Re: VMs: where labels recycled across folio sections

[Wayne Durden <wdurden@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have been asked off list for "an example of where labels and/or label 
'syllables' have been recycled" in sections of different subject matter 
that might eliminate them from being numeric or which might eliminate 
them from being purely descriptive words and would bolster a claim that 
they were used as null syllables.  (It was also suggested that I might 
use the term digraphs instead of syllables as it has some historic use) 
 I think digraph is a good choice although I think on occasion there 
are instances of three characters performing this function.

I answered off list directly, but thought it might be beneficial for 
those on list as well and repeat the relevant reply.

Here is an example which I think makes the point with regard to the 
subject matter already mentioned:

On folio 101v2 the first row of labeled plants has an item I transcribe 
as OTAL.  This label has two syllables or two sets of two characters 
(digraphs) if one accepts the gallows as a T.  To my eye, this label 
corresponds with the pointy capped plant which has 7 leaves in case the 
label or part of it is a numeric code.  If one counts the root points 
the numeric code related to all or part of this label might perchance 
be 9.

Now an example of the recycling can be seen for this on f82v.  There 
are numerous labels there relating to nymphs and which do not appear in 
any shape or form herbal in nature.  Most begin with OT.  Most have no 
visible example of either 7 or 9 elements and so the OT digraph could 
not be consistently a 7 or 9 across the entire manuscript.  There is a 
possibility that on the bottom of f82v the seventh label is an exact 
match for either the 3rd label on 101v2 mentioned above, or possibly 
instead it is ATOL.  If it is ATOL instead well then it is a match for 
the first   label in the second row of 101v2 (although with EVA some 
may say the gallows character there is not a T but a K.)

In either case scrutinizing the few syllables that make up all the 
labels on the folios 101v2 and 82v which by drawing seem to have very 
different subject matter yet contain remarkably few digraphs between 
them, I think it is unlikely they can be real descriptive words in a 
full language and there do not appear common numeric elements 
supporting a numeric code that would be consistent throughout the 
entire manuscript.

I believe this is at least one example that supports the label digraphs 
as nulls as outlined.

As a consequence, if label digraphs are nulls, and assuming the writer 
is dispersing individual code letters in the lines amongst lots of 
nulls, the number of even glyphed words should be more common than odd 
glyphed words.  Odd numbers of characters would suggest a higher 
probability of an encoding character in the word.  I believe this may 
have become obvious at some point to the scribe during the process and 
some odd glyphed labels with trigraphs were added to disguise the fact. 
 These tend to be at more variant (i.e. might start with a Z where most 
labels on the page start with OT) and tend to be at page beginning or 
bottom...

When I do my version of knockouts, interestingly I end up with a high 
proportion of ligature characters.  Is this significant to anyone's 
past work, where the ligatures might be carrying much of the encoded 
value?

For what it is worth....

Wayne

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