The Egyptian hieroglyphic script was exceptionally versatile, as becomes clear when studying its multiple uses both within Ancient Egypt and beyond its borders. Even the few cases discussed in this... Show moreThe Egyptian hieroglyphic script was exceptionally versatile, as becomes clear when studying its multiple uses both within Ancient Egypt and beyond its borders. Even the few cases discussed in this booklet demonstrate that in the ancient world hieroglyphs appealed to a wide readership, which ranged from highly accomplished scribes, artists and priests, to semi-literate workmen, as well as to speakers of non-Egyptian languages. Creative processes within these different groups resulted in very different adaptations of regular hieroglyphic writing: highly specialized enigmatic compositions, less informed ad hoc orthographies, isolated uses of hieroglyphs as marks and emblems, and the development of new writing systems. Important reasons for the wide appeal and deep impact of hieroglyphic writing are the iconicity and cultural messages of its individual signs on the one hand, and its remarkable semiotic strategies in rendering human language on the other. Show less
Machine Translation (MT), the process by which a computer engine such as Google Translate or Bing automatically translates a text from one language into another without any human involvement, is... Show moreMachine Translation (MT), the process by which a computer engine such as Google Translate or Bing automatically translates a text from one language into another without any human involvement, is increasingly used in professional, institutional and everyday contexts for a wide range of purposes.While a growing number of studies has looked at professional translators and translation students, there is currently a lack of research on nontranslator users and uses in multilingual contexts.This paper presents a survey examining how, when and why students at Leiden University’s Faculty of Humanities use MT. A questionnaire was used to determine which MT engines students use and for what purposes, and gauge their awareness of issues concerning privacy, academic integrity and plagiarism. The findings reveal a widespread adoption of Google Translate and indicate that students use MT predominantly to look up single words, as an alternative to a dictionary. Many seemed sceptical about thevalue of MT for educational purposes, and many assumed that the use of MT is not permitted by lecturers for graded assignments, especially in courses focusing on language skills.The results demonstrate a clear need for more MT literacy. Students may not need practical training in how to use MT, but there is much room for improvement in terms of when and why they use it. Show less
This dissertation aims to identify women’s participation in the manuscript culture of the “Twelfth-Century Renaissance” (c.1075 – c.1225) in Western Europe. Historically considered to be a... Show moreThis dissertation aims to identify women’s participation in the manuscript culture of the “Twelfth-Century Renaissance” (c.1075 – c.1225) in Western Europe. Historically considered to be a period dominated by men, this study will argue that women actively participated in book culture. By paying attention to the books that women owned, commissioned and copied, this study will assess the female experience as reader, scribe and patron. Unique to this proposal is the examination of gender in relation to manuscript studies, specifically codicology (the study of books as physical objects). First, this study examines the types of books owned by both religious and secular women (prayer books, books of hours, poetry) and the types of books they produced (liturgical books, theological works, correspondence). Here, the study will consider questions related to women’s education and literacy, social status and reading patterns. Second, it aims to identify specific physical characteristics that are unique to the appearance of medieval manuscripts produced by women and for women, such as reading aids, page layouts and script. Can these features illustrate the explicit and implicit demands of women for various types and styles of books? Show less
Beusekom, M.M. van; Grootens-Wiegers, P.; Bos, M.J.W.; Guchelaar, H.J.; Broek, J.M. van den 2016
The dissertation examines the functional and historical context of the corpus of ostraca from the Theban necropolis - hitherto largely unpublished - that are inscribed with identity marks. The... Show moreThe dissertation examines the functional and historical context of the corpus of ostraca from the Theban necropolis - hitherto largely unpublished - that are inscribed with identity marks. The feature that sets the usage of marks in Deir el-Medina apart from other systems in ancient Egypt is their application in the creation of documentary records. Analysing the 18th Dynasty ostraca, the study provides insight into the organisation and administration of the royal necropolis workmen of that period. The ostraca from the 19th and 20th Dynasty are occasionally concerned with supplies and tools for the construction of the tomb, but more often they record the delivery and distribution of commodities, goods and rations, and attendance at the worksite. In the 20th Dynasty more than in the 19th Dynasty ostraca can be recognised that pertain not to the collective necropolis administration, but that are private accounts. The subject of such records is also exclusively of a material nature. They include what seem to be inventories of private property and records of transactions. The majority of ostraca with identity marks were created by workmen without formal scribal training, although some were evidently composed by scribes or draftsmen. Show less
Literacy was widespread in large areas of ancient Arabia, as shown by the huge numbers of graffiti by both settled people and nomads. But, it is still extremely difficult to establish a reliable... Show moreLiteracy was widespread in large areas of ancient Arabia, as shown by the huge numbers of graffiti by both settled people and nomads. But, it is still extremely difficult to establish a reliable chronology for the literate periods of pre-Islamic Arabian history. This has led to a misuse of palaeography in an attempt to create chronological sequences based on letter forms from undated inscriptions and documents, on widely different kinds of surface, with different purposes, and often separated by large distances. This practice is not confined to Arabian inscriptions but is widespread in Semitic epigraphy. This article offers a new taxonomy for inscriptions and graffiti, examines the misuse of palaeography in Semitic epigraphy and suggests some more useful ways in which palaeography could be used in this field. Show less
The study attempts to reconstruct aspects of the culture and knowledge transfer as involved in the import of cuneiform writing from Mesopotamia to Anatolia and Syria in the Late Bronze Age. It... Show moreThe study attempts to reconstruct aspects of the culture and knowledge transfer as involved in the import of cuneiform writing from Mesopotamia to Anatolia and Syria in the Late Bronze Age. It therefore analyzes the manuscripts called 'lexical lists' that were excavated at the Anatolian and Syrian sites of Hattusha, Ugarit, and Emar. Lexical lists are structured, often bilingual or multilingual lists of words and cuneiform signs; they were the essential tools of scribal education in that period. The analysis follows three main research foci, i.e., (1) the geographical transmission of the lists from Mesopotamia to Anatolia and Syria ('long-distance transmissional context'), (2) their local reproduction at the mentioned sites ('short-distance transmissional context'), as well as (3) their role within the actual education procedures ('functional context'). Thereby, the analysis particularly takes into consideration t he specific role that oral vs. writing-based techniques of transmission played within those processes. Show less
