Line Studies: f25r, line 5.

Lines are more interesting than words. The observation that they may act as functional units in themselves makes them especially worthy of investigation. 

This is the first in a series of proposed LINE STUDIES where I will examine discrete lines of text. 

Primarily, I will examine lines projected onto the following template:

The template is an arrangement of the two paradigmatic words QOKEEDY and CHOLDAIIN.

As I have noted many times, QO-KEE-DY is tripartite, while CHOL-DAIIN is bipartite. The template offsets the paradigms accordingly. 

There are three cycles of QOKEEDY and two cycles of CHOLDAIIN.

This conforms to astrological (zodiacal) symbolism, and I have arrived at the template from the proposal that the text is a system of astrological notation. 

This is not necessary, though, and I will consider the lines just as a textual phenomenon without reference to astrological symbolism. 

The operations of the template - including its inadequacies - will be explored and explained as we go. 

In addition, I will make further notes on each case, marshalling other tools and techniques as appropriate. 

Primarily, I am interested in internal structures and patterns, but will note any observation of interest, including contextual considerations such as adjacent illustrations. 

I sample lines at random from throughout the text, but some categories of lines deserve particular attention, such as the top lines of paragraphs, the first lines of pages, circular lines and lines interrupted by illustrations, or just lines that are noteworthy, peculiar and unusual. 

I am employing standard EVA but an important step in every study is to examine the line in situ, in the Voynich glyphs. 

* * *

The first line we will consider is this, the fifth line of the botanical page f25r, consisting of seven words, designated Text A:

It is noteworthy, of course, because it consists entirely of words with the ending [aiin] or [ain]. Few other lines are so blatently consistent. 

But, as we will see, many (or even most) lines tend to have what I call themes - particular configurations and variations that are repeated throughout the line. 

These configurations are, as I put it, rehearsed throughout the line. 

Sometimes it seems to be one particular glyph that is the centre of attention. Here it is the suffix [aiin]. This line is a rehearsal of the suffix [aiin]. That is its theme. 

Unsurprisingly, this provokes one of the many duplications of the very common [daiin] found in the text. 

The entire line is dominated by the CHOLDAIIN paradigm, and especially concerns the bifurcation DAIIN. Note how [d] and [ch] are interchangeable. That is a CHOLDAIIN phenomenon, the prefix and suffix overlapping. 

* * *

The second word [dchain] is unique to this line, but with two [ii] glyphs - [dchaiin] it is found five times in the manuscript. It is unlikely to be scribal error, though, because the next word [cthain] - repeated - is clearly [ain]. The [dchain] - with only one [i] - seems to be a deliberate configuration here even though it is found nowhere else.  

* * *

This is also a conspicuous case of bracketing. The line is bracketed by the two [q] words at start and end. The QOKEEDY paradigm intrudes at the start and finish of the line. 

We will see that this is common too, although internal bracketing within lines is more common. Often themes are rehearsed within distinct brackets. Here that formation occupies the entire line. 

* * * 

The line shows a distinct axial (palindromic) symmetry which we can render as:

This, we might say, seems to be the basic underlying plan of this line.

As we will see, and as here, duplicated words often signal an axial symmetry, a mirroring. I am especially interested in, and alert to, this phenomenon. This line is a plain case of it. 

* * *

I do not detect any necessary or obvious relation between the line of text and the accompanying illustration on the page. We see a very bland and featureless plant, although it does display pronounced axial symmetry.

 

* * *

 

Turning to the template, the bracketing is very obvious because the final word [qotaiin] can only be made offset from the initial word [qotcheaiin].

We place words onto the template in the cycle to which it conforms. 

If we begin in the first cycle we must stop at [a] because [a] is not an option in that position:

Q	K	D	Ch	D	q
O	EE	Y	O	A	o
K	D	Q	L	iiN	t
EE	Y	O	D	Ch	a
D	Q	K	A	O
Y	O	EE	iiN	L

Similarly, it fails in the second cycle:

K	D	Q	L	iiN	q
EE	Y	O	D	Ch	o
D	Q	K	A	O	t
Y	O	EE	iiN	L	a
Q	K	D	Ch	D
O	EE	Y	O	A
K	D	Q	L	iiN

But it conforms to the third:

D	Q	K	A	O	q
Y	O	EE	iiN	L	o
Q	K	D	Ch	D	t
O	EE	Y	O	A	a
K	D	Q	L	iiN	r

This, in general, is how the template works. We find a placement on the grid to which the word conforms, comfortably, without breaks or skips, with each glyph corresponding to one of the given options. 

* * *

However - and this is an important however - glyphs can, where necessary, be assimilated horizontally, as it were. It can sometimes be two of the given options. 

Alignments on the template are not always vertical. 

We find a case in this line, with the initial word [qotcheaiin].

The difficulty is that there is nowhere in the template where a gallows glyph is followed by a [ch] which is followed by [e]. The trigram [tche] cannot be accommodated. 

If we were to expand the template over more cycles (and combinations) we could find a position, but not in this current template.

Instead, we must assimilate one of the other glyph options.  The two options [ch] and [e] can be combined. Then the word fits the template. 

Q	K	D	Ch	D	q
O	EE	Y	O	A	o
K	D	Q	L	iiN	t
EE	Y	O	D	Ch	che
D	Q	K	A	O	a
Y	O	EE	iiN	L	iin

This is not an unwarranted convenience: it is a feature of the template. Such assimilations are not uncommon, and are consistent, and typically involve glyphs that bear a close visual resemblace to each other, such as here, and especially the glyphs usually designated as 'vowels', and especially [ee] - the place after the gallows glyph in the QOKEEDY paradigm. 

As we will see, the most common cases of this are [eo] or [ey]. Here, though, we must consolidate [che]. 

* * *

This draws attention to another phenomenon on display in this line: what I will call unbenching the gallows. 

This too is to be commonly observed in the context of lines. 

It is apparent that the benched gallows [cth] is a compaction of [tch]. 

I have unbenched them for the purposes of the template. This is indicated by italics. I will do this consistently throughout these line studies. 

We will see that it works in every case and that very often the two forms - benched and unbenched - are placed side by side, or occur in the same line. 

Whatever benched forms might indicate, I think it is clear that they are compactions of a gallows and a [ch] - this is evident from the text. We can thus expand and unbench them. 

In this line the first word [qotcheaiin] announces the glyph combination [tch]. Then we see these glyphs compacted in [cthaiin]. 

* * *

As a measure of the Q-text (elements from the QOKEEDY paradigm) I count 32 glyphs in all but only 8 of them from Q. 

Q = 25%

qotcheaiin.dchain.cthain.daiin.daiin.cthain.qotaiin-

With the natural boundary of 50%, this is a strongly CHOLDAIIN line. A full 75% of the line is from the CHOLDAIIN paradigm. Thus, it is a very robust example of what has been called 'Currier A'. 

* * *

Finally, there are orphaned words following this line of text. Are they are continuation of this line or do they stand alone? 

At this stage I will take them as separate, which is to say I will take f25r line 5 as a distinct and complete line. The orphaned part-lines at the end of paragraphs are worthy of a study in themselves. 

R.B.