Reassessing the locus of normalization in machine-assisted collation

In this essay we explore the process of textual normalization in the context of machine-assisted collation, which is a common operation in digital textual scholarship. The Gothenburg modular architecture for computer-assisted collation situates normalization as the second stage within a five-stage c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Digital humanities quarterly 2020-01, Vol.14 (3)
Main Authors: Birnbaum, David J, Spadini, Elena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Normalization
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Summary:In this essay we explore the process of textual normalization in the context of machine-assisted collation, which is a common operation in digital textual scholarship. The Gothenburg modular architecture for computer-assisted collation situates normalization as the second stage within a five-stage computational pipeline, where it contributes to improving the eventual alignment. In this essay we argue that normalization, in fact, contributes not only to the alignment, but also to the interpretation of the texts. Furthermore, it occurs at several moments between transcription and rendering, and should not be regarded as happening all at once and only in one location.
ISSN:1938-4122