An algorithm for the detection and analysis of arud meter in Diwan poetry

Abstract

Diwan poetry is an important branch of classical Turkish literature (or Ottoman literature) that uses arud meter (wazn AR(1) or bahr AR, olcu TR2). The teaching of classical poetry in high schools and in literature departments in universities requires an understanding of this meter. Arud is also used in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and other eastern languages. Determining the arud meter of poems written in the Ottoman language (Osmanlica TR) is a difficult and tedious task for those who study poetry. In this paper, we focus on the computerized analysis of arud meter. We present an algorithm that is able to determine the correct arud meter for a given poem and is also able to point out the anomalies or flaws in poems with respect to arud. The preliminary tests are quite satisfactory and the algorithm that we developed yields a very high accuracy. This project(3) is available as a web-based application that includes a small Diwan poetry database and an algorithm for determining the syllabic meter (hece olcusu TR) of poems in Turkish folk literature. The application can be used as a teaching aid for teachers of classical poetry and as a research tool for scholars and professionals studying poetry.