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List of "weird" vords
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| -m,-g typically ends a line. |
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Posted by: Addsamuels - 19-06-2023, 03:18 PM - Forum: Analysis of the text
- Replies (10)
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According to voynichese, there are 1105 matches with the letter m in them, 778 are line ends.
For a strong *m search, there are 1092 matches, 768 are line-ends.
It's a similar story with *g with 62/80 line ends and for just g, 71/96 are line ends.
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| Collecting comparative data for the f116v script |
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Posted by: Koen G - 12-06-2023, 08:51 AM - Forum: Marginalia
- Replies (15)
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A lot of uncertainties remain about the handwriting of the German-Latin-like text of f116v. Could it have been written by the Voynich scribes, or does it belong in a slightly later period? Are some of its features unique, or are they found elsewhere? Do some features point to a specific region, and if so, how specific? Sometimes, we see a script that looks and feels the same, but looks may be deceiving, so we need to come up with a standard way of comparing and assessing comparative scripts.
Inspired by Katie Painter and Claire Bowern's paper You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (presented at the Malta conference), Marco Ponzi and I got talking about doing something similar for the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. script. We discussed which letters to include, and their most important paleographic features. I compiled everything in a google drive doc and added some images for clarification.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Now if we are to learn anything new from this, we will need lots of data. Therefore, the whole thing has been set up with collaboration in mind. First, we have to make sure that our categories are clear and well-selected. So if you are somewhat familiar with the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. script, please have a look. Did we forget anything important? Is anything unclear?
Then, if you would like to collaborate on this project, even if it is just by adding one manuscript every once in a while, please let me know and I will invite you to be an editor on the file.
Some notes:
- In the images, green means good, red means bad. When something is circled in red, it is a counterexample.
- We did not include certain glyphs that were too problematic:
- "8"-shaped glyphs, there is still too much discussion about whether they are 'd' or short-'s' or both
- 'i', it is too variable
- 't' and 'c', they can be too difficult to tell apart in this kind of script
- We did include 'c' as part of the 'ch' ligature
Tips for filling in the file:
- Manuscripts can have multiple scribes. To make sure that you stick with one scribe, ideally look at one or a few adjacent folios.
- A form needs to be somewhat common. For example, a feature of the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. script is that the bottom of 'a' is open. If you hunt through a manuscript for any 'a' with an open bottom, you will probably find one, but this is not the point. If a scribe closes all of his 'a' on a page apart from one, then his 'a' is closed.
- It is clear that we are looking at the bastarda/gothic cursive family of scripts, but within that family it will be useful to include a lot of variation. I have been testing it mostly with 15th century German manuscripts so far, but we also need 14th century, 16th century, England, France... Just to get a more well-rounded data set. Got a favorite manuscript? Put it in there!
- The total is automatically calculated in the blue column. Expect scores to be low! The maximum to be obtained is 25, but it will be a challenge to find anything over 15. A good score is around 10, an awesome score is between 10 and 15.
So let me know if there is anything you would like to see changed, and if you would like to help with this project!
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| What's up with variants of Currier 'E'/EVA 'l'? |
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Posted by: kckluge - 28-05-2023, 12:53 AM - Forum: Analysis of the text
- Replies (8)
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If you look carefully, EVA 'l' comes in at least two variants, depending on how the top of the 'x' portion of the character is closed. In some cases it's with a single linear stroke across the top, and in some cases it's with an arched stroke (or even a very carefully done '^') across the top. This is not a between-scribes variation, as can be seen by perusing f83v:
* You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. shows a nice example of the straight-stroke-across form
* You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. shows a nice example of the '^'-top form
Given that this is/appears to be a constructed script, the only correct answer to the question of whether the distinction matters lies in the (unknown) intention of the creator(s), but one can at least ask whether from a paleographical perspective this is *likely* to be a meaningful, intended distinction as opposed to scribal haste/slioppiness.
Thoughts?
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| The Voynich-Ms as a concatenation of abbreviations |
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Posted by: Helmut Winkler - 23-05-2023, 02:00 PM - Forum: Analysis of the text
- Replies (69)
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The Voynich-Ms as a concattenation of Abbreviations
I came to the conclusion years ago that the ms. could not be a coded text and then began to search the shallows of medieval lore for possible alternatives.
Three things stood out: the text is almost completely legible in that sense, but makes no sense, and glyphs stand out that are clearly medieval abbreviations; moreover, the same characters and groups of characters appear again and again.
I found after some time the little-known practice of using the 'normal' medieval abbreviation system in place of a shorthand that the Middle Ages had not developed and the Tironian notes that had fallen out of use.
I came to the conclusion that it was a text written in this abbreviation system.
The text of the so-called Voynich manuscript, Beinecke 408 is a sequence of so-called words, sense units, which in turn are a sequence of abbreviations.
The script is a Gothic minuscule with the corresponding abbreviations and additional derivations probably from the Uncial.
Abbreviations
The breakthrough came when I realised that the character sequence daiin must be read differently, namely as d' aui and an abbreviation stroke, which is then clearly to be interpreted as dicit auicenna - it is actually the problem of textualis, which knows similar sequences of minims that are very difficult to read.
One then quickly notices more abbreviations
q for the relative pronoun quod EVA q
ct for caput EVA c and h
9 cum/con or ending EVA y
the two etc abbreviations, EVA g and m
Numbers
2 EVA r
5 EVA s
Litterae singulares - Gallows
The two P, EVA f and p, M EVA t and N EVA k, the meaning could be Pliny, Nat: Hist., Pandects, Mesue or Macer, (Antidotarium) Nicolai.
Marginalia
The so-called marginalia consist largely of abbreviations, the best example is 116v, primum, palden probiren, gas milch, also the so-called spell seems to contain abbreviations, I just noticed that the third a in oladabas is not an a but a con - abbreviation. 17r en seems to mean emplastrum - at least that is what the illustration suggests.
Vatican Archives
I have heard from a reliable source of B. 408 comparable noizen in the AAV, but have not yet been able to locate the original, perhaps one of the readers works there and knows more.
Atahanasius Kircher
I think that A.K. recognised and was able to read the shortening system, whether he read it is another question.
Avicenna
I suspect that the underlying text is Avicenna, Canon, book 2, herbarium, book 5 recipe part and the gynaecology of book 3, except for the astronomical part, perhaps Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos?
If my hypothesis is correct, this does not solve all the problems, of course,
on the contrary. In many cases you just have to guess what the text means and I am not at all sure that all glyphs always mean the same thing.
Conclusion
The text of the so-called Voynich Manuscript, Beinecke 408 is a sequence of so-called words, sense units, which in turn are a sequence of abbreviations.
Questions and comments welcome
Helmut Winkler
Translated with You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (free version)
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