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Text-speak is alive and well in the 18th century!

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  • Text-speak is alive and well in the 18th century!

    I'm transcribing a Chancery case. I have come across numerous abbreviations:

    messes - messuages
    heredits - heriditaments
    premes - premises
    Complt - complainant
    sit - situate
    afsd - aforesaid
    Est - estate
    Indres - Indentures
    Testor - Testator
    Coy - County
    bror - brother
    rect - receipt
    Defts - Defendants
    wod - would
    togr - together

    The last letter of these words is often written as a superscript.

    This is just from one page! There are many more.

    Perhaps we could compile a Glossary for the Wiki.
    Elizabeth
    Research Interests:
    England:Purkis, Stilwell, Quintrell, White (Surrey - Guildford), Jeffcoat, Bond, Alexander, Lamb, Newton (Lincolnshire, Stalybridge, London)
    Scotland:Richardson (Banffshire), Wishart (Kincardineshire), Johnston (Kincardineshire)

  • #2
    It's a great idea to put a glossary in the Wiki, but the problem is that computer typefaces (and typewriters for that matter) can't reproduce many of the marks of abbreviation. A common example is that one often sees a transcription of pish for parish which doesn't show that the p has a line through its descender indicating that it it stands for par or per. This problem gets worse the further back you go - take the Domesday Book for example.

    There is a book by C. T. Martin called "The Record Interpreter" which gives lists of Latin and (Norman) French abbreviations. Originally published in 1910, but Kohler & Coombes produced a reprint in 1976 which might be available secondhand.

    I don't know of any similar book which deals with English abbreviations though. Does anyone know of one?

    Roger

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    • #3
      Roger, would it be possible to upload through Photobucket examples of words we have found?

      I have lots of wills etc. If we can upload photos of POWs I expect we can manage text, using a Macro function on the camera.
      Elizabeth
      Research Interests:
      England:Purkis, Stilwell, Quintrell, White (Surrey - Guildford), Jeffcoat, Bond, Alexander, Lamb, Newton (Lincolnshire, Stalybridge, London)
      Scotland:Richardson (Banffshire), Wishart (Kincardineshire), Johnston (Kincardineshire)

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      • #4
        Sorry, I don't know the answer to that question, one for the IT experts I think.
        Last edited by Roger in Sussex; 27-08-08, 22:35.

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        • #5
          Good luck to you Elizabeth!

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          • #6
            Yes, I've noticed some text-speak in the Bible. What does 'Lo' mean?
            Paul Barton, Special Agent

            Hear my themetune on http://www.turnipnet.com/radio/dickbarton.wav

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