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Part of
Keys to the History of English: Diachronic linguistic change, morpho-syntax and lexicography
Edited by Thijs Porck, Moragh S. Gordon and Luisella Caon
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 363] 2024
► pp. 120–141

Some philological implications of punctuation in editions of Middle English texts

| University of Gothenburg

This study investigates the use of editions with modernised punctuation for linguistic enquiries. While previous studies have highlighted potential qualitative issues with using such editions, this study provides a quantitative analysis in order to give insight into how often editions with modernised punctuation tend to deviate from their manuscript’s punctuation. By doing so, this study provides further insight into how frequently the use of such editions may potentially lead the linguistic scholar astray. This study reveals that a high proportion of the punctuation marks encountered in the studied editions have no corresponding mark in the manuscript, ultimately concluding that the use of such editions may have an impact on the current understanding of Middle English syntax and text interpretation.

Keywords: punctuation, historical, modernisation, editing, Middle English, quantitative
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.A brief history of punctuation
  • 3.Modernised punctuation: Uses, practices and complications
  • 4.Method and materials
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Punctuation in use
    • 5.2Removals, additions, and correspondences
    • 5.3Correspondences in translation
    • 5.4Sentence-external marks
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 4 April 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.363.06ned
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