02-03-2016, 08:05 AM
(This post was last modified: 02-03-2016, 10:50 AM by Torsten.
Edit Reason: fix typos
)
Quote:The question is whether or not your text copying method can account for the properties of the text without requiring the scribe to have been individually thinking about each property.
First, it is impossible to write without thinking. Second, it is obviously easier to copy words then to invent new words.
Quote:I think if you made a list of every property that the scribe would have had to have been specifically thinking about, it would be a very long list of very peculiar rules.
The main copying rules are rather simple.
The first rule is to replace a ligature or glyph with a similar one. I will demonstrate this with 'chedy' as example. The word 'chedy' consists of a ligature 'ch', an glyph 'e' and a ligature 'dy'. It is possible to modify each element. By changing 'ch' into 'sh' a new word 'shedy' would be generated. By changing 'e' into 'ee' a new word 'cheedy' would be generated. By changing 'dy' into 'd' a new word 'ched' would be generated.
The second modifying rule is to add a prefix like 'l', 'o', 'd', 'ch' or 'q'. For adding a prefix in front of another prefix some special rules exist: If for instance a prefix 'l' or 'o' is added in front of the glyphs 'ch' or 'd', these glyphs in seven out of ten cases change into a gallow glyph. This way a prefix 'o' added to a source word 'chedy' would result in words like 'okedy', 'otedy' or 'ochedy'.
The third rule is to combine two short words for generating a new word. For instance 'chedy' could be combined with 'ol' to generate a word 'olchedy' or 'olkedy'. For short glyph sequences it is also possible to combine the sequence with itself. For instance it is possible to combine two 'ol' words in order to generate a self-similar word 'olol'.
It is also possible to combine parts of two or even three other words. Even if a word is rare this doesn't mean that it is a new invention. See for instance "tchodaiin" (3 times) and "daiiithy" (1 times) on page f51r: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
A possible explanation for "tchodaiin" is that "tcho" and "daiin" are connected to build a new word. Surprisingly, there is a "(y)kcho(l)" and
a word "daiin" above of "tchodaiin" (see You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. ).
For "daiiithy" it seems that this word is a mix of "daiin" and "cthy". Again it is possible to explain this word from its context. There
is a "(o)aiin" and a "ckh(ee)y" within the lines above "daiiithy" (see You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. ).