tokyo confirmed that MVR was higher in elementary schools than in junior high and high schools. However, the differences were due to slight differences in the M (Modifier) rates. At the individual text level, lyrics with a high N (Noun) rate were more likely to take a poetic form with many inversions and noun-phrase endings, whereas lyrics with a high V (Verb) rate were more likely to take a narrative form with predicate endings. The M-rate seemed to disrupt these patterns and neutralize the inclination toward one of the expressive forms. These results suggest that the parts-of-speech composition of school-song lyrics relates to the form in which the lyrics are realized.