Transcription Principles
for the Text and Rubrics of the Commedia*
Guidelines for the encoding of abbreviations, lacunae, scribal corrections, additions, revisions etc.


 1) No diacritical signs
 2) Spelling forms are to be respected
 3) Abbreviations
 4) Word separation
 5) Corrections
 6) Deliberate, Mechanical and Presumed Lacunae
 7) Filling in of Lacunae
 8) Deletions and Crossings out
 9) Corrections
10) Interpolations
11) Unforeseen Phenomena
12) Transcriber’s Notes And Comments
13) Titles and Rubrics
14) Pages and Columns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


1) No diacritical signs

In the spirit of a transcription which is as faithful as possibleto the text of the manuscripts, no diacritical signs (accents, apostrophes, punctuation) are to be inserted.

 

 

 

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2) Spelling forms are to be respected

- register all the spelling forms of the manuscript exactly as they appear (eg.: lgl for gl, ngn for gn, ç for z, etc.)

- register the use of the letter u even when its value is v

- if the scribe uses both u and v, follow his usage exactly

 

 

 

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3) Abbreviations

- Tironian note:

when the transcriber encounters the tironian note 7 (signifying et, ma but sometimes other monosyllables as well) or the symbol& (signifying et only) are always to be registered as (et) between two spaces: eg. selvaggia (et) aspra corresponds to selvaggia 7 aspra or selvaggia & aspra.

If the tironian note 7 occurs in the body of a word, omit the spaces as necessary (eg. the word etcetera, written by the scribe 7cetera with a tironian note at the beginning, is to be registered (et)cetera, with no space between (et) and cetera).

If the scribe writes et in full this is to be registered as it stands without brackets.

 

- Abbreviations for con / cum:

when the transcriber encounters the abbreviation sign 9 for con / cum, it is always to be registered as (con) between two spaces (or as (cum) if it is a Latin word): eg. Vien (con) lui corresponds to Vien 9 lui.

If the abbreviation sign 9 occurs in the middle of a word, omit the spaces as necessary (eg. the word conviene, written by the scribe 9viene, is to be transcribed (con)viene, with no space between (con) and viene. If the scribe writes con in full the transcriber will do the same and not use brackets.

 

- Other abbreviation signs:

when the transcriber encounters consonants and vowels represented by abbreviation signs, they are to be placed within round brackets ( ). Eg. the word campo, written cãpo by the scribe with an abbreviation sign for m over the a, is to be transcribed ca(m)po; the word stanno, written staño with an abbreviation sign for n over the first n, is to be transcribed stan(n)o; the word corto, written cõto with an abbreviation sign for r over the o, is to be transcribed co(r)to.

When it is not clear how the abbreviation repesenting an n or m should be resolved, because the scribe oscillates between different forms when he writes the word in full (using campo and canpo equally often), the regularised form should be used (eg. cãpo transcribed ca(m)po), or the classical form if it is a Latin word).

 

- chi and ro:

when the transcriber encounters the Greek letters chi and ro with the value of abbreviation signs (xpi, xpiani etc., for Christi, Christiani), they are to be transcribed by translitterating Ch and r respectively and placing the abbreviated letters (normally ist) within round brackets. Eg.: xpi with an abbreviation sign over it is to be transcribed Chr(ist)i, whereas xpiani with an abbreviation sign over it is to be transcribed Chr(ist)iani.

 

- Nomina sacra:

when the transcriber encounters the abbreviated forms Ds and Dns they are to be transcribed respectively as D(eu)s and D(omi)n(u)s, with the abbreviated letters within round brackets.

 

 

 

 

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4) Word separation

In order to make the transcription of a manuscript usable, the words in the text are to be separated in accordance with the corresponding reading in the text of the Comedy in the National Edition of Dante's Works, edited by Giorgio Petrocchi, where this is appropriate, otherwise in accordance with the logical meaning of the line.
  • Eg.:

    qual era è cosa dura (Petrocchi text)

    qualeraecosa dura (manuscript)

    qual era e cosa dura (transcription)

     

    Where the manuscript reading can be interpreted in different ways this rule is to be applied using the sign _ (or else the sign -) rather than normal spacing.

    Eg.:

    disfrenata saetta (Petrocchi text)

    differrata saetta (manuscript)

    di_fferrata saetta (transcription)

     

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    5) Corrections

    The addition of letters within words, of words within lines or rubrics, or of whole lines, is to be indicated between angled brackets thus: < >.

