Editiones Arnamagnæanæ. Series A - 01.10.2003, Blaðsíða 97

Linguistic and textual features
79*
join it to the base of the vertical; (1) when doubled may lose one of its
loops.
(a) is the ‘two-storey’ type (closed top); (c), as is usual for the period,
has an almost flat top. (d> is very distinctive with a large loop joining top
and bottom of the main stroke. (e)’s bow is of rather small, or medium,
size. (f) is insular with the nether bow reaching to the foot of the vertical.
In (g) the right-hand stroke is continuous but slightly convex, the tail just
touching the upper bow; (gg> is usually ligatured ‘tveggia’ 4.15. In (m> and
(n> the right-most vertical usually, but not always, curves slightly to the
right at the foot. (pp> is usually ligatured ‘kappi’ 17.77. (q> does not
appear. (r> occurs in three forms - the small majuscule (r>, which is usual
at the beginning of words, the plain form (r>, which may be used after the
following letters (one example of each is given): (a> ‘Bar’ 17.211, (e> ‘ert’
17.248, (f> ‘bifr’ 17.219, (g> ‘maagr’ 17.221, (i> ‘meiri’ 17.210, (k> ‘tekr’
17.220, (t> ‘storfiollottr’ 4.15, and the rotunda form (not distinguished in
transcription), which may occur after (b> ‘brodvr’ 17.138, (d> ‘vermvndr’
17.235, (f> ‘frænda’ 17.224, (g> ‘þvngr’ 17.225, (h> ‘hreggs’ 17.238, (i>
‘alfgeirr’ 17.210, (o> ‘orda’ 17.221, (p> ‘prvdvm’ 17.234, (u> ‘spurdi’
17.236, (v> ‘spvrdi’ 17.246, (y) ‘þyrft[ij’ 25.28, (þ> ‘þrælamir' 17.88, (æ>
‘hóógværr’ 17.248. Thus the use of either non-initial (r> is possible after
(f>, (g> and (i>. (On the use of r rotunda with a stroke through it see below,
P- 80*.) (s> has two forms. The tall (s> is distinguished from (1> by the
absence of a loop and the extension of the vertical a little below the line,
though the latter feature is not invariable, especially when (s> is ligatured
with (t> ‘flesta’ 4.6; sometimes tall (s) has a hook at the left at the
beginning of the downstroke showing that it was there written with two
strokes. Much less common is a lower, wider form based on the majuscule
but closed at both ends; examples are ‘suo’ 4.6, ‘sinv/n’ 4.21, ‘sulurnar’
4.24 (ct ‘sulvrna/-’ 4.20 with tall (s», ‘savrga’ 4.40, apparently occurring
only in initial position. (t> projects only slightly above the cross-bar. (u>
and (v> seem both to occur and there is a distinctive initial form of (v>; in
(u) the two verticals are parallel, as ‘kuenna’ 17.103, ‘fryiun’ 17.103; the
initial (v> has a significant loop at the top of the left vertical, which makes
it somewhat like (b>, and has a rounded bottom. In initial position, Hand i
prefers (v> to (u>, ca 415:1; medially and finally, (v> is preferred ca
495:140. The ligatured initial (vv> has been transcribed ‘w’, ‘wodi’ 17.113.
(y) is distinctive in that its tail, which is similar to that of (h>, begins at the
foot of the right-hand branch, usually moving slightly to the right before
travelling downwards obliquely to the left, and finally vertically down-
wards for a noticeable distance. (z> has an individual shape somewhat like
a barred (r>. There is no (ð>.