Table 1 Scientific fields related to scripts and their evolution [3]
From: Validation of graph sequence clusters through multivariate analysis: application to Rovash scripts
Term | Description |
|---|---|
Computational paleography | It provides algorithmic support for deciphering ancient inscriptions and is a part of scriptinformatics [6] |
Digital paleography | Digital paleography [13,14,15,16], also known as computerized paleography [17] or computer-aided paleography [18], is a subfield of digital humanities. It combines traditional paleography with computer methods such as digitization of old codex data, author identification through image recognition, and categorization of writing patterns [19, 20] |
Epigraphy | Epigraphy is a branch of the humanities that deals with the study and decipherment of ancient inscriptions created through carving, scratching, or engraving |
Evolutionary analysis | It is used to reconstruct phylogenetic trees or networks |
Grammatology | Gelb introduced the term ‘grammatology’ to study writing systems and their relationship with speech, religion, and art [21]. This concept falls under the humanities |
Graphemics | Graphemics, also known as graphematics, is a field of linguistics that studies writing systems and their essential elements, graphemes. It focuses on the articulatory properties of written language and their relationship to spoken language. In contrast, scriptinformatics explores the evolution and interaction of individual scripts and identifies the graphs of various inscriptions |
Paleography | Paleography is a field within the humanities that involves the study of ancient writing, including the interpretation and dating of historical manuscripts. In a broader sense, paleography is the study of all types of historical inscriptions, documents and scripts, including epigraphy |
Pattern | In the context of pattern evolution research, a pattern is a symbol or graph sequence; see Table 2 for definitions |
Pattern evolution research | It is the study of the temporal evolution of pattern systems using methods from data mining, multivariate analysis, evolutionary analysis and bioinformatics. On the one hand, it is an evolutionary discipline because it models the evolution of pattern systems; on the other hand, it is a kind of applied computer science |
Pattern system | It is a form of symbolic communication, which various features can characterise |
Scriptinformatics | Scriptinformatics models the evolution of scripts as unique pattern systems. It is a subfield of pattern evolution research and belongs to evolutionary disciplines. Additionally, it is a type of applied computer science |
Scriptology | Blatner proposed the term ‘scriptology’ to describe the scientific field of writing [22]. Scriptinformatics differs from scriptology in that it primarily examines the evolutionary properties of scripts |
Stemmatology | The study of the evolution of traditions recorded in manuscripts is also known as stemmology [23,24,25] |