• Options
• Login
• Desktop Style

Using Massimiliano Zattera's slot sequence or a different one to find missing spaces?

• Index

  • The Voynich Ninja
  • Voynich Research
  • Analysis of the text
  • Using Massimiliano Zattera's slot sequence or a different one to find missing spaces?
• Using Massimiliano Zattera's slot sequence or a different one to find missing spaces?

• Using Massimiliano Zattera's slot sequence or a different one to find missing spaces?

  nablator > 05-04-2024, 01:53 PM

  [I know: it's speculative, just an experiment, not a theory, I'm not buying it myself.]
  
  Omitting spaces in a ciphered or coded message only makes sense if the original string of symbols or code words can be reconstructed.
  
  The problem with using MZ's slot sequence directly on space-less Voynichese is that there are several ways to insert spaces: the same glyphs appear several times in the slot sequence. So I tried a different slot sequence as an experiment to see what happens: this is an attempt (un-optimized, just an example) to re-parse vords of space-less Voynichese unambiguously.
  
  In this example, I removed all spaces from the first paragraph of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..
  
  polcheyqokedySholopchedyolpchedyofShdyoly
  dcheylShlolchedqokolcholotarchedyoky
  qoteylcheesolkalolchedyokarShedy
  dchedyqokainololchcThyykeedyal
  qolcheolokeeyolololaiinolorain
  sarolesesoteeyShorqokeeyol
  dSheesokainchcThyoteyokain
  pchedyqokeeyotyqoteyoteeyoly
  qoteesyqotedyqokeedychcPhey
  choldainotedycheeyqotainly
  olSheololkedyShecKhedyoltedy
  ychedytedyolSheedyqokeeyloly
  dcholShedyqotedyqolchedychetyry
  qokechedyqolSheedyorainaroloeeedy
  sainolcheedyqokeedyotedy
  
  Then vords were re-constructed using the following unambiguous 10-slot sequence defined as a regular expression:
  
  Replace:
  "((qo|)(k|t|p|f|)(ch|Sh|)(c(K|T|P|F)h|)(eee|ee|e|)(o|a|)(iii|ii|i|)(d|l|r|s|)(m|n|)(y|))"
  with:
  "\1\."
  
  Spaces at the end of lines were removed:
  
  Replace:
  "\.$"
  with:
  ""
  
  Result:
  
  pol.chey.qokedy.Shol.o.pchedy.ol.pchedy.o.fShdy.oly
  d.chey.l.Shl.ol.ched.qokol.chol.o.tar.chedy.o.ky
  qotey.l.chees.ol.kal.ol.chedy.o.kar.Shedy
  d.chedy.qokain.ol.ol.chcThy.y.keedy.al
  qol.cheol.o.keey.ol.ol.ol.aiin.ol.or.ain
  s.ar.ol.es.es.o.teey.Shor.qokeey.ol
  d.Shees.o.kain.chcThy.o.tey.o.kain
  pchedy.qokeey.o.ty.qotey.o.teey.oly
  qoteesy.qotedy.qokeedy.chcPhey
  chol.d.ain.o.tedy.cheey.qotain.ly
  ol.Sheol.ol.kedy.She.cKhedy.ol.tedy
  y.chedy.tedy.ol.Sheedy.qokeey.l.oly
  d.chol.Shedy.qotedy.qol.chedy.che.ty.ry
  qoke.chedy.qol.Sheedy.or.ain.ar.ol.o.eeedy
  s.ain.ol.cheedy.qokeedy.o.tedy
  
  Not bad, but all prefixing o, d, l, r, s, and "Janus pairs" are separated, these are the main differences with a typical transliteration.
  
