Exploring Word-Adjacency Networks with Multifractal Time Series Analysis Techniques

Abstract

A novel method of exploring linguistic networks is introduced by mapping word-adjacency networks to time series and applying multifractal analysis techniques. This approach captures the complex structural patterns of language by encoding network properties—such as clustering coefficients and node degrees—into temporal sequences. Using Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll as a case study, both traditional word-adjacency networks and extended versions that incorporate punctuation are examined. The results indicate that the time series derived from clustering coefficients, when following the natural reading order, exhibits multifractal characteristics, revealing inherent complexity in textual organization. Statistical validation confirms that observed multifractal properties arise from genuine correlations rather than from spurious effects. Extending this analysis by taking into account punctuation equally with words, however, changes the nature of the global scaling to a more convolved form that is not describable by a uniform multifractal. An analogous analysis based on the node degrees does not show such rich behaviors, however. These findings reveal a new perspective for quantitative linguistics and network science, providing a deeper understanding of the interplay between text structure and complex systems.