2,374 research outputs found
Putting the Text back into Context: A Codicological Approach to Manuscript Transcription
Textual scholars have tended to produce editions which present the text without its
manuscript context. Even though digital editions now often present single-witness
editions with facsimiles of the manuscripts, nevertheless the text itself is still transcribed
and represented as a linguistic object rather than a physical one. Indeed, this is explicitly
stated as the theoretical basis for the de facto standard of markup for digital texts: the
Guidelines of the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI). These explicitly treat texts as semantic
units such as paragraphs, sentences, verses and so on, rather than physical elements
such as pages, openings, or surfaces, and some scholars have argued that this is the only
viable model for representing texts. In contrast, this chapter presents arguments for
considering the document as a physical object in the markup of texts. The theoretical
arguments of what constitutes a text are first reviewed, with emphasis on those used
by the TEI and other theoreticians of digital markup. A series of cases is then given in
which a document-centric approach may be desirable, with both modern and medieval
examples. Finally a step forward in this direction is raised, namely the results of
the Genetic Edition Working Group in the Manuscript Special Interest Group of the
TEI: this includes a proposed standard for documentary markup, whereby aspects of
codicology and mise en page can be included in digital editions, putting the text back
into its manuscript context
Active paper for active learning
Recent research into distance learning and the virtual campus has focused on the use of electronic documents and computerâbased demonstrations to replace or reinforce traditional learning material. We show how a computerâaugmented desk, the DigitalDesk, can provide the benefits of both paper and electronic documents using a natural interface based on real paper documents. Many electronic documents, particularly those created using the guidelines produced by the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI), include detailed semantic and linguistic information that can be used to good effect in learning material. We discuss potential uses of TEI texts, and describe one simple application that allows a student's book to become an active part of a grammar lesson when placed on the DigitalDesk. The book is integrated into an interactive pointâandâclick interface, and feedback is related to the currently visible pages of the boo
Encoding models for scholarly literature
We examine the issue of digital formats for document encoding, archiving and
publishing, through the specific example of "born-digital" scholarly journal
articles. We will begin by looking at the traditional workflow of journal
editing and publication, and how these practices have made the transition into
the online domain. We will examine the range of different file formats in which
electronic articles are currently stored and published. We will argue strongly
that, despite the prevalence of binary and proprietary formats such as PDF and
MS Word, XML is a far superior encoding choice for journal articles. Next, we
look at the range of XML document structures (DTDs, Schemas) which are in
common use for encoding journal articles, and consider some of their strengths
and weaknesses. We will suggest that, despite the existence of specialized
schemas intended specifically for journal articles (such as NLM), and more
broadly-used publication-oriented schemas such as DocBook, there are strong
arguments in favour of developing a subset or customization of the Text
Encoding Initiative (TEI) schema for the purpose of journal-article encoding;
TEI is already in use in a number of journal publication projects, and the
scale and precision of the TEI tagset makes it particularly appropriate for
encoding scholarly articles. We will outline the document structure of a
TEI-encoded journal article, and look in detail at suggested markup patterns
for specific features of journal articles
Representation and Encoding of Heterogeneous Data in a Web Based Research Environment for Manuscript and Textual Studies
This paper describes the general architecture of a digital research environment for manuscript and textual studies (particularly those pertaining to ancient Greek and Byzantine texts), and it discusses some questions of data representation and encoding in the framework of such an online research platform. The platform is being developed by the project Teuchos. Zentrum fĂŒr Handschriften- und Textforschung, established in 2007 by the Institut fĂŒr Griechische und Lateinische Philologie (UniversitĂ€t Hamburg) in cooperation with the Aristoteles-Archiv (Freie UniversitĂ€t Berlin). Teuchos is a long-term infrastructural project of the UniversitĂ€t Hamburg. It is currently in its three-year initial phase which is being co-funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through the "Thematic Information Networks" scheme within the "Scientific Library Services and Information Systems" programme. We introduce the main object types to be handled by our system and describe the overall functionality of the online platform. The paper focuses on the representations of two main object types: manuscripts as textual witnesses and watermarks, with an emphasis on the former. Since the adequate encoding of different layers of structure of a transmitted text is particularly relevant to optimising users' choices of navigating both digital images of the containing manuscripts and trancriptions of the text contained, this topic is discussed in some detail. We introduce the formal data model and the corresponding encoding for the object types discussed. The project encodes textual data in XML, aiming for TEI conformance where possible. Since no accepted XML model exists for the encoding of metadata within a watermark collection, we briefly explain how we chose to model the objects to accomodate the collections the project is making accessible
Semantic Technologies for Manuscript Descriptions â Concepts and Visions
The contribution at hand relates recent developments in the area of the World Wide
Web to codicological research. In the last number of years, an informational extension
of the internet has been discussed and extensively researched: the Semantic Web. It
has already been applied in many areas, including digital information processing of
cultural heritage data. The Semantic Web facilitates the organisation and linking of
data across websites, according to a given semantic structure. Software can then process
this structural and semantic information to extract further knowledge. In the area
of codicological research, many institutions are making efforts to improve the online
availability of handwritten codices. If these resources could also employ Semantic
Web techniques, considerable research potential could be unleashed. However, data
acquisition from less structured data sources will be problematic. In particular, data
stemming from unstructured sources needs to be made accessible to SemanticWeb tools
through information extraction techniques. In the area of museum research, the CIDOC
Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) has been widely examined and is being adopted
successfully. The CRM translates well to Semantic Web research, and its concentration
on contextualization of objects could support approaches in codicological research.
