Voynich MS - Analysis Section ( 2/5 )

2. Character Statistics

Introduction

This page will first list a number of observations about the Voynich MS character statistics, that may be found in the printed literature, and then concentrate on analyses that have been performed by mailing lists members:

Character frequencies
Vowel/consonant identification (Sukhotin)
Entropy of characters / diagraphs
Cluster analysis of the Currier languages, by character (D'Imperio) or digraph (RZ)
Was any other algorithm of Sukhotin used?

Observations in printed literature about character statistics

From D'Imperio

The split gallows seem only to occur on first lines of paragraphs, and in labels.
The same "word" may be repeated two, three or more times
Many "words" differ by only one character and are found in each other's vicinity
Certain symbols occur characteristically at the beginnings, middles or ends of words, and in certain preferred sequences
Certain symbols appear very rarely, and only on certain pages
There are very few doublets. Primarily: e or i and occasionally also y, d and o.
There are very few single-letter words in the running text, primarily s and y.
Prefix-like elements are found in front of certain "words" that also occur commonly without them. Such prefix-like elements are: qo, o and y
The symbol q almost always precedes o, connected to it by an extension of the crossbar of the 4. This combination is found almost always at word start.
On most herbal folios, the first paragraph usually starts with t, k, p or f, usually immediately followed by ch, Sh, o, y, aiin or dy.
Labels very rarely start with t, k, p or f . Instead, they often start with o, d, y or sometimes s or ch.

From Currier's symposium presentation:
List, to be included.

From Tiltman
(Note: Tiltman treats f as a variant form of k and p as a variant form of t. In the following, characters or sequences in parentheses represent such variant forms).

cKh (cFh) and cTh (cPh) appear to be infixes of k (f) and t (p) within ch. The variant symbol represented by j appears most commonly at the end of a line, rarely anywhere else.
Paragraphs nearly always begin with k (f) or t (p), most commonly in the second variant forms, which also occur frequently in words in the top lines of paragraphs where there is some extra space.
y occurs quite frequently as the initial symbol of a line followed immediately by a combination of symbols which seem to be happy without it in any part of a line away from the beginning. Otherwise it occurs chiefly before spaces very frequently preceded immediately by d. Hence my belief that these two have some separative or conjunctive function. (I have to admit, however, that y also seems sometimes to take the place of o before k or t (though rarely, if ever, after q); this is particularly noticeable in some of the captions to illustrations in the astronomical section of the manuscript - these most commonly begin ok (of) or ot (op) and it is here that we occasionally see yk (yf) or yt (yp).
Regarding the second type of suffix, some of the combinations are so rare that I have been uncertain whether to take any account of them at all. Some are very common indeed. It seems to me that each of these combinations beginning with a has its own characteristic frequency which it maintains throughout the MS and independent of context (except in caes where two or more a groups are together in series, as referred to later). These a groups, e.g. ar or aiin, frequently occur attached directly to "roots", particularly ok (of), ot (op), d and s. okaiin (ofaiin), qokaiin (qofaiin) and daiin rank high among the commonest words in the MS.

Character frequencies

This must still be included.

Vowel/consonant detection

Included here will be at least:

Application of Sukhotin algorithm by Jacques Guy
One or two pronouncible examples by Jacques
On-line example of Mike Roe

Entropy

First treat Bennett,

then: >> Dennis Stallings: understanding the second-order entropies of Voynich text (renew link)

then: the commas by Gabriel / Jim. (Link lost here)

Then see the following contributions:

More to be included.

Any other business

Line-initial/final and word initial/final properties, to be included
Antoine Casanova's work, not sure if it belongs here or elsewhere

Rest being written