Transcription wherein the character would not be unambiguous outside its context

Usage

The EpiDoc DTD permits only the appearance of character data and the <g/> element within <unclear></unclear>. When an editor or encoder encounters a continuous string of unclear characters in a text, two encoding options are available: each character may be encapsulated within its own <unclear></unclear> or the entire string may be encapsulated within a single <unclear></unclear>. No other markup may appear inside <unclear></unclear>, so if other aspects of a long string of unclear characters warrant additional tagging internal to the string, the per-character solution may be preferable or even required. For background on this issue, see a discussion on the markup list in July and August of 2005, subject: EpiDoc DTD issues [1: unclear].

The reason Attribute

TEI defines a reason attribute for the <unclear> element. In the EpiDoc DTD, this attribute has three possible values: "damage", "execution" and "undefined." "Undefined" is designated as the default/automatic value. See further the markup list discussion referenced above. The default stylesheets render all instances of <unclear> with the standard subscript dot, regardless of the value of the reason attribute.

Alternative readings

In cases where a letter trace is compatible with a range of characters but the context does not offer an unambiguous choice but the editor wishes to offer a default value, the alternative interpretations may be offered in a series of <rdg> elements within an <app>; in which case the particular reading to be rendered must be labelled with an attribute n='default' (see e.g. 6 above).

It is also envisaged that the possibility will exist to record the general shape of the surviving traces using embedded SVG or similar elements which could then be rendered as a drawing.

Where the editor is not willing to commit to a default reading, see vestiges.