Further concepts for the creation and management of bibliographic coherences and
structured vocabularies related to the CRM will be considered in this chapter. Finally, a
user scenario showing all processing steps in their context will be elaborated on
Manuscriptorium Digital Library and ENRICH Project: Means for Dealing with Digital Codicology and Palaeography
Codicology and palaeography in the digital age can be developed both through adapting existing methods and using information and communication technologies. This can be achieved e.g by projects focusing on the integration of individual resources under a single user interface. This is the aim of the Manuscriptorium digital library as well as the ENRICH project. The integration is based on the centralisation of metadata from various resources and on the distributed storage of data, mainly digital images. This is implemented through a distributed complex digital document, containing the so-called identification record and more data types. The construction of the integrated Manuscriptorium digital library within the ENRICH project is being done in four basic ways: automatically, or semi-automatically respectively manually, and those both online and offline. This has made it possible to amass more than 5,000 documents. For Manuscriptorium, a search is important, which allows information to be gathered through special fields and the differences in graphics to be harmonised. The aim of the ENRICH project is also the creation of tools for the compilation of virtual collections and documents. In its method of integrating resources, the Manuscriptorium endeavours to be an instrument of codicological and palaeographic research
Gnome on the range: finding the hypertextual narratives in ancient wisdom texts
In this paper we present the Sharing Ancient WisdomS (SAWS) project. Working with wisdom texts, or gnomologia, the project aims to produce an enhanced digital scholarly edition of the collected manuscripts which both makes the Greek, Arabic and Spanish texts available and demonstrates the hypertexual nature of these texts. By positioning the texts as collections of sayings, of which a given manuscript only shows one narrative path, we demonstrate how a hypertextual approach allows us to explore alternate narrative paths within and across the texts and support researchers as they study the context, significance and transmission of the wisdoms within these works
Applying Semantic Web Technologies to Medieval Manuscript Research
Medieval manuscript research is a complex, fragmented, multilingual field of
knowledge, which is difficult to navigate, analyse and exploit. Though printed sources
are still of great importance and value to researchers, there are now many services
on the Web, some commercial and many in the public domain. At present, these
services have to be consulted separately and individually. They employ a range of
different descriptive standards and vocabularies, and use a variety of technologies to
make their information available on the Web. This chapter proposes a new approach to
organizing the international collaborative infrastructure for interlinking knowledge and
research about medieval European manuscripts, based on technologies associated with
the Semantic Web and the Linked Data movement. This collaborative infrastructure
will be an open space on the Web where information about medieval manuscripts can
be shared, stored, exchanged and updated for research purposes. It will be possible to
ask large-scale research questions across the virtual global manuscript collection, in a
quicker and more effective way than has ever been feasible in the past. The proposed
infrastructure will focus on building links between data and will provide the basis
for new kinds of services which exploit these data. It will not aim to impose a single
metadata standard on existing manuscript services, but will build on existing databases
and vocabularies. The article describes the architecture, services and data which will
comprise this infrastructure, and discusses strategies for making th challenging and
exciting goal a reality
All texts are equal, but... Textual Plurality and the Critical Text in Digital Scholarly Editions
Is there a future for the âold philologyâ? Why are âtruly criticalâ and âtruly digitalâ editions so rare? This article discusses the questions raised at the Leuven round table by showcasing two scholarly editions that claim to be both digital and critical: the edition of William of Auxerreâs Summa de officiis ecclesiasticis, an early thirteenth century Latin treatise on liturgy, and the so-called HyperStack edition of Saint Patrickâs Confessio, a fifth-century open letter by Irelandâs patron saint, also written in Latin and the oldest text that has survived from Ireland in any language. In giving a comparative introduction to both of these online editions â to their underlying methodology and theoretical implications â I will make the following arguments: (1) Critical texts matter. The critical reconstruction of an assumed original text version as intended by an author remains of major interest for most textual scholars and historians as well as
any person with an interest in historical texts. (2) Critical texts have the same legitimacy as various and different manifestations of a text. Digital editions enable the presentation of textual plurality. (3) There is no reason intrinsic to the digital medium that makes the
idea of a critical text obsolete. Rather, a critical text can serve as the standard reference, as an ideal text to start with and as a portal to access the variety of textual manifestations of a particular work
Codicological Descriptions in the Digital Age
Although some of the traditional roles played by codicological descriptions in the print era have not changed when translated to digital environments, other roles have been redefined and new ones have emerged. It has become apparent that in digital form the relationship of codicological descriptions to the books they describe has undergone fundamental changes. This article offers an analysis of three of the most significant of these changes: 1) the emergence of new purposes of and uses for these descriptions, especially with respect to the usefulness of the highly specific and specialized technical language common to codicological descriptions; 2) a movement from a one-to-one relationship between a description and the codex that it represents to a one-to-many relationship between codices, descriptions, metadata, and digital images; and 3) the significance of a shift from the symmetry of using books to study other books to the asymmetry of using digital tools to represent and analyze books
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