Old Norse Manuscripts

Taking its point of departure in the network analysis of manuscript contexts of Old Norse texts, based on data collected from digital catalogs of Nordic manuscripts, this article examines the possibilities and challenges of the digital manuscript studies. Through a close examination of a single Old Norse text and its genre affiliation in the extant manuscripts, the present study reveals the limitations of the application of network analysis to similar cases and identifies the contemporary digital cataloging practice as the main limitation. From the point of view of automated data extraction and from the perspective of new research questions that could be answered through digital data analysis, this article emphasizes the importance of systematic and comprehensive digital manuscript cataloging for further developments in the field of manuscript studies. It discusses some of the key features of manuscript description and suggests crowd-sourcing cataloging as a potential solution to some of the challenges the digital cataloging projects face today.

The study of phonology and morphed-soundshifts in both Æthiopic and Old Ænglisc remains incomplete. The present research focuses chiefly on morphed-soundshift or velarization and the epenthetic nasal or /n/ (ን). This velarization occurs in both palatals (e.g. /y/ > /g/) and uvulars (e.g /q/ > /g/), and furthermore within velars (e.g. /g/ > /k/ and /k/ > /g/), which all aid in the processes of nasal epenthesis as will be drawn out in the present study. Consequently these processes of change notwithstanding rest primarily upon particular combinations of consonants, such as certain organic double palatals, velars and uvular consonants or couplets: e.g. /yy/ and /gg/, /kk/ and /qq/.
    Therefore the paper deems to draw out and evidence, that, all these organic combinations become in Æthiopic through (morphed) sound shift and as a consequence of epenthesis, shift to what we might call nasal-velars or nasal-uvulars: e.g. /qq/ > /nqq/. While in Old Ænglisc similarly the like or following is observed to occur, /yy/ > /gg/ > /ng/; besides /kk/ > /nc/ or /ng/; and /qq/ > /nc/ (nk) or /ng/.
    Whence most notable is that /yy/, and /gg/, /kk/ and /qq/, may due to their combinational environments all become /ng/ or /nc/.
    This may all be exemplified in both languages by the Æthiopic term /þanqaq|a/ be accurate                                      and its Old Ænglisc cognate þenc|an to think; consider, of which both forms contain /nqq/ or /nc/ respectively, the nasal however not being organic to the root, as here evidenced by the Æthiopic form with the double uvulars. Notwithstanding to further substantiate the latter, the Old Norsk has /-kk/, while the Gothic attests /-gk/, id est both somewhat seem to retain or evidence the final radical, albeit with a morphed-soundshift from /q/ to k/g; ONors. ðekk|ja to perceive  (Vigfusson 1864: 614); Goth. þagk|ian think (Balg 1887 - 89: 753, 754).
    Moreover in addition, it is also to be further noted that the Æthiopic and Old Ænglisc also besides velarizing and epenthetizing, do also labialize, palatize and as already shewn syncopate their velars and uvulars; these changes this is important for it will also be evidenced, of these for example that labio-velars and labio-uvulars and so on, are also of particular import for the present study, as these may affect the process of epenthesis, velaraization an the like: e.g. /gg/> /gwgw; /kk/ > kwkw and /qq/ > / qwqw/ &c.
    Thus the paper endeavours to illustrate all these anomalies towards a better understanding of both Æthiopic and Old Ænglisc phonology and synthetic morphology and of further significance for the latter tongue, organic root forms, and thus generally a better understanding of cognation between the two languages and their language families. The research serves also as a contribution to a comparative phonology and grammar of the languages under analysis. Finally it ought to be mentioned that scholars of the Anglo-Saxon language on the whole, including those of the OED, evidently are unaware of the organic root forms of many of the epenthetic terms ending in /ng/ and /nc/ (OED 1933/61:[vol.x] 76). This in the same way that Æthiopic scholars appear to be unaware of the prime movers and processes that causes nasal epenthesis. The latter group (Æthiopic) presently having mainly a labial consideration, id est epenthesis is first considered a labial phenomenon, then occurring it is said, in the so called palatal-guttural-mutes (velars &c.) and asparates and finally sibilants &c. Otherwise little else is mentioned of the processes (Dillmann 1907:134, 135; Leslau 1987 {1989}:222). Also observe that /ng/, organic or epenthetic, phonetically may be considered in both Old Ænglisc (Moore and Knot 1934:6, 16) and Æthiopic as [ŋg], unless palatized, whence [ŋj].

Draft Paper, copyright, January 2018, By Rev Dn. Gabra ’AGZI’AABHER JR

[Title: Velarization & Systematic 'Nasal Epenthesis' in Coupled Velars & Uvulars: contra, Labialization, Palatization & Syncope (A Comparative Study in the Phonology of Æthiopic and Old Ænglisc)
By: Rev Dn. Gabra ’AGZI’AABHER JR,
Æthiopian Linguistic and Philological Association]

Artikeln tar upp det gamla problemet med relationen mellan de två huvudversionerna av Snorra Edda. Är det den version som representeras av Codex Upsaliensis som står den ursprungliga texten närmast eller är det den version som representeras av Codex Regius, Trajectinus och Wormianus? Artikeln prövar en i detta sammanhang hittills obrukad infallsvinkel. Undersökningen anknyter till Eugen Mogks notering att U och RTW visserligen i flertalet avsnitt skiljer sig markant åt, bl.a. genom U:s betydligt kortare text, men att de i andra avsnitt ligger mycket nära varandra. Mogk såg inget mönster i detta, men i artikeln visas att dessa två tendenser bildar fem tydliga block i Codex Upsaliensis. Mönstret tolkas utifrån ett likartat mönster i Hauksbóks återgivning av Eiríks saga rauða, där texten återges av tre olika skrivare, varav en kraftigt förkortar och omarbetar texten och de två andra återger förlagan mer troget. Utifrån dessa rön diskuteras bearbetningens riktning i två undersökningar. Det påvisas att det enbart är i U en tydlig blockbildning finns, inte i RTW, vilket indikerar att det är i U-versionen en textredigering av de berättane avsnitten har ägt rum. Det påvisas att RTW:s berättande avsnitt har en stilistiskt enhetlig tendens, medan i U de avsnitt som överensstämmer med RTW avviker stilistiskt från övriga delar av U-texten. Slutsatsen blir att U-versionen åtminstone vad gäller Snorra Eddas berättande prosa representerar en omarbetning av den text som möter i RTW.