06 June 2012

Spelling variety ~ Quantitative OLB-analysis

Towards a quantitative analysis of the OLB

If OLB is authentic, it is a composition of texts by various authors, from different times and different regions.
One would expect a variety of writing style and spelling between different parts of the book.

I am testing this hypothesis and present my first results here (more detailed data available):


1. SEND / SIND = present plural of verb 'to be'
sind - german
zijn - dutch
are - english
er - danish, norwegian
är - swedish
binne - frisian

___________________________________SEND __SIND______%
text before 'Ljudgert's Letter' . . 172 . . .8 . . 4%
Ljudgert's Letter (p.163-168) . . . . 0 . . 28 . 100%
text after 'Ljudgert's Letter . . . .22 . . .2 . .10%
-----------------------------------------------------
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 . . 38 . .16%


2. BERN / BÀRN = child or children
bern (s.), bern (pl.) - frisian
barn, barn - swedish, norwegian
barn, børn - danish, icelandic
kind, kinder - german
kind, kinderen - dutch
child, children - english

__________________________________BERN___BÀRN______%
text before 'Jon's History'. . . . . 5 . . 31 . .86%
from Jon onwards (p.65). . . . . . .74 . . .1 . . 1%
----------------------------------------------------
TOTAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 . . 32 . .29%



3. KÀNING (incl. 1x KÁNING) / KENING or KÉNING = king
kening - frisian
koning - dutch
könig - german
konge - danish, norwegian
kung - swedish
king - english

____________________________KENING___KANING________%
text before 'Wodin'. . . . . . .33. . . . 0 . . . 0%
Wodin to Jon (p.53-71) . . . . . 0 . . . 14 . . 100%
Jon to Gosa (p.72-142) . . . . .24 . . . .0 . . . 0%
Friso to Beden (p.144-168) . . . 0 . . . .8 . . 100%
Rika (p.189-192) . . . . . . . . 1 . . . .3 . . .75%
Black Adel (p.195-210) . . . . . 6 . . . .6 . . .50%
----------------------------------------------------
TOTAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 . . . 31 . . .33%



4. NW / NV = now
nu - dutch, danish, swedish
nú - icelandic
nou - (west-) frisian
now - english
nun - german
nå - norwegian
nunc - latin

_______________________________NW___NV______%
text before 'Nyhallenja' . . . .9 . .0 . . 0%
Nyhallenja (p.33-39) . . . . . .1 . .3 . .75%
Minno to Tunis (p.39-61) . . . 18 . .0 . . 0%
Kalta-Minerva-Jon (p.61-71). . .5 . 11 . .69%
Gertmanna to Gosa (p.72-142) . 42 . .0 . . 0%
Konered to Adel (p.143-157). . .6 . .6 . .50%
Gosa's advise (p.157-163). . . .0 . .9 . 100%
Ljudgert to Rika (p.163-192) . .1 . .0 . . 0%
Black Adel (p.195-210) . . . . .3 . .5 . .63%
---------------------------------------------

TOTAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 . 34 . .29%


5. WI / WY = we
wy - frisian
vi - danish, swedish, norwegian
wij, we - dutch
we - english
wir - german
við - icelandic

__________________________________WI___WY_______%
text before 'Forma Skednise' . . . 7 . .0 . . .0%
FS to Fasta (p.6-14) . . . . . . . 0 . .2 . .100%
Ewa to Horninga (p.15-44). . . . .29 . .1 . . .3%
Jolsigns (p.45-46) . . . . . . . . 1 . .2 . . 67%
Arge Tid to Formlere (p.47-99) . .61 . .4 . . .6%
Other Formler (p.100-103). . . . . 0 . .9 . .100%
Trast to Frethorik (p.104-119) . .12 . .1 . . .8%
Ljudgert's diary (p.120-130) . . .43 . .5 . . 10%
text after Ljudgert (p.130-210). .31 . .2 . . .6%
-------------------------------------------------
TOTAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 . 26 . . 12%


6. MITH / WITH = with
with - english
mit - german
met - dutch
med - danish, swedish, norwegian
með - icelandic
μετά - greek

