Good day everyone. This is my first post here. I am an independent reader of the Voynich Manuscript, approaching it from a structural and statistical perspective rather than a decipherment-oriented approach. I would like to share a theory paper. This paper does not propose a decipherment, language identification, or hidden plaintext for the Voynich Manuscript. Instead, it advances a functional hypothesis intended to account for several well-documented statistical and structural anomalies—most notably position-dependent entropy, low conditional entropy, and extreme positional rigidity. The framework presented here treats the text as a structured visual system rather than a semantic narrative. It is offered as a provisional, falsifiable model, not a conclusion. The goal is to test whether known quantitative properties of the manuscript can be coherently explained without invoking linguistic encoding. I am presenting this analysis for critical review and welcome corrections, counterexamples, or prior work that directly contradicts the proposed mechanism.

This paper proposes a novel functional framework for the Voynich Manuscript (VMS), positing that the codex is not a linguistic vessel for information storage, but a structured visual system compatible with sustained attentional regulation under controlled visual scanning conditions. This analysis focuses on the unique statistical anomalies of the script, particularly position-dependent entropy (Lindemann 2020; Schinner 2007). Building on these analyses, the paper proposes that the text functions as a visual scaffold rather than a semantic narrative. It introduces the Gate–Scaffolding Model, in which line-initial tokens (“Gates”) calibrate local cognitive load, while subsequent low-entropy text (“Scaffolding”) facilitates a non-narrative, rhythmic boustrophedon scanning pattern. Furthermore, illustrations are proposed to function as high-contrast interference stimuli that engage parafoveal processing and spatial mapping, modulating spatial attention across foveal and parafoveal visual fields. This framework is exploratory and intended for discussion; it does not assert authorship or deliberate purpose.

Traditional cryptanalytic approaches to the Voynich Manuscript rely on the assumption that the script encodes a natural language. However, decades of statistical analysis reveal a paradox: while the script adheres to Zipf’s Law—suggesting linguistic structure—it exhibits extraordinarily low conditional entropy (h₂ ≈ 2.0 bits per character), substantially below the range observed in natural human languages (approximately 3.0–4.0 bits). Critically, unlike shorthand or repetitive litany, this low entropy is tightly linked to each word's position on the line. While entropy alone does not falsify linguistic hypotheses, the combination of low conditional entropy with extreme positional rigidity places the script outside known natural language families. This paper argues that this low-entropy characteristic is not necessarily an artifact of encryption, but may instead reflect a functional property of the system. The Lens Protocol is proposed as a model in which the text is compatible with reading conditions associated with reduced narrative self-referential processing, sometimes discussed in relation to Default Mode Network (DMN) activity. While word-level distributions roughly follow Zipfian curves, the conditional character entropy suggests a system where 'words' are emergent properties of a character-generation algorithm rather than semantic units. This framework suggests these 'words' function as visual pulses rather than lexical entries.

Paragraphs in the VMS are often arranged in stable, non-random spatial relationships with adjacent illustrations. Under the Lens Protocol, the illustration is hypothesized to function as a global peripheral anchor, providing a constant, non-linguistic stimulus to the parafoveal field. While the fovea executes the local Gate–Scaffolding scan of the text line, the parafoveal system remains anchored to consistent spatial coordinates associated with the diagram. This dual-channel engagement is proposed to reduce spatial drift and mitigate perceptual habituation across multi-line sequences. Under this model, paragraph boundaries do not function as semantic divisions, but as synchronization points that re-lock foveal scanning to a stable peripheral reference, maintaining attentional stability over extended viewing.

The Voynich Manuscript constitutes a highly constrained visual–textual system whose properties are compatible with effects on attentional networks and cognitive processing. Through its Gate–Scaffolding text architecture and the presence of parafoveal interference diagrams, the manuscript strongly biases reading behavior toward a non-narrative attentional flow state under sustained engagement. Future work should focus on controlled behavioral and neurophysiological studies—such as eye-tracking and EEG coherence measurements during boustrophedon scanning—to empirically test these compatibility claims.

I am particularly interested in negative results, counter-models, and empirical objections. If this framework fails, understanding why it fails is more valuable than defending it. This model acknowledges the Currier Language split and the Gordon Rugg Hoax Hypothesis, but proposes a third path: that the manuscript is a functional artifact whose 'meaning' is found in its physiological and attentional effects on the observer, not in a hidden plaintext.