Editiones Arnamagnæanæ. Series A - 01.06.2003, Síða 180
138*
INTRODU CTION
e.g. in the name ‘Sigjðr’ 2/3, 14/36, ‘broðUighum’ 23/12 (cf.
‘broðurligri’ 18/4 and III 16 above). A superscript <2)-like figure and
superscript (') are both used for -at, -it, -ut endings; ‘hpappears for hét.
<k> also indicates final -kit, as in ‘reckit’, ‘tekit’, ‘folkit’, Tikit’; and
other barred tall-stave letters call for varied supplementation. Marked
forms of <p> are used as in Latin for pre, per, pro. Some common
words are reduced to their first letter, usually followed by a point and
with some other marker: ‘p.’ is common for prest(-) alongside ‘pst(-)’,
‘h.’ with superior curl for heilag(-), helg(-).
VI. Jóns saga Hand B: Orthography. Vowels and sonants.
1. (i) <a) is normal for short a, with <aa> doubtless inadvertent in ‘Vaar’
19/22 (= var, pret. of vera), ‘vír’ 22/31 (adj. nom. sg. m. varr),
‘naam’ Þs. 181/35, ‘Jslaandz’ Þs. 199/13, probably too in ‘haarska-’
31/34 (cf. ‘harsk-’ spellings, 31/20, 45/17) though this might be a case
of confusion with hásk-. A genuine lengthening for emphasis may ex-
ist in ‘aalogha’ Þs. 190/28, ‘aalhoga’ Þs. 200/9.15
(ii) Long a is often unmarked but also commonly written <á) and
still more frequently <aa> and <æ); <ái) has been noted but rarely, ‘ái’
10/32, 41/6, 42/2, ‘váitr’ 34/8. In eight instances of the word
fjandi/fjándi in Js. length is only once indicated, ‘fiaanði’ 12/6.
(iii) Long a is often indicated in forms of sjálfr and hjálp-; further
instances before //are e.g. ‘haalf’ 22/42, ‘huaalf’ 43/8, 11, ‘kaalfua’
17/19; before Ig ‘gaalgans’ 13/11, ‘gálganum’ 13/20; before lk ‘vælki’
40/49; before Is ‘haals’ 31/38, 37/13.
(iv) Lengthening before ng is suggested by ‘mgángr’ 28/24,
‘Gaangande’ 37/14. Second sg. imp. ‘Gakk’ occurs in 15/4, but forms
with <aa> at 14/31, 15/19, 39/26.16
(v) In the combination vá the vowel is written <a> or more common-
ly <aa), <m>, but there are sporadic spellings that may indicate develop-
ment to vó (vo). The feature is not confined to cases where the vowel
of the following syllable is u (but cf. ‘ut kuama’ 23/1 and ‘vtkuqmu’
19/21-22). Thus e.g. forms of ván: ‘uon’, ‘vQn’ 5/22, 12/27, 28/82;
15 Cf. Foote in: Idee. Gestalt. Geschichte, Festschrift Klaus von See (1988), 289, with
refs.
16 This form, to which I have found no parallel, is presumably related to the lengthen-
ing of a before ng in inf. ganga.