Publisher's Synopsis
This volume contains the most important theoretical and methodological works of Gabriel Altmann (1931-2019). He is the founder of a specific school of quantitative linguistics, which focuses on the statistical analysis and interrelationship of linguistic features and characteristics. His approach concentrates on the construction of a general theory of linguistics. The theory is based on the relevance of linguistic laws (Zipf's, Menzerath's and Piotrowski's) and concepts of language as a self-regulating system. In contrast to approaches where quantitative methods are used as standard methodological tools, Altmann favours a "holistic" and epistemological view of problems of quantification of linguistic and textual phenomena.
