Re: [NTG-context] Critical Editions?

I remember some discussions years ago with Pablo Rodriguez on this topic, and I have some previous discussions with a reledmac LaTeX French expert, about critical edition in the Medieval and/or Latin/Ancient Greek studies … Maybe Pablo has preserved some CTX samples ? I need to dig in my ‘archeological’ ConTeXt MWE ! But here is what would be clever to achieve with Context/Luame tatex (see attached files)

Le 3 janv. 2022 à 10:43, hanneder--- via ntg-context a écrit :

Dear Bruce and Hans,

thanks for you responses and I apologize for the lengthy post, which is just to give you an impression of the current practice in my field (Sanskrit Studies, Indology).

For the last two decades edmac and its further developments (now reledmac) have become the standard for critical editions. In my experience the basic requirements for typesetting critical editions were and are:

- footnotes have to be formatted in paragraphs - multiple footnotes layers stacked below the critical text must be possible - automatic reference to linenumbers - or: manual references to verse numbers - language specific requirements (more complicated, see below)

In the last years new requirements have been added:

- some funding institutions in the academic world practically enforce online editions - data have to be made available in TEI xml format

This is where a new (LuaTeX) package called ekdosis, currently being developed by Robert Alessi, comes in. It produces a printed version and in the same TeX run an xml file. In an ongoing editorial project we are using this method and it works very well. While the system is ingenious and a great relief (for we do not have to work with xml directly), I am also critical about these new demands, because they force us to use a fairly complex system for sometimes quite simple tasks. I am a Sanskritist, we do not have huge budgets or a large staff, so efficiency is an issue. We also do not have the resources for the long-term care for data such as online editions, but this is another problem.

In a previous project, a large edition (30000 verses, 15 years), I tried to use the easiest method. It turned out that edmac was not even necessary and not using it made the main file from which we are working very readable and greatly simplified daily work. Just to give you an impression from our input file: The first two lines in the next paragraph are the Sanskrit text in transcription, \var produces a variant with reference to the verse number and verse quarter (a-d). So no line numbering was even necessary. The \lem produces the sign that divides the critical text and its witnesses from the variants, usually "]", the rest are sigla, like S1, S3 etc.

mumukṣuvyavahāroktimayāt prakaraṇād anu \danda athotpattiprakaraṇaṃ mayedaṃ parikathyate \sloka{1.5} \var{5b}{anu \Sseven \Sft \lem \emph{param} \Sone \Sthree \Snine \Ntwelve \Ntw}

I used pdflatex and memoir, which has paragraphed footnotes. Here is the relevant section from the preamble:

\renewcommand*{\@makefnmark}{} \newfootnoteseries{P} \paragraphfootstyle{P} \renewcommand{\thefootnoteP}{} \footmarkstyleP{} \renewcommand{\@makefnmarkP}{\hskip-2.2pt} \renewcommand{\footnoterule}{} \setlength{\stockheight}{6in} \renewcommand{\linenumberfont}{\normalfont\tiny} \setlength{\linenumbersep}{0pt}\setlength{\linenumberwidth}{0pt}\modulolinenumbers[2] \setlength{\footmarkwidth}{0em} \setlength{\footmarksep}{-\footmarkwidth} \addtolength{\skip\footins}{2mm plus 1mm} \leftskip=.2cm % indent of the verses \def\var#1#2{\footnoteP{#1 #2}} % footnotes

This is what I compiled from different examples (I am not a programmer), but it worked -- the edition has produced quite a few volumes and is almost finished!

Working with this file was easy, because one could easily read the text. The usual edmac code would have required us to identify an lemma with \edtext and then write the variant directly into the text. This may not matter in the case of few variants, but with many variants the text is quickly rendered unreadable -- even with all tricks to make footnotes invisible (I use folding in emacs). The following would be a single example verse (32 syllables, same size as the one quoted above), encoded in ekdosis and with lots of manuscripts:

