Reading old handwritten documents can be a real challenge for genealogists, especially as some documents in Sweden are written in the old German alphabet that is not used today. Much research has been done on how to enable computers to read old handwritten documents, but computers have so far not reached the level of reading that expert humans have. The focus seems to be on the computers reading the document with or without the help of human experts, with the aim of making the documents available in easily read form. I have, however, not found any research on how computers can help non-expert humans trying to read handwritten documents. In this project I have focused especially on beginning genealogists as reading gets easier with practice, and you need the help more in the beginning.By conducting interviews and observations with genealogists I established that reading is an issue and that there are many factors involved that make it difficult to read. Among the factors that make it difficult to read are handwriting, foreign alphabet, unknown words and old-fashioned spelling. I designed hi-fi prototypes that combine elements of online crossword-lexicons, encyclopedias and a visualization of the word in the German alphabet. After testing these on genealogists I could conclude that the prototypes made it possible for test subjects to identify words that they could not otherwise read. Seeing suggestions of words in the same alphabet as the source word makes it easier to identify the correct word. The prototypes and test texts contained a very limited amount of words and further research is needed concerning how to order and choose among word matches in a large lexicon to facilitate finding the correct word.

Au cours des premiers siècles de l’Islam, le rôle du manuscrit est essentiel dans la transmission du texte coranique. Cependant, comment utiliser les manuscrits dans une perspective historique, alors qu’ils sont aujourd’hui réduits à l’état de fragments, dispersés dans les collections mondiales ? En soumettant les fragments à une étude pluridisciplinaire unissant l’approche formelle et l’analyse textuelle, nous parvenons à reconstituer les liens entre les manuscrits et à en évaluer la portée historique. Ces liens révèlent qu’au 2e/8e siècle, il existe plusieurs traditions manuscrites en cours de normalisation et de codification. En définitive, l’étude des manuscrits met à jour les détails d’un épisode effacé de l’histoire du Coran : celui de sa standardisation progressive, tant dans sa forme que dans son texte. / During the first centuries of Islam, the Qur’anic manuscript plays an essential role in the textual transmission of the Qur’an. However, how can we use these manuscripts, now preserved as fragments scattered all over the world, in the light of history? Through a multidisciplinary way, combining formal and textual analyses, we are able to reconstruct the links between the manuscripts and to evaluate their historical implication. These links reveal that the 2nd/8th century is a decisive stage for the Qur’anic normalization, where several Qur’anic traditions are concurrent. Thus, the study of the Qur’anic manuscript elucidates some details of a significant moment for the history of the Qur’an: the process of its codification and canonization, in its form and its text.

Les neumes aquitains dont les formes sont proches de celles des liquescences, bien qu’ils soient utilisés indépendamment des situations phonétiques, sont traditionnellement considérés comme les « graphies particulières » propres aux versaria polyphoniques : Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fonds latin, 3549 et 3719. La présente thèse identifie ces neumes comme l’oriscus spécial, d’une forme rare, employé en plus de l’oriscus aquitain normatif. Dans le versarium 3719 l’usage de l’oriscus spécial est lié aussi aux autres phénomènes notationnels, comme les liaisons entre les éléments neumatiques descendants. La thèse relève l’existence de l’oriscus spécial dans un petit nombre de manuscrits de la notation aquitaine monodique, parmi les 150 manuscrits de la Bibliothèque nationale de France. Quant aux phénomènes notationnels adjacents à l’oriscus de cette forme, ils appartiennent à une évolution graphique du tractulus/punctum aquitain le plus fortement prononcée au Sud-ouest du domaine de la notation aquitaine. Les graphies particulières ne sont donc pas circonscrites strictement au sein des versaria polyphoniques aquitains, comme cela a été supposé jusqu’à présent. L’oriscus spécial remplit des fonctions spécifiques dans les versaria polyphoniques aquitains, principalement, l’ornementation des intervalles en vertical et la coordination de la rencontre des voix. Ainsi, en intégrant cet oriscus dans l’arsenal de sa neumatique, la notation aquitaine de conception monodique s’adapte à la tâche de noter les chants polyphoniques, adéquatement aux besoins de l’écriture musicale du discantus orné. / The neumes which are close in their shape to the Aquitanian liquescence signs, but are used independently of the phonetic circumstances, are usually considered as the “neumatic peculiarities” specific to the Aquitanian versaria: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 3549 and lat. 3719. The present thesis identifies these neumes as the Aquitanian special oriscus of an uncommon shape, employed in the versaria additionally to the Aquitanian oriscus of the common shape. This oriscus is connected to some other notational phenomena of the versarium 3719, like the ligatures that occur in the down-going neumes.The present thesis reveals the existence of the special oriscus in a small amount of sources, among the 150 manuscripts of the Bibliothèque nationale that carry Aquitanian neumatic notation. As to the other notational phenomena connected to the oriscus, these belong to a graphical development of the Aquitanian tractulus /punctum which shows itself most strongly in the South-west of the Aquitanian notation area. The neumatic peculiarities are therefore not contained exclusively in the corpus of Aquitanian polyphonic versaria, as it was supposed.The special oriscus carries some specific functions in the polyphonic versaria. Basically, these functions are related to the ornamentation of an interval between the voices and the process of the voice alignment. Therefore, we conclude that the Aquitanian notation, by integrating the special oriscus and conferring on it some specific functions, adapts itself adequately to the needs of the polyphonic language which was developed by the florid Aquitanian discantus in the late XIth and the early XIIth centuries.