__________________________________MITH___WITH_______%
text before rights Mother . . . . . 28 . . .0 . . .0%
Rights to Horninga (p.23-44). . . . 27 . . .4 . . 13%
Jolsigns to Tunis (p.45-61) . . . . 26 . . .0 . . .0%
Kalta-Minerva-Jon (p.62-71) . . . . 18 . . .1 . . .5%
Gertmen to Neiskrift (p.72-87). . . 31 . . .1 . . .3%
Adelbrost-Apollanja (p.87-113). . . 44 . . .1 . . .2%
Frethorik (p.113-133) . . . . . . . 54 . . .1 . . .2%
Wiljo (p.133-142) . . . . . . . . . .8 . . .3 . . 27%
Konered (p.143-157) . . . . . . . . 42 . . .1 . . .2%
Gosa to Rika (p.158-192). . . . . . 30 . . .1 . . .3%
Black Adel (p.195-210). . . . . . . 43 . . .3 . . .7%
-----------------------------------------------------
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351 . . 16 . . .4%


7. BURGUM / BURGA = plural of BURG; borough
burg - german
burcht - dutch
boarch - frisian
borg - danish, swedish, norwegian
borough - english

_______________________________BURGUM___BURGA_______%
text before Grevetmanna . . . . . . 3 . . . 0 . . .0%
Grevetmanna (p.5) . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . 3 . .100%
Fasta to Burg-ewa (p.14-18) . . . . 6 . . . 0 . . .0%
Horninga (p.43-44). . . . . . . . . 0 . . . 1 . .100%
Jolsigns to Wodin (p.45-60) . . . . 2 . . . 0 . . .0%
Kalta-Minerva-Jon (p.62-71) . . . . 1 . . . 1 . . 50%
Denamarka (p.79-87) . . . . . . . . 0 . . . 1 . .100%
Bruno to Gosa (p.91-118). . . . . . 4 . . . 0 . . .0%
Konered (p.143-157) . . . . . . . . 0 . . . 2 . .100%
Gosa's advise (p.158-162) . . . . . 1 . . . 0 . . .0%
Rika (p.189-192). . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . 1 . .100%
Black Adel (p.195-210). . . . . . . 1 . . . 0 . . .0%
-----------------------------------------------------
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 . . . 9 . . 33%


8. NIM-MAN + NIM-MER / NIN-MAN + NIN-MER / NÀM-MAN + NÀM-MER = no man (no-one) + never
This includes varieties:
NIM: -màn, -men, -merte, -merthe
NIN: -màn, -nan, -merthe
NÀM: -mar

nimmen - frisian
niemand - dutch, german
ingen - danish, swedish, norwegian

nimmer - dutch, german, frisian
never - english
aldri(g) - danish, swedish, norwegian

______________________________NAM-___NIM-___NIN-
letters Hidde & Liko . . . . . . 0 . . .2 . . .0
p.1-6 introduction . . . . . . . 2 . . .0 . . .0
p.7-14 Forma Skednise. . . . . . 4 . . .1 . . .0
p.15 burglaws. . . . . . . . . . 2 . . .1 . . .0
p.19 common laws . . . . . . . . 0 . . .4 . . .0
p.25-26 Rjuchta Aller Fryas. . . 2 . . .0 . . .0
p.29-42 Minno, 3 Weta. . . . . . 1 . . .8 . . .0
p.47-71 Arge Tid to Jon. . . . . 0 . . .1 . . .7
p.72-87 Gertmanna to Ende. . . . 0 . . .6 . . .0
p.93 Adela's death . . . . . . . 0 . . .0 . . .1
p.97 Formlere. . . . . . . . . . 0 . . .1 . . .0
p.100 Other Formler. . . . . . . 0 . . .0 . . .1
p.103 Trast. . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . .1 . . .1
p.106-117 Apollanja-Frethorik. . 0 . . .2 . . .0
p.120 Ljudgert diary . . . . . . 0 . . .5 . . .1
p.131-163 Brokmanna-Gosa . . . . 0 . . 10 . . .0
p.168 Beden. . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . .2 . . .1
p.189-210 Rika to Black Adel . . 0 . . .3 . . .0
------------------------------------------------
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 . . 47 . . 12


Many interesting conclusions can be drawn from these data, but for now I will limit myself to presenting them.

I add only this:

If OLB was created in the 19th century, the (main) author must have been extremely knowledgeable, intelligent and creative, to be able to evoke this highly sophisticated'illusion of authenticity' (term used by Jensma). If the intension was simply to make a parody of the Bible and/or Frisian 'Fantastic' history - as Jensma suggests - this effort to add spelling variety in this way was totally out of proportion.

More precisely:
According to Jensma, besides a parody of Frisian historiography, the OLB would be a parody of the  'denominational struggle between orthodoxy and free-thinking modernism which broke out at the end of the 1850s inside the Dutch Reformed church as well as in Dutch society as a whole'.

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