Subject: collation programs

From: "Vinton A. Dearing" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 16:27:23 PST

A suite of three programs for collation may be downloaded from 
  http://englishwww.humnet.ucla.edu/Individual/dearing
They are computer-independent, except that fonts must be chosen that 
have all characters the same width. They are written in QBASIC. 
Briefly described:
   QPROOF. Compares two transcripts of the same manuscript and marks 
differences found. Used to find errors in transcription.
   QCHOP. Compares a transcript with a base transcript and divides 
its lines accordingly. If the strings of words are not fairly similar,
user decides where the division is to be made or that a line has been 
added or omitted.
   QCOMP. Compares properly lineated transcripts with a base.
User will normally wish to follow the instructions in the program for 
sending command for condensed type to the printer. Example is not
condensed and so actually omits part of the normal output.

TEXT PAGE LINE  1 JOHN CHAPTER 2

T.R.    588      23       EN           AUTW KAI EN UMIN OTI H SKOTIA 
03       1438B  15
04       202       04

01       123VB  30      KAI EN
025     42          20

02       107VB   47     ALHQES ****                    HMIN           
  
The above indicates that 03 and 04 agree with T.R. and that 025 agrees 
with 01. 01 and 024 begin the line with KAI but otherwise agree with 
T.R., 03 and 04. 02 has ALHQES instead of EN AUTW -- ALHQES is 
treated as an alternate to EN and AUTW is marked as omitted. Texts 
wholly omitting the line are listed at the end (none in the example). 
Added lines are inserted in their places. Special characteristics of 
the transcripts can be indicated in ways the user prefers. I indicate 
illegible letters by dots, erased words by prefixing a minus sign 
(-KAI), inserted words by a plus sign (+EN), altered words by a slash 
(HMIN/UMIN). When I can identify the copyist making the change I 
append his number (HMIN/UMIN2). I save space in altered words by 
using a hyphen to indicate parts of a word not in question 
(AFEONTAI/-WNTAI2 or GEINWSKOMEN/GIN-2). With condensed type there is 
room at the right to write out the variations in the usual way, e.g., 
5.12 en toutw/; en/ 05; < >/ 33, and there I ignore itacisms and 
spelling variants for the usual reasons. I need the slashes so that 
in my programs for making stemmas the computer will be able 
to tell the lemmas and variant readings from the sigla. In the
example, having been informed of the sigla of all the manuscripts,
the computer would supply those for the manuscripts having 
EN TOUTW in full and intact. These programs are available at the
same address.
     Those of you who are programmers may see how the programs can be 
improved. I'll be glad of any help on that score.
     Vinton A. Dearing