20-01-2016, 06:46 PM
The "long straight line" is certainly a stroke which occurs in both the gallows and [q], and I think there is an argument--although not strong--for believing they are the same stroke. The difference being their relation to the baseline.
What it could mean is hard to guess. It could be that, like with [i] and [e], it is simply a fundamental stroke of writing the characters and has no meaning. Much like in Roman script [d] and [b] have a tall straight ascender and are both voiced consonants, but any similarity in appearance is coincidence. This would be backed up by the utterly different ways in which [q] and the gallows characters work.
However, I think that some mistakes in the writing of individual characters in the text give away the workings of the writer's mind, and that they at least had a strong connection between the gallows and [q].
Overall, it is not something I have been able to figure out.
What it could mean is hard to guess. It could be that, like with [i] and [e], it is simply a fundamental stroke of writing the characters and has no meaning. Much like in Roman script [d] and [b] have a tall straight ascender and are both voiced consonants, but any similarity in appearance is coincidence. This would be backed up by the utterly different ways in which [q] and the gallows characters work.
However, I think that some mistakes in the writing of individual characters in the text give away the workings of the writer's mind, and that they at least had a strong connection between the gallows and [q].
Overall, it is not something I have been able to figure out.