Quantifying Shakespeare's Lexicon: Words, Plays, and His Unique Contribution

William Shakespeare's impact on the English language is unparalleled. His works not only entertain but also enrich the language with a vast array of words and expressions. This article delves into the extent of his linguistic contribution, exploring the number of words he used in his complete works and the unique lexicon he introduced to the language.

Words in Shakespeare's Complete Works

Estimates of the number of words Shakespeare used in his plays and poems vary. For instance, according to the Folger Shakespeare Library, his complete works contain approximately 884,647 words and 118,406 lines. The Open Source Initiative provides a slightly different count, listing 835,997 words for his dramatic works when his sonnets and poems are excluded, which rounds up to about 836,000 words. This analysis spans across his 39 plays and 154 sonnets, demonstrating the vast scope of his creativity.

Unique Contributions to the English Language

Shakespeare's language is not only vast but also innovative. The Folger Library notes that over 1,700 words in the English language have their first recorded use in Shakespeare's works. This impressive statistic underscores the profound impact of his writing on the evolution of the English language. For comparison, Renaissance playwright Ben Jonson used around 13,000 different words in his plays and masques, highlighting the remarkable richness of Shakespeare's vocabulary.

Counting the Words: Methodologies and Considerations

The process of counting the number of words in Shakespeare's works involves meticulous analysis. A concordance, such as those compiled by Marvin Spevack, provides an accurate count of 884,647 words. However, the choice of which versions of the plays to include can affect the tally. The Folger Library's count includes sonnets and poems, which the Open Source Initiative's count excludes.

It's important to note that the word count includes repeated words such as "the" or "a," reflecting the overall size of his corpus. Additionally, Shakespeare's plays exist in variant folio and quarto versions, each with their own unique characteristics and variations, which can influence the total word count. A notable side effect of the modernization process, where plays are put through word processors and individual word counts are determined, is the challenge of verifying the authenticity of a play. Determining the originality and integrity of a script can be complex, especially when distinguishing between an original copy and a foul (unedited) copy.

The Monkey Experiment

Surprisingly, a calculation has been made to determine how many monkeys would be needed to produce the same number of words as Shakespeare. This thought experiment, while humorous, underscores the complexity and effort involved in Shakespeare's linguistic achievement.

The number of monkeys required would be staggering, illustrating the creative genius of Shakespeare. This question is often used to highlight the irreproducibility of his works and the unique linguistic contribution he made to the English language.