This study presents the first quantitative characterization of lexical properties in Hmong, an understudied Sino-Tibetan language, through analysis of a purpose-built corpus. Employing word-length distribution modeling, Zipfian analysis, and statistical validation, we demonstrate three key findings: Hmong exhibits characteristically short word lengths, where tonal features influence length measurement but not frequency distribution; Word-length distribution follows a bimodal pattern, with an inverse correlation between length and usage frequency; Word-frequency distributions conform to a Right-Truncated Modified Zipf-Alekseev model, exhibiting three distinct regimes—slow decay (high-frequency words), near-Zipfian decay (mid-frequency words), and accelerated decay (low-frequency words). These results reveal fundamental self-organization principles governing the Hmong lexical system, providing new insights into the typological diversity of Sino-Tibetan languages.

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Quantitative Analysis of Word Length and Frequency in Hmong Language

  • Qian Luo

摘要

This study presents the first quantitative characterization of lexical properties in Hmong, an understudied Sino-Tibetan language, through analysis of a purpose-built corpus. Employing word-length distribution modeling, Zipfian analysis, and statistical validation, we demonstrate three key findings: Hmong exhibits characteristically short word lengths, where tonal features influence length measurement but not frequency distribution; Word-length distribution follows a bimodal pattern, with an inverse correlation between length and usage frequency; Word-frequency distributions conform to a Right-Truncated Modified Zipf-Alekseev model, exhibiting three distinct regimes—slow decay (high-frequency words), near-Zipfian decay (mid-frequency words), and accelerated decay (low-frequency words). These results reveal fundamental self-organization principles governing the Hmong lexical system, providing new insights into the typological diversity of Sino-Tibetan languages.