\begin{tlg}[hp16][] \tl{ \app{\lem[wit={ceteri}]{manthāna} \rdg[type=stemmaerror,wit={B2}]{\unm śrīmanthāna} % stemma error \rdg[wit={C4,L1,N5}]{manthāra} \rdg[wit={N13,Tü,V1,V22,Vu}]{manthāno\skp{-}} \rdg[wit={J2}]{mandāra}}% \app{\lem[wit={ceteri}]{bhairavo} \rdg[wit={N20}]{mairavo} \rdg[wit={N23}]{bhairavā} \rdg[wit={V26}]{bhaivarau}} \app{\lem[wit={ceteri}]{yogī} \rdg[wit={J2}]{jogī} \rdg[wit={C1}]{siddha} \rdg[wit={V5}]{siddhe} \rdg[wit={J15,V8}]{yogi}} \app{\lem[wit={ceteri}]{siddha} \rdg[type=stemmapoint,wit={B1,B3,C2,C3,C4pc,C6,N1,J10,J13,J17,N6,N10,N13,N17,Tü,V4,V11,V22,V26}]{śuddha} %stemma point \rdg[wit={J15}]{śruddha} \rdg[wit={B2,N19,V6}]{siddho\skp{-}} \rdg[wit={C1,V5}]{yogī} %s \rdg[wit={V1}]{suddha} \rdg[wit={J1,J3,J14,N2,N16}]{siddhi} \rdg[wit={J2}]{sandhi} \rdg[wit={N20}]{viddha} \rdg[wit={N22}]{sidha} \rdg[wit={N24}]{siddhar\skp{-}} \rdg[wit={V8}]{suddho}}\app{\lem[wit={ceteri},alt={buddhaś ca}]{buddha\skp{ś-ca}} \rdg[wit={J2}]{tudhiś ca} \rdg[wit={C7}]{pādaś ca} \rdg[type=stemmapoint,wit={C6,J1,J3,N3,N16,N20,V2,V3,V26}]{buddhiś ca}%stemma point \rdg[wit={N22}]{nudhaś ca} \rdg[wit={N24}]{cuddhaś ca} }\skm{ś-ca} \app{\lem[wit={ceteri}]{kanthaḍiḥ} \rdg[wit={B1}]{kanthariḥ} \rdg[wit={B2,N23}]{kanthaḍīḥ} \rdg[wit={C1,C6,J15,N10,N12,N20,N21,V6}]{kanthaḍī} \rdg[wit={C3}]{kanthaṭī} \rdg[wit={C4ac}]{kukuḍiḥ} \rdg[wit={V1,J10pc,N3}]{kanthalī} \rdg[wit={J10ac}]{kanhalī} \rdg[wit={N5}]{kaṃtharī} \rdg[wit={J2}]{kanthaḍi} \rdg[wit={J17,N6,N17,N22,V4,V11}]{kandalī} % \rdg[wit={V3}]{kanthaḍīṃ} \rdg[wit={J1}]{kanthaviḥ} \rdg[wit={V8}]{kandali} \rdg[wit={N13}]{kaṃpaṭiḥ} \rdg[wit={Tü}]{kaṃpaḍiḥ} \rdg[wit={M1}]{paddhatiḥ} \rdg[wit={V26}]{kānuṭiḥ} }/}\\ \tl{ \app{\lem[wit={ceteri}]{pauraṇṭakaḥ } \rdg[wit={N22}]{pauraṃṭaka} \rdg[wit={N5}]{pauraṃṭhakaḥ } % group according to alphabetical order? \rdg[wit={B1,N1,N10,V6}]{pauraṇḍakaḥ } \rdg[wit={V11}]{pauraṇḍakaṃ } \rdg[wit={B2}]{pauraṇḍaṅka} \rdg[wit={C3}]{pauraṃṭaṃka} \rdg[wit={N16,N24}]{kauraṇṭakaḥ } \rdg[wit={N12}]{kauraṃṭaka} \rdg[wit={J14,V26}]{kauraṇḍakaḥ } \rdg[wit={J2}]{koraṃṭaka} \rdg[wit={J4,N21,N23}]{koraṃtakaḥ } \rdg[type=stemmapoint,wit={C6,N13,Tü,V22,Vu}]{koraṃṭakaḥ }% stemma point? \rdg[wit={N2}]{koraṇṭīkaḥ } \rdg[wit={N3}]{goraṃṭaka} \rdg[wit={M1}]{ghoraṃṭakaḥ } \rdg[wit={V8}]{\unm kāhapauraṇṭaka} \rdg[wit={Vu}]{koraṃḍīka} \rdg[wit={V2}]{kauraṃḍīkaḥ } \rdg[wit={N20}]{paura...kaḥ } %illeg \rdg[wit={C1,J3,L1,N11,V5,V19}]{{\supplied{\gap{reason=lost,unit=word, quantity=1}}}} }\app{\lem[wit={ceteri}]{surānandaḥ } \rdg[wit={B2,N12}]{sarānanda} \rdg[wit={C2,J2,N2,N3,V3,N22,V2}]{surānanda} \rdg[wit={N24}]{śurānaṃdaḥ } \rdg[wit={J4}]{sarānandaḥ } \rdg[wit={C1,J3,L1,N11,V5,V19}]{{\supplied{\gap{reason=lost,unit=word, quantity=1}}}} }\app{\lem[wit={ceteri}]{siddha} \rdg[wit={V1,J1,J2,N16,N24}]{siddhi} \rdg[wit={V8}]{siddhā} \rdg[wit={C1,J3,L1,N11,V5,V19}]{{\supplied{\gap{reason=lost,unit=word, quantity=1}}}}}\app{\lem[wit={ceteri},alt={pādaś}]{pāda\skp{ś-ca}} \rdg[wit={N22}]{pāda} \rdg[wit={C1,J3,L1,N11,V5,V19}]{{\supplied{\gap{reason=lost,unit=word, quantity=1}}}}}\app{\lem[wit={ceteri},alt={ca}]{\skm{ś-ca}} \rdg[wit={N22}]{{\supplied{\gap{reason=lost,unit=word, quantity=1}}}}} \app{\lem[wit={ceteri}]{carpaṭiḥ} \rdg[wit={B1,B2,N2,N17,N23,V3,V4}]{carppaṭiḥ} \rdg[wit={C3,J17,V6}]{carppaṭī} \rdg[wit={C4ac,C6,C7,V1,V2}]{carpaṭī} \rdg[wit={C4pc,J1,J15,N3,V8,N24}]{carpaṭi} \rdg[wit={J2}]{tarpaṭi} \rdg[wit={M1}]{parpaṭiḥ} \rdg[wit={N5}]{carpaṭīḥ} \rdg[wit={N11,V11}]{carpaṭaḥ} \rdg[wit={C1,J3,L1,N11,V5,V19}]{{\supplied{\gap{reason=lost,unit=word, quantity=1}}}} %\note*{1.6cd is omitted in C1,J3,L1,N11,V5,V19.} }//} \end{tlg}

