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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. 144–165

The unfinished double glosses in Durham Cathedral Library, MS A.iv.19

| University of Seville

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.

Keywords: Aldred, Durham Ritual, Durham Collectar, gloss, Old English, Lindisfarne Gospels, Northumbrian, vel
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Incomplete Multiple Glosses in Li. and Durham, MS A.iv.19
  • 2.Remedial glosses in Li.
  • 3.Remedial glosses in Durham, MS A.iv.19
  • 4.Vel as caveat lector
  • 5.Vel and the vacant slots
  • 6.Potential alternatives for unfinished glosses
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
Published online: 4 April 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.363.07lan
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