[MR] ISO how to check age and authanticity of a medieval manuscript?

[David Chessler]

At 04:43 PM 11/29/2007, Mary Bowles wrote:
>Greetings,
>
>   I've got this manuscript problem. My mom's mother had a document 
> that might of might not be 15th century german. How would I know if 
> it is real? What type of test or visual keys might I look for. Or 
> who might I take it to so it can find out?

Try someone, probably at a university, who is an expert in medieval 
German. Prior to the 16th C (and, indeed, to some extent through the 
20th C), German was a language of multiple local dialects, among 2 
major dialects: low German in the North and High German (which became 
modern German) in the south.

An expert would judge by language and grammar, just as we can tell 
18th or 19th century English from 20th or 21st century English by 
grammar and usage.

Although printing began in Germany about 1454, hand written 
manuscripts were common for very many years afterwards. There were 
undoubtedly some changes in the way these were written--the 
handwriting--but grammar and usage would possibly be more precise.

>
>   Thanks.
>
>   Mary/Marie-Therese Normand
>
>

--

Davitt il Bigollo da Pisa
Goldsmith's Agent
Factor in the lands of the Mughuls
Coral and Emeralds from Inde and Serendip

Checky argent and azure, two chess rooks or in chief, a chess knight 
or, a three-turret tower or in base