It is obvious that it is not possible to read the text anymore, a single verse does not even fit the screen. For editing and selecting the variants one has to produce a formatted pdf version.

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Another disadvantage of the edmac style approach is that it expects European languages. Scripts are no more the main problem, but the interaction of different scripts, word divisions and other minute details make daily life of the editor complicated.

I hope the next example is more or less intelligible. We have a Sanskrit text passage that reads in transcription as:

samyaggomaya

The word consists of two elements, samyag and gomaya, but in the Indian script that we use for the critical text the "ggo" is a ligature. So in giving variants for both words, we cannot just separate samyag and gomaya, for then the ligature gg is not printed correctly. We also want to quote the correct word samyag in the apparatus (which is in roman!). Now, to make things more complicated the xml text should contain the correct word division, so we have to split samyag and gomaya. Thus, we now have to write the first "g" twice, first as \skp{g}, which explains to the xml converter that this is the logical position of the g (in the word samyag), and \skm{g}, which tells TeX to print this together with the next g as the ligature gg. Because of this mess, we need a modified lemma, "alt={gomaya}" so that the apparatus comes out correctly.

\app{\lem[alt={samyag},wit={ceteri}]{samya\skp{g-}} \rdg[wit={B2}]{samyaṃ} \rdg[wit={J4}]{sāṃyaṃ} \rdg[wit={J13,V1,N2,N19,V11}]{samyak} \rdg[wit={N3}]{saṃ} \rdg[wit={V8}]{liptaṃ} \rdg[wit={N21}]{ramyaṃ} \rdg[wit={N22}]{{\supplied{\gap{reason=lost,unit=word,quantity=1}}}} }% \app{\lem[wit={ceteri}, alt={gomaya}]{\skm{g-}gomaya} \rdg[wit={C4,C6,V3,V8,N13,N19,N21,N23,Tü,V4,V11}]{gomaya} \rdg[wit={V26}]{jogamaya} \rdg[wit={N22}]{{\supplied{\gap{reason=lost,unit=word,quantity=1}}}} }

Please ignore the details, but perhaps you get my point. It is all becoming very ingenious and it is a great relief that all this can be automatized. But it is also increasingly complicated to work with and slowing down editing considerably.

This is why I was curious to see about the status of critical edition in ConTeXt. I was hoping for something that can be kept simple.

...

The only real question I have to those who produce critical editions for real: are the examples I've linked to useful and appropriate to be copied?

Absolutely. It would be great to see a Context solution for this.

Greetings Jürgen

----- Nachricht von Bruce Horrocks via ntg-context --------- Datum: Fri, 24 Dec 2021 16:39:12 +0000 Von: Bruce Horrocks via ntg-context Antwort an: mailing list for ConTeXt users Betreff: Re: [NTG-context] Critical Editions? An: mailing list for ConTeXt users Cc: Bruce Horrocks , Idris Samawi Hamid

...

...

On 24 Dec 2021, at 12:07, Hans Hagen via ntg-context wrote:

a lot related to numbering, referencing and notes and much of that is present

so if you can team up with other critical edition users ... i suppose that Idris can send you his onthology-so-far

I'm not a user but was intrigued by Juergen's original post. In an effort to educate myself I found this page https://www.djdekker.net/ledmac/examples.html and thought about how those examples might be set using ConTeXt instead. It didn't take long to realise that Juergen pretty much has it exactly right with his sample code.

If it would help I could have a go at setting one or two of those examples and put it onto the Wiki somewhere?

The only real question I have to those who produce critical editions for real: are the examples I've linked to useful and appropriate to be copied?

— Bruce Horrocks Hampshire, UK

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Prof. Dr. Juergen Hanneder Philipps-Universitaet Marburg FG Indologie u. Tibetologie Deutschhausstr.12 35032 Marburg Germany Tel. 0049-6421-28-24930 hanneder@staff.uni-marburg.de

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