Criteria for the transcription and TEI code
The diplomatic transcription retains all the features of the original document, including layout of the page (columns, line-division, scribal compression, large colored initials), spelling, punctuation, capitalization, word division, variant letter forms (for example the letter “v” is most of the times rendered as “u” but this use is not consistent especially by the second scribe), apparent slips of the pen, manicules and hand-shifts. The use of TEI code allows expanding all forms of abbreviation, including elisions, contractions, apocope, suspensions, expunctuations, scribal compressions and special characters such as the tironian sign.
The only punctuation signs in this manuscript comparable to modern signs of punctuation are the punctus and the punctus interrogativus. The use of the punctus interrogativus is very rare compared to modern edition. Here is one example from canzone 23 line 119:
Figure 1
However, there are frequent diacritical signs that have disappeared in modern punctuation, such the comma:
Figure 2
and a small slash used to indicate the end of verse or a rhythmic pause (fig. 3-4). It corresponds quite often to the virgula but this use is not consistent.
Figure 3 Figure 4
We transcribed all these punctuation signs as they appear on the manuscript.
As for the accents, given the fact that there are no accents on vowels as in modern Italian we decided nonetheless to encode as accented the letter “e” all the times that it is bracketed by two slashes that clearly point to the accent on that letter (fig. 5).
Figure 5
We encoded this case as <accent>e</accent>. Also, we transcribed the rhythmic accents that were added to the text. See for example the accents on the letter “í” from poem 12:
Figure 6
Finally, we encoded a special case of punctus, precisely when it is used in the manuscript not to indicate a period but a different kind of intermediate pause (fig. 7).
Figure 7
We identify this type of punctuation sign as “medial punctus” and encode it in this way: <pc type="medial_punctus"></pc>.
