Text structure (ePistolarium)
Basic structure
The documents in the ePistolarium have the following basic structure:
<text> <body> <div xml:id="div-1" type="artifact" subtype="letter"> ... </div> <div xml:id="div-2" type="para"> ... </div> <div xml:id="div-3" type="notes"> ... </div> </body> </text>
The text and body elements serve as a container for the actual text. The TEI Guidelines allow for front and back elements as siblings of body, but these are not used.
The type attribute of the div element is used to distinguish between various parts of the text, the most important ones being artifact for the 'real' letter text and notes for the text of (editorial) notes.
Subsections
A div element may contain other div elements, which is often used in combination with a head element.
Example: https://correspondence.huygens.knaw.nl/documents/920e5785-62d4-4108-b126-8caa1df370b8 (subdivisions)
<div type="artifact" subtype="letter"> <div type="section"> <head>Propositio 5.</head> <p><figure><graphic url="huyg003oeuv01ill19.gif"/></figure></p> <p>Si il y a tant de gravitez qu'on veut ...</p> </div> <div type="section"> <head>Propositio 6.</head> <p><figure><graphic url="huyg003oeuv01ill20.gif"/></figure></p> <p>Eadem methodo probatur si ...</p> </div> ... </div>
Headings
The head element is used to encode any type of heading, for example the title of a section, or the heading of a list, etc.
Example: see the description of subsections above.
Paragraphs
Paragraphs are encoded with the p element. In the ePistolarium the p element only occurs in div elements. The elements are not allowed to be nested, that is, a p element in a p element is not allowed. Note that this is much stricter than allowed by the TEI Guidelines. The reason for the restriction is that some analysis methods used by the ePistolarium use the paragraph as unit of analysis.
Segments
The seg element is used to encode text segments. In the ePistolarium they are used for various purposes: attaching language assignments to parts of a paragraph, encoding inline notes.
Example: https://correspondence.huygens.knaw.nl/documents/f687c50b-6765-4519-bc5f-833c499ae453 (language assignment)
<div xml:lang="fr" type="artifact" subtype="letter"> <p><seg xml:lang="nl">Op mijn brief over uw zoon schrijft de hertog van Bouillon mij terug:</seg> ‘Je vous supplie d'asseurer Mr. Junius que je me gouverneray tousjours aveq son fils comme je doibs, sans luy tesmoigner jamais aucune rigueur, ni mauvais traictement, n'en prenant à tesmoin que Mr. Meteren, qui a veu comme j'y ay procedé et comme je ne me suis jamais pleu à parler de son affaire. Mais les discours de raillerie qu'en faisoyent les enemis et le murmure de la garnison m'ont obligé d'en user comme j'ay faict, remettant le tout à S. Ex.<hi rend="superscript">e</hi>.’</p> <p xml:lang="nl">Het is dus beter, dezen edelman niet te verbitteren door zijn gedrag openlijk af te keuren; er wordt al te veel gebabbeld door kwaadwillige menschen. 28 Jull. 1634.</p> </div>
Note that in this example "Op mijn brief ..." is explicitly assigned language Dutch, whereas the text "‘Je vous supplie d'asseurer ..." is implicitly assigned French because of the presence of the xml:lang="fr" attribute of the div element.
Example: https://correspondence.huygens.knaw.nl/documents/3ec37404-3be4-4f98-8bdc-02cf100da36d
(inline notes)
<div type="para"> <p><seg type="note">Adres:</seg> (A Mon)sieur Monsieur Grotius à Paris.</p> <p><seg type="note">In dorso schreef Grotius:</seg> 6 Jan. 1629 N. Reigersberg.</p> </div>
