hellog〜英語史ブログ / 2025-03-19

■ #5805. Skeat の発見した幽霊語の一覧 [ghost_word][minim][spelling][alphabet][manuscript][palaeography][thorn][th][graphemics][editing]

　昨日の記事「#5804. 中世写本で読み間違えられやすい文字（列） --- 幽霊語を生み出す元凶」 ([2025-03-18-1]) で，Skeat がまとめた読み違いしやすい文字（列）の一覧を示した．現代の中世写本の校訂者は原則として文献学のプロではあるが，そのプロですらはまってしまう文字の罠が多々あるということだ．Skeat は，そのような罠にはまった校訂者が，図らずも生み出してしまった幽霊語 (ghost_word) の数々を，自身の論文の最後で列挙している (373--74) ．括弧のなかの綴字が，Skeat の考えるところによれば幽霊的でない正しい綴字である．

abacot (a bicocket)
abofted (abosted)
allryn (alkyn)
belene (beleue)
beuen (benen)
bewunus (bewunne)
bolueden (bolneden)
bouchen (bonchen)
char (thar)
chek yn a tyde (chek-matyde),
chesse (chese)
chichingis (thithingis, error for tithingis)
clamupe (claurnpe)
cleue (clene)
conise (comse)
conisyng (comspg)
coppin (croppin)
corves (cornes)
couuen (coxmen)
cronde (croude)
culde (tulde)
culpis (cuupis ? for coupis ?),
degontit (degoutit)
desouled (defouled)
dimnede (diuinede)
dolf (douf)
dolp (doup)
drinen (driuen)
dymnede (dyuinede)
eftures (esteres, estres)
enchausyt (enchaufyt)
encortif (encorcif)
flocced (flotted)
folloke (wilfolloker)
forbusur (forbusne)
forgalbed (forgabbed)
fonngit (foriugit)
fouk (fonk)
founed (fonned)
galbert (gabbert)
golk (gouk)
gramity (graunty)
havin (harm)
hetheued (heued)
holk (houk)
howen, howne (howue)
kimes (knives)
lath (lay)
lessyt (leffyt)
lohe (lome)
maused (mansed)
monelich (menelich)
morse (nurse)
moyt (mo þat)
nalle (ualle)
nolt (nout)
onen (ouen)
ouershuppe (ouerhuppe)
owery (dwerþ)
palke (pakke)
palpis (paupis)
panfray (paufray)
pantener (pautener)
pavade (panade)
polien (þolien)
polk (pouk)
porcours (portours)
punniten (permuten)
rendit (vondit)
rentful (reuful)
renthe (reuthe)
reuk (renk)
rolkis (rokkis)
roned (roued)
sangtle (saughtle)
satoure (fatoure)
scharpe (schappe)
sharter (Charter)
skowurand (skownrand)
slalk (slakk)
soket (Coket)
sordid (fordid)
spelk (spekk)
stone (schon)
succh (sutth)
suten (sitten)
Syvewarm (Fysewarin)
talbart (tabbart)
tavart (tabart)
thame (tharne)
treryn (temp)
tyre (cyre)
ulode (correct; u=v)
ullorxa (?)
vyt (rycht)
walk (wakk, later wauk)
walkrif (wakkrif, later waukrif)
walknit (wakknit, later wauknit)
watte (waite)
wayne (wayue)
wok (woux)
ytoped (ycoped)
yvete (ybete)

　Skeat は，校訂者のミスによって生じるこのような幽霊語が，後に定着し，辞書に採録までされてしまう可能性に強い危機感を抱いていた．文献学のプロとしての矜持なのだろう．

　・ Skeat, Walter W. "Report upon 'Ghost-words,' or Words which Have no Real Existence." in the President's Address for 1886. Transactions of the Philological Society for 1885--87. Vol. 2. 350--80.

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