It appears that my gut feeling that PL might be using Google Translate to "unzip" the supposed VMS "Latin" may have been correct (see reply number 9):
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Unfortunately, this method can generate many valid-looking words (that are not valid) because Google Translate's software makes a best guess even if you supply bad data. The more phrases you add, the harder it tries.
Also, there's a PL response to a comment on that link in which he says:
"It is not gobbledegook - it is a beta version of a computer transcription of the Voynich glyphs into Latin.
If it was gobbledegook it would show random words on random topics. In fact, the beta transcription used with the images and a little judgement shows many words connected with the art of the apothecary."
My reaction?
Gobbledegook does not mean random. One definition refers to text that is so jargonistic, it is unintelligible. A second definition is text that is gibberish, which is the definition that I believe applies here. Text can be gibberish without being random. Many natural-language-generating software programs create gibberish using real words. There are whole websites created this way. They look like sentences until you start reading them. Then you realize it's nothing more than an algorithm churning out nonsense.
As far as I can tell, PL believes he is seeing "valid" Latin words because
I wasn't even planning to comment on this after the second installment—I thought it was a closed subject—but the blogger is still actively defending the transcription, and people without knowledge of Latin are being led on, in my opinion, so I felt compelled to repeat my prior opinion—the transcription does not come close to being Latin and does not further our knowledge of the VMS in any way that I can discern.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Unfortunately, this method can generate many valid-looking words (that are not valid) because Google Translate's software makes a best guess even if you supply bad data. The more phrases you add, the harder it tries.
Also, there's a PL response to a comment on that link in which he says:
"It is not gobbledegook - it is a beta version of a computer transcription of the Voynich glyphs into Latin.
If it was gobbledegook it would show random words on random topics. In fact, the beta transcription used with the images and a little judgement shows many words connected with the art of the apothecary."
My reaction?
Gobbledegook does not mean random. One definition refers to text that is so jargonistic, it is unintelligible. A second definition is text that is gibberish, which is the definition that I believe applies here. Text can be gibberish without being random. Many natural-language-generating software programs create gibberish using real words. There are whole websites created this way. They look like sentences until you start reading them. Then you realize it's nothing more than an algorithm churning out nonsense.
As far as I can tell, PL believes he is seeing "valid" Latin words because
- He does not have a basic working knowledge of Latin.
- A transcription of thousands of words is statistically likely to create a few that appear valid.
- He's using valid Latin prefixes and suffixes to expand some of the glyphs, which naturally will result in a few valid words because half the word is supplied by the part that was assumed and expanded.
- He is mis-translating (for example, he translated "banis" as bath—I know of no Latin dictionary in which 'banis" means bath, croque is not a Latin word either, it does not mean crocus or saffron in Latin, it's a French word for a coarse/crunchy texture).
I wasn't even planning to comment on this after the second installment—I thought it was a closed subject—but the blogger is still actively defending the transcription, and people without knowledge of Latin are being led on, in my opinion, so I felt compelled to repeat my prior opinion—the transcription does not come close to being Latin and does not further our knowledge of the VMS in any way that I can discern.