Re: Transition between languages A and B

["Philip Neal" <philipneal_vms@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I can also confirm from my experience (and numerical
> results) that there are clear 'dialects' in the
> different sections. Sometimes a single feature
> like words ending in -ody as mentioned above can
> be found. Remember further that Currier based
> his A/B classification only on a subset of the MS.
> He did not use the astro section and little
> of the pharma (IIRC). These two actually bridge
> the gap between the two. This gap can be illustrated
> by words which 'belong' to each section, and which
> show a typical transition in the language or
> spelling or whatever:
>
> chol -> cheol -> cheody -> chedy
>
> I don't mean to imply that these words all mean the
> same! These are simply words which can be found
> particularly in specific parts of the MS.

My best guess about this is that o and e were either
the same letter or very similar in pronunciation, as
if one Latin scribe wrote 'caelestis' and another wrote
'coelestis'.

I am reminded of the Beowulf manuscript, which was
written by two scribes. The change in handwriting
is instantaneous at a point halfway through the text,
but there is also a *gradual* change of pronunciation
and spelling as the second scribe hits his stride.
On the other hand, Beowulf may have been written from
dictation, whereas I guess the VMS to have been copied
by scribes who could see the original.

> I'm still unable to explain the strage distribution
> of the word 'qokeey' in the stars section,
> and on pp. 58r and 58v.

I don't know of this: what is the observation? I know
that initial q is rare in the star labels and also the
biological labels.

Philip Neal


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