A Quantitative Study on the Linguistic Features of the Creation Epic Hnewo Teyy

Research on the Yi epic Hnewo teyy has primarily employed qualitative methods, focusing on fields such as translation studies, philosophy, folklore, and poetics. This paper introduces quantitative linguistic methods to examine the linguistic features of the Yi creation epic Hnewo teyy. By analyzing the word frequency distribution characteristics of Hnewo teyy, Zipf's Law is utilized to validate the naturalness of this Yi creation epic. Through clustering experiments comparing Hnewo teyy with modern poetry, regulated poetry, and the folk song "Hua'er," it is found that the narrative style of the epic is more similar to modern poetry and shows a tendency toward ballad-like characteristics. This study addresses methodological gaps in the research of Yi epics, contributing to a more systematic, objective, and scientific approach to the study of ethnic epics.