The unfinished double glosses in Durham Cathedral Library, MS A.iv.19
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Christopher Langmuir
Abstract
Incomplete multiple glosses are a prominent feature of Aldred’s glossing practice in the Lindisfarne Gospels (Cotton MS Nero D IV). In his later gloss, that to Durham Cathedral Library, MS A.iv.19, incomplete double glosses are predominant. Their raison d´être is unclear. This paper addresses the range of functions represented by vel (‘or’) in Durham Cathedral Library, MS A.iv.19. It is argued that the appended vel of incomplete glosses may carry a vel potius (‘or rather’) value thereby alerting readers to the provisional character of the gloss. Inspection of the manuscript reveals that in many instances insufficient space has been allowed for any second gloss. Incomplete glosses must also be considered in the context of how the same lemmata are glossed elsewhere in the manuscript.
Abstract
Incomplete multiple glosses are a prominent feature of Aldred’s glossing practice in the Lindisfarne Gospels (Cotton MS Nero D IV). In his later gloss, that to Durham Cathedral Library, MS A.iv.19, incomplete double glosses are predominant. Their raison d´être is unclear. This paper addresses the range of functions represented by vel (‘or’) in Durham Cathedral Library, MS A.iv.19. It is argued that the appended vel of incomplete glosses may carry a vel potius (‘or rather’) value thereby alerting readers to the provisional character of the gloss. Inspection of the manuscript reveals that in many instances insufficient space has been allowed for any second gloss. Incomplete glosses must also be considered in the context of how the same lemmata are glossed elsewhere in the manuscript.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Syntax and word order
- Parataxis and hypotaxis in the history of English 10
- Two types of left-dislocation in Old English 34
- Subject-verb agreement and the rise of do -support in the period of anglicisation of Scots 53
-
Part II. Diachronic linguistic change
- A modern light on diachronic processes affecting coda /l/ in English 82
- Modality and the English subjunctive in noun clauses 103
- Some philological implications of punctuation in editions of Middle English texts 120
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Part III. Lexicography and lexis
- The unfinished double glosses in Durham Cathedral Library, MS A.iv.19 144
- Early modern manuscripts containing Old English dictionaries in England and northern Germany 166
- Loss of wiþer -words in English 191
- Investigating the dynamics of the lexicon 212
- Index 233
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Syntax and word order
- Parataxis and hypotaxis in the history of English 10
- Two types of left-dislocation in Old English 34
- Subject-verb agreement and the rise of do -support in the period of anglicisation of Scots 53
-
Part II. Diachronic linguistic change
- A modern light on diachronic processes affecting coda /l/ in English 82
- Modality and the English subjunctive in noun clauses 103
- Some philological implications of punctuation in editions of Middle English texts 120
-
Part III. Lexicography and lexis
- The unfinished double glosses in Durham Cathedral Library, MS A.iv.19 144
- Early modern manuscripts containing Old English dictionaries in England and northern Germany 166
- Loss of wiþer -words in English 191
- Investigating the dynamics of the lexicon 212
- Index 233