  Spaces that should probably be omitted, in any consecutive vord pair of the previous paragraph, according to MZ's slot sequence, are marked with ",":
  
  pol.chey.qokedy.Shol.o,pchedy.ol,pchedy.o,fShdy.oly
  d,chey.l,Shl.ol,ched.qokol.chol.o,tar.chedy.o,ky
  qotey.l,chees.ol,kal.ol,chedy.o,kar.Shedy
  d,chedy.qokain.ol,ol.chcThy.y,keedy.al
  qol,cheol.o,keey.ol,ol.ol,aiin.ol,or.ain
  s,ar.ol,es.es,o,teey.Shor.qokeey.ol
  d,Shees,o,kain.chcThy.o,tey.o,kain
  pchedy.qokeey.o,ty.qotey.o,teey.oly
  qoteesy.qotedy.qokeedy.chcPhey
  chol.d,ain.o,tedy.cheey.qotain.ly
  ol,Sheol.ol,kedy.She.cKhedy.ol,tedy
  y,chedy.tedy.ol,Sheedy.qokeey.l,oly
  d,chol.Shedy.qotedy.qol,chedy.che.ty.ry
  qoke.chedy.qol,Sheedy.or,ain.ar.ol,o,eeedy
  s,ain.ol,cheedy.qokeedy.o,tedy
  
  The two slot sequences complement each other well, using the 10-slot sequence to get the shortest possible vords and MZ's 12-slot sequence to figure out which concatenations are probable.
  
  If most of these "," are removed, and a few "." as well the end result is close to You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..
  
  The hypothesis is that Voynichese was constructed from components in which glyphs were strictly ordered in a slot sequence or similar (it could be a partial order relation or what would be best described by a tree or a finite state machine, because all combinations allowed by the 10-slot sequence don't occur) then spaces were omitted randomly. This randomness was non-uniform, there were preferences, these preferences are (imperfectly) modeled by MZ's slot sequence.
  
  Of course 15th century scribes knew nothing about finite state machines and regular expressions, but they could have a practical implementation that was easy to use. For example the rule that glyphs must be strictly ordered can be enforced by a simple rule in a zigzag path on a square table using glyphs as coordinates: each linear segment of the zigzag path must cross the diagonal and, if we want more constraints, vertices could be forbidden on some areas of the table. I haven't abandoned my theory/delusion about zigzag paths and board games.

• RE: Using Massimiliano Zattera's slot sequence or a different one to find missing spaces?

  bi3mw > 05-04-2024, 07:01 PM

  Somehow Ramon Llull`s ars combinatoria comes to mind here ( I don`t know why myself )

• RE: Using Massimiliano Zattera's slot sequence or a different one to find missing spaces?

  pfeaster > 05-04-2024, 11:59 PM

  (05-04-2024, 01:53 PM)nablator Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.In this example, I removed all spaces from the first paragraph of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..

  
  I tried a set of tentative rules* I came up with a while back on the same passage -- here's what I got, for comparison.
  
  
  
  pol chey qokedy Shol opchedy olpchedy ofShdy oly
  dchey l Shl ol ched qokol chol otar chedy oky
  qotey l cheesolkal ol chedy okar Shedy
  dchedy qokain ol ol chcThy ykeedy al
  qol cheol okeey ol ol olaiin ol or ain
  sar olesesoteey Shor qokeey ol
  dSheesokain chcThy otey okain
  pchedy qokeey oty qotey oteey oly
  qoteesy qotedy qokeedy chcPhey
  chol dain otedy cheey qotain ly
  ol Sheol olkedy ShecKhedy oltedy
  y chedytedy ol Sheedy qokeey l oly
  dchol Shedy qotedy qol chedy chety ry
  qokechedy qol Sheedy or ain ar ol oeeedy
  sain ol cheedy qokeedy otedy
  
  * Insert space:

  • Before q
    
  • After g, m, n
    
  • After r except before y, i
    
  • After s before ch (with or without inserted gallows), Sh, d, l 
    
  • After y except before t, k
    
  • After l before r, o, d, ch (with or without inserted gallows), Sh
    
  • Between repetitions of o, s, l
    

• RE: Using Massimiliano Zattera's slot sequence or a different one to find missing spaces?

  dfs346 > Yesterday, 09:53 AM

  Updated thoughts on Massimiliano Zattera's "slot alphabet" of the Voynich manuscript; and how to expand it to a full "Voynich glyph alphabet".
  
  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
  
     
  A hypothetical wall chart for the Voynich scribes. The inscriptions are in Latin. Data from Zattera (2022) except {m} and {n} by author; graphic by author.
• Next Oldest Next Newest