Re: VMs: Re: Note for Jeff

[Nick Pelling <incoming@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Jeff,

At 19:42 16/12/2003 +0000, Jeff wrote:
> Thanks Robert. I have already seen the site and in fact that was what
> started me off in this direction. I honestly have no idea what I might do on
> the VMS from here on. I get the nagging feeling that either I am in the
> right direction as far as the cipher goes or that it is artificial. Only one
> of those two choices. If I am right about it being artificial, then the way
> it was done will almost certainly deny any proof of the fact. If it IS
> enciphered then a lot of detailed structural analysis of the text is needed.
> Probably far too much for me to take on with all the other stuff I need to
> sort out.
>
> It really needs a team effort. That is one thing you rarely find amongst
> those with differing views or theories.

Curiously enough, this *is* a team effort - but you don't seem to have 
taken on board what other team members have been telling you. For example, 
your mind seems to be a closed book as far as ch / sh being (almost 
certainly) single letters rather than two, let alone whether ii / iii / ee 
/ eee should be treated as single entities (or even qo / ol / or).

Whether you've been going in the right direction or not, taking such a 
single unmoveable position on the (numerous) details would seem to have 
restricted your ability to understand (and satisfactorily account for) the 
complexity of the patterns in the VMs.

I think the truth is this: that you've got it into your mind that (AFA 
ciphers go) because Voynichese words are often just about the right length 
to transliterate normal European language words (through some complex but 
as-yet-undetermined schema), that's what must be going on. Unfortunately, 
it seems extraordinarily unlikely that this is literally the case - the 
internal structure of VMs words indicates that something very 
un-languagelike is going on.

But does that necessarily mean that the only alternative is an artificial 
language? Well - no, actually. Other types of cipher (from the ones you've 
been looking at) could have the same kind of effect we're seeing, or even 
tricky hoaxes (like Gordon Rugg's). "Oranges are not the only fruit." :-)

Cheers, .....Nick Pelling..... 


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