Voynich MS - Analysis Section ( 5/5 )

5. Syntax

Introduction

As before, this page will first list a number of observations about the Voynich MS syntax or grammar, that may be found in the printed literature, and then concentrate on analyses that have been performed by mailing lists members. The latter includes cluster analyses detecting variation of language 'useage' across the MS and long-range correlation studies which indicate that the MS text seems to behave just like normal language.

Observations in printed literature at syntax level

Several sources list 'odd features' of the MS text. In order to present a complete overview, they will be collected here. This is not yet complete.

'Unattached' finals scattered throughout language 'B' texts in considerable profusion; generally much less noticeable in Language 'A'.

From D'Imperio

The split gallows seem only to occur on first lines of paragraphs, and in labels.
The same "word" may be repeated two, three or more times
Many "words" differ by only one character and are found in each other's vicinity
Certain symbols occur characteristically at the beginnings, middles or ends of words, and in certain preferred sequences

From Tiltman
(Note: Tiltman treats f as a variant form of k and p as a variant form of t. In the following, characters or sequences in parentheses represent such variant forms).

Paragraphs nearly always begin with k (f) or t (p), most commonly in the second variant forms, which also occur frequently in words in the top lines of paragraphs where there is some extra space
There are many examples of 2, 3, 4 or even 5 a groups strung together on end, with or without spaces between them. When this occurs, there appears to be some selective preference. For example, ar is very frequently doubled, whereas aiin, which is generally significantly commoner, is rearely found doubled. Perhaps the commonest succession of three of these groups is ar ar al.
al very frequently follows ar,

Remainder still to be included.

Cluster analysis of the Currier languages

As a start, see the following contributions:

>> Mary D'Imperio: cluster analysis. This page is no longer available. I will need to check for a printed copy and do something with that.
Mike Roe's analysis using SAS, pointing at the different properties of newly-transcribed material. (to be included from the mailing list archive)
René Zandbergen: Currier A and B: two different languages?
>> Jorge Stolfi: page scatter plots
René Zandbergen: the Currier languages revisited
>> Gabriel Landini: Hierarchical cluster analysis temporarily unavailable. Displayed a cluster analysis based on the result of the above paper.

More to be included

Long-range correlations

The Letter Serial Correlation analysis

This technique, used by Brendan McKay and Mark Perakh, will be described here. Include a reference to the web pages.

Long-range correlations by Gabriel Landini

In a recent paper in Cryptologia (ref) Gabriel Landini comes to a very similar conclusion. (to be continued).