Formats of Text

The formats of text in the Voynich ms. are:

Glyphs

Words

Lines

Paragraphs

Pages

The glyphs are sometimes found alone, either in the course of the running text, or in key-like sequences. This suggests they have intrinsic significance, a symbolism of their own. 

We also find some cases of stand-alone bigrams or glyph combinations in the key-like sequences. 

The key-like sequences and letter wheels (volvelles) strongly suggest a generated text where glyphs are combined according to some predetermined process. 

Words are combinations of glyphs separated by spaces (word breaks). 

Words include so-called Labels, where one or two words stand alone next to an illustration or diagram. 

Lines include circular text – text extending around circular diagrams and the like.

Otherwise, words are assembled into sets of lines, paragraphs. 

The page is also a unit. No text extends across pages. Every page appears to be a self-contained thing, even though some pages clearly belong together as sets, such as the foldouts.

* * *

Words

On average, words are strings of five or less glyphs. Long words are sparse. 

There are strict rules about how glyphs combine and about their locations in words. 

Accordingly, there is a limited set of bigrams. Words display tight internal structures. 

When words stand alone as LABELS they are constituted differently than they are in running text. 

Most conspicuously, there is no (or few) glyph [q] in Labelese, and glyph [t] is more common than [k].

If we agree the text is generated, then stand alone Labels have their own method of generation and it is different to that used to generate running text.

Conversely, running text is constituted differently than Labels. [q] is introduced and [k] is more common than [t]. The running text is constituted using a different process than Labels.

There are, though, two distinct but similar processes used for running text. One creates the running text called Currier A and one creates the running text called Currier B. 

There are two versions of the running text – two different methods of generating running text, and both different to the method used to generate Labels. 

Lines

Running text is assembled into LINES.

On average there are about ten words per line. 

There are no words  or phrases that are especially likely to start lines.

But there are rules guiding the placement of glyphs and words in lines. The start and end of lines tend to be marked by initial or final glyphs.

This is different in Currier A and B. The glyph [m] is line-final in Currier B, but not in Currier A, for example. 

Many lines have repeated or similar words or rehearse variations of particular glyph combinations. 

Many lines end with sequences of word fragments.

Lines can extend into and across the illustrations, continuing unbroken in the spaces.

Paragraphs

Lines are collected into PARAGRAPHS. 

There are rules guiding the placement of glyphs and words in paragraphs.

Paragraphs often begin with a gallows glyph and feature the gallows [p] and [f] in the first line. 

Paragraphs often include an orphaned half-line at the end. 

The paragraph format is consistent throughout the work. There are distinct groupings of lines (about a dozen on average) usually with a display of gallows glyphs in the first line.

‘The paragraph format is applied to herbs, nymphs, astrology, pharmacy – all sections and subject matter.   

Where lines of running text are not assembled into paragraphs they are arranged around circular diagrams.

Pages

PAGES are complete units. They are composed of either Currier A or Currier B text. 

As a broad generalization, herb pages are Currier A and astrological pages are Currier B. So, the two types of text (dialects) are applied to different sections and subject matter. 

Some pages, and the final section of the work, is devoted wholly to text. 

If we begin at the top layer of the text’s construction, pages, the first decision the author faced was: is this page Currier A or Currier B? Is the text that is to be applied to this page generated by method A or method B?

* * *

Discussion

We call these formats ‘words’ and ‘lines’ and ‘paragraphs’ and such not because we are sure that is what they are, but because that is how they are presented. 

We call it a ‘text’, but it is only quasi-linguistic. 

In reality, it is generated, an artificial text: the key-like sequences and volvelles tell us as much.

Glyphs have a symbolic significance that is not linguistic. 

Words have no lexical meaning in the linguistic sense, and spaces may not be neutral word breaks.   

It seems that different methods of generation were applied to different purposes.

The distinction between text A and text B is integral and fundamental. It is a page setting. 

The gallows glyphs are specifically connected with the paragraph format.

It is notable that the paragraph format is used throughout and that different subject matter does not require a different format.  

It is important to understand more about the paragraph. 

The habit of initial/final glyphs suggests a symmetry between the textual units: word = line = paragraph, as though a line is a long word and a paragraph is a long line. All are governed by similar rules or processes. 

As I see it, this  (quasi-linguistic) ‘language’ is cosmological. It is based on the cycles of the year. 

The text is not meaningless. It is carefully constructed. 

Words, lines, paragraphs, are meaningful units of information but that information is not semanto-linguistic in any ordinary sense. 

Evidently, though, the text was made to be read. The information was made to be imparted. The task still remains of how to read it and extract the information. 

If the text is the year, what is a paragraph?

The most likely account of the text in these terms is that information that might ordinarily be presented in a tabulated form has – for whatever reason – been presented as text. 

There are no tables in the Voynich ms. There are circles. Many systems of circles. But no box tables or tabulated information. That is a format that is conspicuously absent. 

It is possible that glyphs are the basic units of the text, astronomical indicators. And words, then lines, then paragraphs, are table entries – readings - recording their combinations. 

It would still be quasi-linguistic. Common configurations would be marked by common “words” that are easily understood. 

For example, the glyphs of [daiin] might indicate the sun rising in the east. It is easily remembered and recognized in the format of a word. 

If a line of text begins with [daiin] we know the record begins with the sun rising in the east. 

Or some such fusion of linguistics and astrological cosmology. 

R.B.