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A small non-expert reading experiment on the faded inscription

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• A small non-expert reading experiment on the faded inscription

• A small non-expert reading experiment on the faded inscription

  Quentin Da Silva > 11 hours ago

  I had a simple idea that I thought might be worth testing regarding the faded inscription above/near the sun on the Rosettes foldout.
  
  I showed a magnified view of the inscription to 20 people around me who were not familiar with the Voynich Manuscript, and simply asked them what they thought the first word looked like at first glance.
  
  I used the high-resolution TIFF scan, without relying on an enhanced or reconstructed version of the writing.
  
  The results surprised me:
  
  14/20 read “Paris”
  4/20 read something like “Par ici”
  2/20 said they could not read anything and that it was simply too illegible
  
  Of course, this is only a small informal experiment and not scientific evidence. I am also aware that “Paris” has already been suggested in earlier discussions on this forum.
  
  What I find interesting, however, is that these people had no previous familiarity with the manuscript, so they were not influenced by the usual Voynich transcriptions or interpretations.
  
  Folio 86v → Manuscrit de Voynich
  
  Sometimes I wonder whether completely non-specialist observers may notice something that experienced researchers no longer see immediately because we are already familiar with the manuscript and its proposed readings.
  
  I am sharing the result simply and transparently because I think it may be worth reproducing.
  
  Has anyone here tried the same experiment with people who know nothing about the Voynich Manuscript?
  
  If you do, I would be very interested to know what answers you get — ideally without suggesting any possible reading to them beforehand.
  
  Thank you.

• RE: A small non-expert reading experiment on the faded inscription

  ololololo > 43 minutes ago

  First, it would be worth publishing this in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. The topic is the same.
  
  Secondly, look atYou are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (and this).
  
  Thirdly, the fact that people don’t know about VMS makes them subconsciously seek connections with something familiar. They will see Paris here rather than sachy. 
  I remember I showed my friend VMS. He said the letters looked like Latin.
  
  Fourthly, if this is Paris, then what conclusions can we draw? This isn’t nit‑picking, it’s just interest. On the Rosettes, I don’t see anything that could be related to Paris.

• RE: A small non-expert reading experiment on the faded inscription

  Koen G > 39 minutes ago

  I assume the 20 people you asked are French? Your test results certainly tell us something, but not about the VM 

• RE: A small non-expert reading experiment on the faded inscription

  ololololo > 34 minutes ago

     
     
  
  You can see everything you want. It all depends on the sharpness of our eye...
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