Trial Development of Folktales' Motif Database and Numerical Analysis of the Structure of Narrative

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1.We extracted basic data from Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature and inputted them on HITAC M-640/35 main-frame computer at Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies). The data will constitute our Folktales' Motif Database.2.On the model of Martinet's functionalism, the "double articulation of motif" is proposed : at the first articulation, motif (i.e., a proposition composed of subject and predicate) is decomposed into "motif-monemes", that is, etic elements (character, action, and circumstances of the action, narrated in a folktale). At the second articulation, motif-moneme is decomposed into "motif-semes", that is, a bundle of semantic features, and emic element consist in a network of the relations among these features. This method can be applied to synthesis of morphology of folktale, based on emic element and analysis of variation based on etic element.3.On the model of Tesniere's "actant", 1,100 motif-monemes are abstracted from a basic data : 391 predicates (verbs in general) which signify a "process" and 719 actants (substantives), including accessorial elements.4.After the determination of logical structure of our database, we start the second articulation (from a motif-moneme to motif-semes). The method of numerical analysis of folktales, by the use of motif's database and another database which contains folktale itself in the form of LIST,is under examination.