Electronic Corpus of Diplomatic Parallel Manuscript Texts as a Tool for Historical Studies of English - Constructing a Basis for the Examination of the AB Language

对于历史语言学家来说，由于缺乏书面证据，对古英语和中世纪英语之间的过渡期仍然知之甚少。在这种情况下，被称为Ancrene Wisse的长篇散文文本非常重要，尤其是因为幸存的手稿数量，对于一部早期的中世纪英语作品来说，这是相当特殊的。手稿之间在年代、出处和抄写习惯方面的微小差异使我们能够以无与伦比的细节追踪这一时期英语发生的变化和变化。以平行电子形式提供文本将为英语历史研究提供有价值的工具。我们的出版物包括：Ancrene Wisse：一部四手稿平行文本。前言和第1-4部分(英国中世纪语言和文学研究，7)(美因河畔法兰克福/柏林：Peter Lang，2003)和Ancrene Wisse：四部手稿平行文本。第5-8部分和词汇表(《英国中世纪语言和文学研究》，第11期)(Peter Lang，2005)。我们的2卷Ancrene Wisse平行文本版是第一个将四个主要手稿的阅读结合在一起的版本，即MSS。A、C、N和V，逐行平行打印。这不仅为一般的历史研究提供了有用的工具，而且也为侧重于过渡时期的研究提供了有用的工具。特别是，这种平行的外交手稿文本为仔细考察AB语言提供了基础。

For historical linguists, the transition period between Old and Middle English remains poorly understood, because of the shortage of written evidence. In this situation, the long prose text known as Ancrene Wisse is of great importance, not least because of the number of surviving manuscripts, quite exceptional for an Early Middle English work. Small differences in dating, provenance and scribal habits between the manuscripts allow us to track with unequalled detail the changes and variations that were occurring in the English of this period. To have the texts available in parallel electronic form will provide a valuable tool for the historical study of English.Our publications include : The Ancrene Wisse : A Four-Manuscript Parallel Text. Preface and Parts 1-4(Studies in English Medieval Language and Literature, 7)(Frankfurt am Main/Berlin : Peter Lang, 2003) and The Ancrene Wisse : A Four-Manuscript Parallel Text. Parts 5-8 with Wordlists (Studies in English Medieval Language and Literature, 11) (Peter Lang, 2005). Our 2-volume Ancrene Wisse parallel text edition is the first to combine readings from the four main manuscripts, i.e. MSS. A, C, N and V, which are printed in parallel form, line by line. This provides a useful tool not only for historical studies in general but also for studies focussing on the transition period. In particular, this kind of parallel diplomatic manuscript text provides a basis for a close examination of the AB language.