[tei-council] [tei:bugs] #627 Encoding example from Drama chapter uses @corresp instead of @synch

Thu Jun 26 11:01:53 EDT 2014

I've been thinking a lot about this example, and there has been also
an interesting exchange of opinions in sourceforge comments on it.

In the end I think that the better solution is using @sync attribute
on the first <sp> to assert the fact the the four speeches are
simultaneous, and keeping @corresp in the <stage> to express the fact
that it is a meta instruction that refers to all of them.

I know this is in contradiction with my previous position against
enlarging @corresp meaning, but I cannot see other simple solutions
(except using a <link> element with a @type attribute). In this way
@corresp becomes a way to express in general any sort of rederence or
relatedness.

This makes me think that probably an attribute - say @refer -
(possibly global) carrying this larger sense could be introduced,
taking back @corresp to its sctrict pronominal function.

Romary proposed the introduction of a more general <spGrp> to model
this and other similar situation in performance texts. The idea could
be fine, but if it is a container it could easily catch OH cases. It
should work as an off-line markup, like <linkGrp> and similar.

Given those considerations I propose to emend for now the text of the
Guidelines as follows, waiting for some more fitting solution or
extension of the tagset.

---------------------

<div type="div3" xml:id="DRSIM"><head>Simultaneous Action</head>
<p>In printed or written versions of performance texts, a variety of
techniques may be used to indicate the temporal alignment of speeches or
actions.  Speeches may be printed vertically aligned on the page, or
braced together; stage directions (e.g. <q>Speaking at the same
time</q>) are also often used.  In operatic or musical works in
particular, the need to indicate timing and alignment of individual
parts of a song may lead to very complex layout.</p>
<p>One simple method of indicating the temporal alignment of speeches or
actions is to use the <att>sync</att> attribute discussed in
section <ptr target="#SASY"/>, as in the following example:
<egXML xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/Examples"
source="#DR-eg-08"><sp> <speaker>Mangan</speaker>
  <stage type="delivery">wildly</stage>
  <p>Look here: I'm going to take off all my clothes.</p>
  <stage type="action">he begins tearing off his coat.</stage>
</sp>
<sp xml:id="dr-s1" synch="#dr-s2 #dr-s3 #dr-s4"> <speaker>Lady
Utterword</speaker>
  <p>Mr Mangan!</p>
</sp>
  <sp xml:id="dr-s2"> <speaker>Captain Shotover</speaker>
  <p>Whats that?</p>
</sp>
  <sp xml:id="dr-s3"> <speaker>Hector</speaker>
  <p>Ha! ha! Do. Do.</p>
</sp>
  <sp xml:id="dr-s4"> <speaker>Ellie</speaker>
  <p>Please dont.</p>
</sp>
<stage corresp="#dr-s1 #dr-s2 #dr-s3 #dr-s4" xml:id="dr-d1"
rend="braced" type="delivery">in consternation</stage>
<sp> <speaker>Mrs. Hushabye</speaker>
  <stage type="action">catching his arm and stopping him</stage>
  <p>Alfred: for shame! Are you mad?</p>
</sp></egXML></p>
  <!-- martindholmes says: I believe there is a typo above: "dont"
       should be "don't". However, I don't have access to a 1916
       edition to confirm this. No edition I can find has "dont". -->

<p>In the original, the stage direction <q>in consternation</q> is
printed opposite a brace grouping all four speeches, indicating that all
four characters speak at once, and that the stage direction applies to
all of them. Rather than attempting to represent the appearance of the
source, this example encoding represents its presumed meaning: the simultaneity
of the four speeches is conveyed by the <att>sync</att> attribute on the
first <gi>sp</gi> element; the <gi>stage</gi> element is placed
arbitrarily after the last
relevant speech, and the fact that it is associated with all the four speeches
is expressed by means of the <att>corresp</att> attribute. Those attributes,
which are enabled by the linking module, provides a simple way of
indicating the temporal
alignment of speeches or actions in a play. Producing a readable
version of the text which simulates the original printed effect may
however require more complex markup and processing.
</p>
<p>More powerful and more precise mechanisms for temporal alignment are
defined in chapter <ptr target="#TS"/>.  These would be appropriate for
encodings the focus of which is on the actual performance of a text
rather than its structure or formal properties.  The module described
in that chapter includes a large number of other detailed proposals for
the encoding of such features as voice quality, prosody, etc., which
might be relevant to such a treatment of performance texts.
</p></div>

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Fabio