Encoding Linguistic Variation in Greek Documentary Papyri. The past, present and future of editorial regularization

Abstract

In this paper I analyse the results of a system of editorial regularization which has been in practice for 125 years. The study of editorial practices in the past and present is executed by means of the new Trismegistos Text Irregularities tool. This tool collects all editorial interventions that are annotated in the Papyrological Navigator (http://www.papyri.info) and allows for detailed searches and analyses of the attestations.8 I will first give a short overview of the parts of the Leiden conventions that are relevant for the regularization of language and their current application in the digital editions in the Papyrological Navigator (section 2). Then, I will discuss the past and current use of critical signs and regularizations in the critical apparatus in the original and digital editions (section 3). The possibilities for categorization of variation and different standards are examined in section 4, followed by a concluding section on how we may be able to combine the traditional and modern aims in the development of new digital tools (section 5).