O objetivo da presente dissertação é a transcrição semidiplomática e análise filológica de um processo inquisitorial aberto pela Justiça Eclesiástica paulista, no ano de 1754, em Jundiaí, no qual as rés, Thereza Leyte e Escholastica Pinta da Silva (mãe e filha) são acusadas de matar o primeiro marido de Escholastica utilizando-se de feitiços, de matarem outros homens e de terem pacto com o demônio. A pesquisa procura também contribuir para elucidar o modo pelo qual o Tribunal do Santo Ofício agiu na Europa e na América portuguesa, buscando esclarecer sua atuação no Brasil colonial. Além disso, é apresentado um estudo codicológico e paleográfico da documentação, abordando aspectos relacionados ao papel utilizado, às tintas, às abreviaturas e a outros aspectos relacionados à escrita da língua portuguesa no século XVIII. Ao final do trabalho, é apresentada a transcrição semidiplomática da documentação, juntamente com os fac-símiles dos manuscritos originais. / The present thesis aims to offer the semidiplomatic transcription and philological analysis of an inquisitorial lawsuit started by the Ecclesiastical Court from São Paulo, in 1754, in Jundiaí, in which the defendants, Thereza Leyte and Escholastica Pinta da Sylva (mother and daughter), are accused of killing Escholasticas first husband by means of witchcraft. They are also accused of killing other men and of having a pact with the devil. The research also seeks to contribute to elucidate the means through which the Holy Office acted in Europe and in Portuguese America, with the objective of enlightening its actuation in colonial Brazil. Furthermore, a codicological and paleographic study of the documentation is presented, approaching aspects related to the paper used, the inks, the abbreviation system and other aspects related to the Portuguese language writing in the 18th century. At the end of the paper, the semidiplomatic transcription is presented along with the facsimiles of the original manuscripts.

Au cours des premiers siècles de l’Islam, le rôle du manuscrit est essentiel dans la transmission du texte coranique. Cependant, comment utiliser les manuscrits dans une perspective historique, alors qu’ils sont aujourd’hui réduits à l’état de fragments, dispersés dans les collections mondiales ? En soumettant les fragments à une étude pluridisciplinaire unissant l’approche formelle et l’analyse textuelle, nous parvenons à reconstituer les liens entre les manuscrits et à en évaluer la portée historique. Ces liens révèlent qu’au 2e/8e siècle, il existe plusieurs traditions manuscrites en cours de normalisation et de codification. En définitive, l’étude des manuscrits met à jour les détails d’un épisode effacé de l’histoire du Coran : celui de sa standardisation progressive, tant dans sa forme que dans son texte. / During the first centuries of Islam, the Qur’anic manuscript plays an essential role in the textual transmission of the Qur’an. However, how can we use these manuscripts, now preserved as fragments scattered all over the world, in the light of history? Through a multidisciplinary way, combining formal and textual analyses, we are able to reconstruct the links between the manuscripts and to evaluate their historical implication. These links reveal that the 2nd/8th century is a decisive stage for the Qur’anic normalization, where several Qur’anic traditions are concurrent. Thus, the study of the Qur’anic manuscript elucidates some details of a significant moment for the history of the Qur’an: the process of its codification and canonization, in its form and its text.

No description available.

