Olé tu léxico! A computational investigation into Flamenco lyrics

I will present a recent work in collaboration with M San Miguel and D Sánchez. It is in pre-pre-print phase, so please bring all your cannons and weapons (respectfully) charged.

Flamenco, recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is a profound expression of cultural identity rooted in Andalusia, Spain. However, there is a lack of quantitative studies that help identify characteristic patterns in this long-lived music tradition. In this work, we present a computational analysis of Flamenco lyrics, employing natural language processing and machine learning to categorize over 2000 lyrics into their respective styles, namely "palos". Using a Naive Bayes classifier, we find that lexical variation across styles enables to accurately identify distinct "palos". More importantly, from an automatic method of word usage we obtain the semantic fields that characterize each style. Further, we employ a metric that quantifies the intergenre distance and a network analysis to shed light on the relationship between Flamenco styles. Our results suggest historical connections and "palo" evolutions. Overall, our work illuminates the intricate relationships and cultural significance embedded within Flamenco lyrics.

Also, bring a piece of paper and a pen.