Lexomics

Lexomics is our name for certain methods of stylistic analysis (sometimes called stylometry) which harnesses the power of modern computing and statistical techniques to investigate Humanities-based questions such as authorship attribution or textual lineage. Lexomic methods complement traditional Humanities methods of literary interpretation, rather than replacing these challenges.

As part of its research program, the Lexomics group develops the Lexos text analysis tool, which implements aspects of our research methods. The role of Lexos is to help readers of literature identify and explore patterns in texts, thereby opening up new questions and new avenues of research. Lexos provides an integrated workflow of pre-processing, analytical, and visualization tools which allow students and scholars of literature to detect and explore patterns in their texts. Lexos functions as an entry-level environment for Lexomics scholarship. The tools are simple enough to be used easily by the casual student, but powerful enough for the advanced professor to use in creating new knowledge and insight. The software is freely available for use online and it may also be downloaded and installed locally for better performance.