[DCRM-L] Abbreviation/contraction question: S:ae R:ae M:tis

[Deborah J. Leslie]

Right, but Jason is asking about transcription according to DCRM(B). Abbreviations and contractions are not expanded (with the exception of brevigraphs, that is, special marks of contraction in continuance of the manuscript tradition); see 0G8. Capitalization rules require these to be upper case. Therefore (without marks of abbreviation):

Sae Rae Mtis

The use of the colon indicating abbreviation/contraction occuring in the middle of the word at baseline isn't something I see in English books. When I first read Jason's query, I assumed we were dealing with the common case of a baseline period with superscript text that looks like it comes after the punctuation. But they're also usually in italic, so that  when the curve of the letter is followed, the superscript is directly over the punctuation.

Since we're not dealing with superscript characters here, though, we can't fall back on 0G9 and the example given of Mr. Jas. McAdam. I think the transcription should probably be 'Sae. Rae. Mtis.', but I'd like to hear from other DCRM(B) catalogers who use standard transcription practices. Is the final period justified by a 0G3.1?

Actually, I think I've answered my own question: I do believe following the general rule 0G3.1 is what gives us 'Sae. Rae. Mtis.' Here's the text for convenience:

0G3.1. General rule.

Do not necessarily transcribe punctuation as it appears in the source. Instead, follow modern punctuation conventions, using common sense in deciding whether to include the punctuation, omit it, replace it, or add punctuation not present.

Source:
The unhappy favourite; or, The Earl of Essex. A tragedy. Written by Jno; Banks

Transcription:
The unhappy favourite, or, The Earl of Essex : a tragedy / written by Jno. Banks

Source:
London: Printed for A Millar, over-against Catharine-street in the Strand. M,DCC,LI.

Transcription:
London : Printed for A. Millar, over-against Catharine-Street in the Strand, MDCCLI [1751]



Deborah J. Leslie | Folger Shakespeare Library | djleslie at folger.edu | 202.675-0369 | 201 East Capitol St., SE, Washington, DC 20003 | www. folger.edu

From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On Behalf Of Jane Wickenden
Sent: Monday, 11 August 2014 14:25
To: DCRM Users' Group
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Abbreviation/contraction question: S:ae R:ae M:tis


Serenissimae Reginae Maiestatis I think - 'of her Serene Majesty the Queen.'

Regards

Jane
On 11 Aug 2014 18:46, "LeMay, Jason T." <jason.lemay at emory.edu<mailto:jason.lemay at emory.edu>> wrote:
Good afternoon, everyone!

I’m hoping someone will have some insight to share on this. I’ve recently begun working on a project cataloging 17th and 18th century Latin dissertations from Sweden and Germany and have occasionally been running into abbreviations/contractions on the title pages of some that I’m not sure how to transcribe.

The phrase I keep seeing is “S:ae R:ae M:tis,” where the ae’s are actually ligatures. I know that the colon is often used to abbreviate, and would generally be recorded as a period if it were at the end of each word. But in this case it seems as though it is being used to create contractions. (an example of what I have can be seen at https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Carl_von_Linn%C3%A9_Museum_Sae_Rae_Mtis_Ludovicae_Ulric?id=kccxOB5D4CIC – thanks to Deborah Leslie for the link!).

For now, I’ve been recording this as “sae. rae. mtis.” based on other samples I’ve viewed in OCLC, but I don’t know how trustworthy those samples are…

Thanks for any assistance and insight!

Jason LeMay

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Jason LeMay
Assistant Law Librarian for Cataloging and Metadata
Emory University School of Law | Hugh F. MacMillan Law Library
1301 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322| 404-727-0850<tel:404-727-0850>
jason.lemay at emory.edu<mailto:jason.lemay at emory.edu>
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