Relations among pattern studies?

[pfeaster]

I think the problem I have is squaring this with how spaces are distributed. Some glyphs demand spaces---before [q] and after [n]---some glyphs reject spaces---after [ch] or (mostly) before [e]---while others have no strong preference. I suppose this can be put down to the scribe's esthetic sense, but it would need to be shared by all five scribes. As the first two options don't change throughout the text, only the last of the three options is under their control in the way you describe.

I'm not sure there's any pattern linking particular hands to preferences for or against inserting breaks at "weak" breakpoints.  That could be interesting to investigate.  But the comma placement in 1,234,567 isn't just a matter of aesthetics, and there's a reason why 1234 and 1,234 (with a "weak comma," so to speak) are both acceptable and used interchangeably.  I'd imagine there could be some equally good reason behind the "weakness" of "weak" breakpoints, even if I have no idea as yet what that reason could be.

I agree that the spaces may well not be informational---they're either too determined or too optional---but they still could be meaningful. That is, they tell us about the method of creation rather than the content of the message.

Following the analogy with commas in numerals, I'd go further to say they could tell us something valuable about the content (or at least the structure) of the message even if they're not essential for decoding it.