Punctuation

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Punctuation

General Rule

Punctuation in the source MUST be transcribed exactly as it appears in the document and MUST NOT be normalized. Spacing MUST be standardized as follows:

• No double spaces.
• No space before punctuation marks.
• A single space after punctuation marks, except for quotation marks and apostrophes.

Medieval Sources

Punctuation transcription in medieval sources MUST be simplified to ensure consistency.

Because the dot-based punctuation system displays a wide variety of shapes (simple dot, middle dot, punctus elevatus, double dot, colon, semicolon, etc.), and since their use frequently varies across scribes and manuscripts, the following simplification rules MUST be applied:

• Single dot MUST be transcribed as <.> [U+002E], regardless of its height or position.
• Double dots MUST be transcribed as <:> [U+003A].

NB: This system MAY be adapted to the historical period and to the geographic or linguistic context. For example, the inverted question mark <¿> occurs in Spanish manuscripts, whereas the standard question mark <?> appears in Italian ones. Any such adaptation MUST be explicitly documented and justified.

• The sign </> [U+002F] MUST be used for diastoles and virgula suspensiva. These signs often serve both token segmentation (e.g., words, verses) and indicating a short pause.

• At the end of a line, all hyphenation marks MUST be represented by the sign <-> [U+00AC].

Modern and Contemporary Sources

Punctuation marks in modern and contemporary sources MUST be transcribed exactly as they appear in the source. This includes periods, commas, exclamation marks, question marks, and similar signs, which MUST be represented faithfully.

Standardization of Allographic Variations

Some graphical variations are considered allographic. In such cases, the representation MUST be reduced to a single standardized sign:

• Dashes: All dashes, whether short or long,** MUST** be transcribed as <-> [U+2010]. This avoids ambiguity and ensures consistency.

• Hyphenation at Line Breaks: All hyphenation marks MUST be transcribed as <¬> [U+00AC] [U+2010]. This avoids confusion with hyphens used for morphological or lexical associations (e.g., "semi-automatique").

• Quotation marks: Any character functioning as a quotation marker MUST be transcribed as the standard Unicode quotation mark <"> [U+0022].

• Apostrophes: All apostrophe-like characters MUST be transcribed as the single quotation mark <'> [U+0027].