    The letter(s), word(s) or line(s) added are to be preceded by a + sign followed immediately by:

    - the letter m to indicate a marginal addition

    - the letter i to indicate an interlinear addition

    - the letter r to indicate an addition on the line (rigo) itself

    followed by a number indicating the level of revision

    (i.e. 0 or nothing to indicate the scribe himself or a hand which cannot be identified, 1 for the first correcting hand, 2 for the second correcting hand, and so on)

  • Eg.:

    <+m0 nostra>

    <+i0 nostra>

    <+r0 nostra>

    <+m nostra>

    <+i1 nostra>

    <+r2 nostra>

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    6) Deliberate, Mechanical and Presumed Lacunae

    Deliberate, mechanical and presumed lacunae of letters within words, of words within lines or rubrics, or of whole lines, are to be indicated between square brackets [ ], bearing in mind the following points:

    - deliberate lacunae:

    lacunae in the manuscript which take the form of a blank space deliberately left by the copyist are to be represented [___] or [---];

    - mechanical lacune:

    lacunae caused by the poor condition of the manuscript (holes, stains, etc.) or by other material causes are to be represented [^^^];

    - presumed lacune:

    lacunae whose existence the transcriber conjectures (on the basis of his knowledge of the text he is expecting but fails to find in the manuscript) are represented [...].

     

     

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    7) Filling in of Lacunae

    Filling in of lacunae, whether of letters within words, of words within lines or rubrics, or of whole lines, is to be placed within square brackets [ ].

    The sign for a lacuna is to be followed immediately by the sign + (indicating addition) followed immediately by:

    - the letter m to indicate the addition is in the margin

    - the letter i to indicate the addition is interlinear

    - the letter r to indicate the addition occurs on the line

    followed by a number indicating the correction level (i.e. 0 or nothing for the copyist himself or an unidentifiable hand, 1 for first correcting hand, 2 for second correcting hand, etc.)

  • Eg.:

    [... +m0 nostra]

    [... +i0 nostra]

    [___ +r0 nostra]

    [... +m nostra]

    [^^^ +i1 nostra]

    [___ +r2 nostra]

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    8) Deletions and Crossings out

    Letters and words which have been deleted in whatever way (by lines through them, by dots underneath, by erasure), whether such deletions are of letters within words, of words within lines or rubrics, or of whole lines, will be indicated by angled brackets thus: < >.

    The deleted letters, words or lines are to be preceded by a number indicating the level of revision (i.e. 0 or nothing for the original scribe or a hand which cannot be identified, 1 for the first revising hand, 2 for the second revising hand, etc.)

    Eg.:

    <0 vostra>

    <vostra>

    <1 vostra>

    <2 ......>

     

     

     

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    9) Corrections

    Corrections of letters within words, of words within lines or rubrics, or of whole lines, are to be placed within angled brackets < >; the deleted text is to be recorded followed by the sign + followed immediately by:

    - the letter m to indicate a marginal addition

    - the letter i to indicate an interlinear addition

    - the letter r to indicate an addition on the line itself

    followed in turn by a number indicating the level of revision (i.e. 0 or nothing for the original scribe or a hand which cannot be identified, 1 for the first correcting hand, 2 for the second correcting hand, etc.)

  • Eg.:

    <... +r0 nostra>

    <vostra +i0 nostra>

    <vostra +r0 nostra>

    <vostra +m nostra>

    <vostra +i1 nostra>

    <1 vostra +r2 nostra>

     

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    10) Interpolations

    Should the transcriber encounter additions to the text of letters, words or whole lines which cannot be considered part of the text of the Commedia, such additions are to be placed between angled brackets thus: > <.

    The added text is to be preceded by a number indicating the level of revision (i.e. 0 or nothing for the copyist or a hand which is not identifiable, 1 for the first revising hand, 2 for the second revising hand, etc.).

  • Eg.:

    > 0 Ei fu, siccome immobile ... <

    > Quel ramo del lago di Como ... <

    > 1 Fu allora che vidi il Pendolo. <

    > 2 Era una notte buia e tempestosa ... <

     

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    11) Unforeseen Phenomena

    Should the transcriber encounter cases not covered by the above guidelines, such cases should be marked by being enclosed between question marks thus: ? ?

    Eg.:

    ?vostra xxx nostra?

     

     

     

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    12) Transcriber's Notes And Comments

    Where the transcriber feels the need to add notes and comments, this can be done, at any point in the transcription, by enclosing such notes and comments between curly brackets thus: { }

    Eg.:

    {transcriber's comment}

    {sic} ....

    {? ...} ...

     

     

     

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    13) Titles and Rubrics

    Before the text of the canto transcribe the Title and the Rubric of the canto, if these exist. Where the transcriber finds an R before the text of the canto, which in this case stands not for Respondeo as it usually does, but for Rubrica, it should be transcribed R(ubrica), with the abbreviated part of the word in brackets.
  • Even the simple numbering of the canto can be considered a Title: eg. I, or II, or III, or 1, 2, 3. If nothing precedes the text of the canto, place the indication of cantica and canto between square brackets [ ].

    Eg.: [Inferno, Canto I]

    [Inferno, Canto II]

    The text of the canto is to be separated from what precedes (Title or Rubric) and from what follows (explicit, Title or Rubric) by two lines of space.

     

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    14) Pages and Columns

    The transcriber should indicate page and column number (where the text is set out as two or more columns), beginning from the first column of the file (the column to be indicated by lower-case letters a b):

    Eg.:

    c.1r

    c.3v

    c.1r a

    c.4v c

    c.7r b

     

     

     

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    Florence, 9th July 1996