Manipulating interword and interletter spacing in cursive script: An eye movements investigation of reading Persian

Persian is an Indo-Iranian language that features a derivation of Arabic cursive script, where most letters within words are connectable to adjacent letters with ligatures. Two experiments are reported where the properties of Persian script were utilized to investigate the effects of reducing interword spacing and increasing the interletter distance (ligature) within a word. Experiment 1 revealed that decreasing interword spacing while extending interletter ligature by the same amount was detrimental to reading speed. Experiment 2 largely replicated these findings. The experiments show that providing the readers with inaccurate word boundary information is detrimental to reading rate. This was achieved by reducing the interword space that follows letters that do not connect to the next letter in Experiment 1, and replacing the interword space with ligature that connected the words in Experiment 2. In both experiments, readers were able to comprehend the text read, despite the considerable costs to reading rates in the experimental conditions.

JAPANESE CHARACTERS AND IKEBANA: FROM YIN YANG BALANCE TO BREAKING OF FORM WITH SHIN GYO SO

This study investigates a deep connection between Japanese characters and Ikebana, which is due to the fact that Japanese characters as well as ikebana express the same picture of the world. Because the basis of this model of the world is laying in the Chinese tradition, we will first examine the Chinese characters and Chinese art of flower arrangement or chahua, and then the Japanese characters and Japanese ikebana. In the study, we refer not only to the works of Russian researchers, such as V.V. Malyavin, V.G. Belozyorova and V.A. Pronnikov, but, to a greater extent, to sources in Japanese (Nakamura Yasuo, Sasaoki Ryuho, Kumakura Isao, etc.), as well as to English-speaking authors or translations (Li Xia, Li Huilin). Analyzing the structure of the Chinese character, we look at lined paper for calligraphy which is usually being used in China. Lines of this paper indicate the connection of the structure of a character with Taiji or Supreme Ultimate, because a character is inscribed in a circle of Taiji, it has Yin and Yang sides and as we can say ‘exists’ in the ‘circle of changes’ or Bagua. In Japan, Chinese lined paper were not widespread, but the styles of calligraphy (regular script, semi-cursive script, cursive script) that came from China were elevated to the principle of simplified and broken form, Shin – Gyo – So, which became the basis for the Japanese type of beauty, kuzushi-no bi. Then we turn to the Chinese flower art, chahua and show its basic principle, which related to the Chinese characters, we mean the balance of Yin and Yang. Japanese art of ikebana we analyze in more detail and observe three main schools of Ikebana: Ikenobo, Ohara and Sogetsu. In the schemes of the Ikenobo (the oldest school in Japan), we find schemes in which floral arrangements are inscribed in a circle of Taiji (rikka flowers). In a later direction of Japanese flower arrangement (shoka, or seika flowers), we meet the principle of Shin – Gyo – So. We consider the same principle on the example of chabana, that is, flower arrangements for a tea ceremony. We also observe ikebana of Japanese literati Bunjin, who strive for a lifestyle of Chinese literati Wenren. The flowers in Chinese taste in contrast with actually Japanese ikebana do not have any patterns, but it has ‘refined riddle theme’ meigogadai with limited combinations of flowers. Also, it has more obvious connection with Chinese characters form. We conclude that a Chinese character shows subtle difference between manifested and unmanifested world, balance of Yin Yang while in Japanese tradition we can see preference of forms broken or simplified with Shin Gyo So. Chinese flower arrangement сhahua is also based on Yin Yang balance while in Japanese Ikebana it was transformed with Shin Gyo So.

An Efficient Skewed Line Segmentation Technique for Cursive Script OCR

Segmentation of cursive text remains the challenging phase in the recognition of text. In OCR systems, the recognition accuracy of text is directly dependent on the quality of segmentation. In cursive text OCR systems, the segmentation of handwritten Urdu language text is a complex task because of the context sensitivity and diagonality of the text. This paper presents a line segmentation algorithm for Urdu handwritten and printed text and subsequently to ligatures. In the proposed technique, the counting pixel approach is employed for modified header and baseline detection, in which the system first removes the skewness of the text page, and then the page is converted into lines and ligatures. The algorithm is evaluated on manually generated Urdu printed and handwritten dataset. The proposed algorithm is tested separately on handwritten and printed text, showing 96.7% and 98.3% line accuracy, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed line segmentation algorithm correctly extracts the lines when tested on Arabic text.

New Roman Cursive

This chapter traces the graphic forms of New Roman Cursive script from its origins in the third and fourth centuries through the sixth and seventh centuries, illuminating its influence on the development of the various “national” scripts in the high Middle Ages.

Old Roman Cursive

This chapter defines cursive script and surveys the development of Latin cursive script in antiquity and Late Antiquity. It discusses the two principal Latin cursive scripts, “Old Roman Cursive” and “New Roman Cursive,” and illuminates how the latter arose from the former. The ductus of cursive and constructed scripts is analyzed using examples from ancient papyri, parchments, wooden tablets, and wax tablets.

The Vindolanda Tablets again, and Now More

SummaryAt the beginning of my paper I have explained why I could not use the new finds of the Vindolanda Tablets. In this regard I quoted the letter I sent to Professor Bowman and the kind answer he gave me. Then I took into account three elements of the Vindolanda Tablets until now published that deserve attention, namely (1) the conflation of second and third conjugation of Latin verb, which is considered a feature of Vulgar Latin, (2) the presence of official language in distinguishing the familiar puer from the formal servus to mention a slave, and (3) the use of rogo (or similar verbs) + ut or the simple subjunctive. In all these cases the presumption of Vulgar Latin in Vindolanda tablets must be reduced. As to the first I actually challenged in some cases the supposed conflation of second and third conjugation. I demonstrated that the expression qui debunt (instead of debent) must be read qui debent, because the letter V of debunt is a false reading for E written in the cursive form employed not only in Vindolanda tablets but also in a letter sent by Cl. Terentianus to his father, Cl. Tiberianus, in P. Mich. VIII 468. 40. The closing greetings Valu fratur (Vindolanda Tablet 301 Plate XXIII), which of course must be read Vale frater is a proof that in the cursive formula of final greetings, written in a kind of currente calamo, a cursive script was employed and the conflation of second and third conjugation must be reduced in some cases to a cursive (and regular) script. Also as to the difference between puer and servus, and rogo + subj. (with ut or without ut) the Vindolanda’s Latin was not so vulgar as could be supposed if we consider Octavius’ and Chrautius’ Latinitas. In particular the construction of rogo + subj. (with ut or withour ut) was object of study because Latin speaker showed a great attention in choosing one or the other construction as happened in a couple of letters sent by Brutus and Cassius to Mark Antony. Maybe this depended upon the action of military scribes, as Adams right supposed. On the other hand, if we consider the role played by Brittain Latin in the Carolingian Renaissance, every defence of correct Latin in this region requires a larger investigation. Therefore the use of the new Vindolanda Letters should have a great weight.