Re: FW: Gallows G characters

[Jorge Stolfi <stolfi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    > [Glen:] This is interesting. G forms are followed by the "c"
    > character as a stand-alone "c" only 6 times out of 424
    > occurrences.
    
Yes, that has been noticed before. 

As I wrote a couple of years ago, each of the single-leg gallows (EVA
"p" and "f") comes in two variants, with straight arm or with hooked
arm. These two variants seem to be contrasted on the three-olumn page.
My pet theory is that the hook (which is the last part of the gallows
to be written) stands for an EVA "e" suffix.

At the time, Rene and/or Gabriel objected that there is a continuous
spectrum of forms between the straight and hooked variants. Perhaps,
but the two forms are clearly distinguished on the three-column page,
and the distinction is consistent across the two relevant columns.
Also, to my eyes there is also a continuous spectrum between EVA "r"
and "s", yet I do believe that they are distinct symbols.

It is worth keeping in mind also that the VMS may be a copy made
by an "ignorant scribe", who, like the modern transcribers,
may not have assumed that those hooks were purely ornamental.

All the best,

--stolfi