Medieval cartularies have been the focus of many studies in the past few decades. Rather than simply repositories for charter texts, cartularies are now regarded by those who study them as carefully curated collections of texts whose contents and arrangement reflect the immediate concerns and archival environment of the communities that created them. One feature of cartularies which has not received attention is the ‘growth’ of their manuscripts beyond the initial phase of creation. This growth refers not only to the addition of fresh gatherings but also to the piecemeal addition of texts into the available spaces, often in a haphazard order and by many scribes working across a number of decades. ‘Manuscript growth’ is not an uncommon feature of cartularies from the central middle ages, particularly from the thirteenth century onwards. As a phenomenon, however, it has not been recognised or studied, for the good reason that it is difficult to discuss haphazard manuscript growth in a systematic way. This thesis offers a new methodology which engages with multi-scribe contributions to ‘active’ cartularies. It takes a holistic approach which integrates the textual and ‘physical’ evidence of cartularies, and embraces all forms of scribal activity. By studying the growth of cartulary manuscripts, we can gain significant insights into the contemporary use and perception of these valuable objects. This thesis therefore takes a fresh look at the ‘genre’ of medieval cartularies through the eyes of the manuscript evidence itself, and what this can reveal about its medieval scribes and readers. Two manuscripts are taken as the basis of this study: the older cartulary of Glasgow Cathedral (AUL SCA MS JB 1/3) and the older cartulary of Lindores Abbey (in private ownership in Caprington Castle). Chapter 1 introduces the field of cartulary studies, with reference to new work in this area (particularly in relation to cartularies in France and England). Central questions in this field are introduced, such as the definition of a cartulary, their creation and function. It also discusses approaches to analysing complex codices and multi-scribe activity within other manuscript genres. In Chapter 2, a new methodology will be introduced for analysing manuscript growth. This involves rethinking our approach to some familiar elements of manuscripts: their codicology, binding history, the scribes, as well as the challenge of dating the various contributions to the cartularies. New concepts and terminology will be introduced (such as ‘relative dating’ and ‘series’) that have been developed in response to these two complex cartularies. By applying this new methodology, the creation and subsequent growth of each manuscript can be examined in detail in Chapter 3 (for Glasgow Cathedral’s cartulary) and Chapter 4 (for Lindores Abbey’s). It is shown that the contemporary experience of these two cartularies was as a collection of simultaneously ‘active’ units (either unbound or in temporary bindings), offering new scribes a choice of where to place their material. Chapter 5 draws together the analysis, and focuses on the initial creation of the cartularies, the nature of their growth by piecemeal additions, and the reasons for this growth. This reveals two communities that took an active approach to reading and extending their cartularies, treating these manuscripts as a shared space. The vexed question of ‘repeated’ texts within cartularies is reconsidered in this light. The analysis allows us to develop a deeper understanding of the cartularies’ function and the role of their scribes as primarily readers, whose interactions with the manuscript were responsive and dynamic. The institutional setting is also discussed. The thesis concludes by considering the implications of this study for our understanding of the function and typology of cartularies, their relationship to archives of single-sheet documents, and as sources for institutional identity, as well as the potential of the methodology to act as a starting point for studying scribal interactions and scribes as readers in other manuscript genres with multi-scribe growth.

This thesis undertakes a close study of a single manuscript of the early 1320s, written at the priory of Fineshade, Northamptonshire. The manuscript contains a short chronicle and several documents related to the failed baronial rebellion of 1321-22. I argue that, in collaboration with the priory’s patrons, the Engayne family, the chronicler responds to the current situation with an attempt to create meaning from a time of crisis. In the process, he attempts to shape his material through patterns of style and thought inherited from both chronicle and hagiographical traditions, to make the present conform to the known and understood shape of the past. His success is limited by his inability to establish sufficient distance from traumatic events, a difficulty that many chroniclers seemed to encounter when they attempted to turn current events into meaningful historical narrative.

This thesis undertakes a close study of a single manuscript of the early 1320s, written at the priory of Fineshade, Northamptonshire. The manuscript contains a short chronicle and several documents related to the failed baronial rebellion of 1321-22. I argue that, in collaboration with the priory’s patrons, the Engayne family, the chronicler responds to the current situation with an attempt to create meaning from a time of crisis. In the process, he attempts to shape his material through patterns of style and thought inherited from both chronicle and hagiographical traditions, to make the present conform to the known and understood shape of the past. His success is limited by his inability to establish sufficient distance from traumatic events, a difficulty that many chroniclers seemed to encounter when they attempted to turn current events into meaningful historical narrative.

This thesis undertakes a close study of a single manuscript of the early 1320s, written at the priory of Fineshade, Northamptonshire. The manuscript contains a short chronicle and several documents related to the failed baronial rebellion of 1321-22. I argue that, in collaboration with the priory’s patrons, the Engayne family, the chronicler responds to the current situation with an attempt to create meaning from a time of crisis. In the process, he attempts to shape his material through patterns of style and thought inherited from both chronicle and hagiographical traditions, to make the present conform to the known and understood shape of the past. His success is limited by his inability to establish sufficient distance from traumatic events, a difficulty that many chroniclers seemed to encounter when they attempted to turn current events into meaningful historical narrative.