#daily use english

[cuties-in-codices]

Where do you find these manuscripts? Is it like a website or do you find it randomly??

hey, thanks for the curiosity! lenghty answer below the cut :)

1)

medieval manuscripts are typically owned by libraries and showcased on the library's websites. so one thing i do is i randomly browse those digitized manuscript collections (like the collections of the bavarian state library or the bodleian libraries, to name just two), which everybody can do for free without any special access. some digital collections provide more useful tools than others (like search functions, filters, annotations on each manuscript). if they don't, the process of wading through numerous non-illustrated manuscripts before i find an illustrated one at all can be quite tedious.

2)

there are databases which help to navigate the vast sea of manuscripts. the one i couldn't live without personally use the most is called KdIH (Katalog der deutschsprachigen illustrierten Handschriften des Mittelalters). it's a project which aims to list all illustrated medieval manuscripts written in german dialects. the KdIH provides descriptions of the contents of each manuscript (with a focus on the illustrations), and if there's a digital reproduction of a manuscript available anywhere, the KdIH usually links to it. the KdIH is an invaluable tool for me because of its focus on illustrated manuscripts, because of the informations it provides for each manuscript, and because of its useful search function (once you've gotten over the initial confusion of how to navigate the website). the downside is that it includes only german manuscripts, which is one of the main reasons for the over-representation of german manuscripts on my blog (sorry about that).

3)

another important database for german manuscripts in general (i.e. not just illustrated ones) is the handschriftencensus, which catalogues information regarding the entirety of german language manuscripts of the middle ages, and also links to the digital reproductions of each manuscript.

4)

then there are simply considerable snowball effects. if you do even just superficial research on any medieval topic at all (say, if you open the wikipedia article on alchemy), you will inevitably stumble upon mentions of specific illustrated manuscripts. the next step is to simply search for a digital copy of the manuscript in question (this part can sometimes be easier said than done, especially when you're coming from wikipedia). one thing to keep in mind is that a manuscript illustration seldom comes alone - so every hint to any illustration at all is a greatly valuable one (if you do what i do lol). there's always gonna be something interesting in any given illustrated manuscript. (sidenote: one very effective 'cheat code' would be to simply go through all manuscripts that other online hobbyist archivers of manuscript illustrations have gone through before - like @discardingimages on tumblr - but some kind of 'professional pride' detains me from doing so. that's just a kind of stubbornness though. like, i want to find my material more or less on my own, not just the images but also the manuscripts, and i apply arbitrary rules to my search as to what exactly that means.)

5)

whatever tool or strategy i use to find specific illustrated manuscripts-- in the end, one unavoidable step is to actually manually skim through the (digitized) manuscript. i usually have at least a quick look at every single illustrated page, and i download or screenshot everything that is interesting to me. this process can take up to an hour per manuscript.

---

in conclusion, i'd say that finding cool illuminated manuscripts is much simpler than i would have thought before i started this blog. there are so many of them out there and they're basically just 'hidden in plain side', it's really astounding. finding the manuscripts doesn't require special skills, just some basic experience with/knowledge of the tools available. the reason i'm able to post interesting images almost daily is just that i spend a lot of time doing all of this, going through manuscripts, curating this blog, etc. i find a lot of comfort in it, i learn a lot along the way, and i immensely enjoy people's engagement with my posts. so that's that :)

[prolibytherium]

I see people complain that their immersion is broken when a book set in a historical period uses general contemporary slang/swear words/informal terms ('lads', 'guys', etc) etc and it's just like. You do realize that every language in every era was 'modern' to its users and had at least some vulgarity and slang right? Writing in vaguely 'old timey' speech solely on the basis that it took place a long time ago does not add any realism and if anything kind of detracts from it imo.

Like if you're writing a story in english + in a way that's legible to contemporary english language readers that takes place any time/anywhere that people did not speak contemporary english, you're already 'translating'. I feel like this 'translation' is made more complete by including at least Some vulgarity, informal speech, etc where the core underlying concepts and uses of these words are applicable to the setting. It makes the characters more human, not distanced from the reader by artificially antiquating them with a language that is exclusively hyper-formal and neutered in scope.

[feminetomboy]

I guess I'd just like to make an appreciation post for any non-binary people out there who speak heavily gendered languages. The folk who cannot just "make pronouns everyone else's problem", because their language doesn't allow it. People who are forced to choose a binary gender to even just articulate their thoughts. Who have to choose a box, even if they don't like it.

I promise I see you. I know it's tough. I am holding your hand tightly, as we walk this road together.

[dailysayakamiki]

Sayaka fights herself

[badlydrawnjohn]

family photo!

[iloveyoublue]

headcannon in a universe where hozier and jegulus exist simultaneously, regulus fully fixes his sleep schedule simply because he knows if he’s awake past 3am on a night he’s spent in James’ bed he’ll get loudly serenaded with the lyrics to ‘too sweet’ with an extra comma after ‘my coffee’

[badlydrawnjake]

GG: ...jake, just pour another glass.

[theletterboxstuff]

[nordic-language-love]

Conversation with my supervisor while at a Japanese restaurant the other day

Supervisor: *translating the menu* ...and then this one here is pig hormones Me: ...hormones? Supervisor: Yeah I know, but it's really popular here Me: You mean... pork meat from pigs fed with hormones? Supervisor: No, I mean like, the hormones Me: ... Supervisor: You know. The innards. Intestines and stuff Me: That's not what hormones means in English

[love-in-my-twenties]

second week on uni: getting started (and watching supernatural with one of my classmates when we got bored on our window)

[wheresjonno2023-complete]

Maybe if he knew about the Demeter he'd wish to be there to let them know that the crew isn't just disappearing out of thin air, and to unseal the coffins and grab every shovel avail.

Jonathan: *crab-climbing out of the sea* Entshuldigung, ich heisse -

Captain: kakogo khrena

Jonathan: Es tut mir leid, aber es gibt ein, wie sagt man... ordog? No that's not it dammit. Vrolok. Es gibt ein grosses vrolok ins schiff.

First Mate: Ți-am spus la naiba!!

Captain: ...English?

Jonathan: oh my god, yes, thank you, English! I represent Herr Leutner of Varna, I'm here to do an emergency dirt inspection on your cargo

Captain: We do inspection already. Pay baksheesh.

Captain: how you come to my ship? You take my men?

First Mate: vezi ce crede despre chotki-ul tău

Jonathan: nonono, I'm just a humble solicitor. But I really do need to see inside those boxes right now. *glanced at horizon* Before the sun goes down if you please

Captain and First Mate: *significant glance*

~later~

*sounds of box lid being pried open*

Dracula: *looking up at one very angry solicitor* Ah lads not again...

[bookwyrminspiration]

Which languages do you speak? And how did you end up choosing/learning them?

Depends on what you consider "speak." I'll share all the ones I've taken official graded classes for so far :)

English: my native, first language. when I was 0 my parents decided it would be cool if we could talk someday

Spanish: I'm mexican american, but I didn't grow up with spanish. As it's a major part of hispanic identity, I started classes as soon as possible (middle school) to try and recover that linguistic heritage, though it'll never be the same. I speak a little stilted and use references sometimes, but I'm conversationally passable

ASL: I don't remember why I started ASL; might've been I was curious how a manual language would work. Also wanted to be able to communicate with Deaf people. I was one class away from a certificate when I graduated high school, so while I used to be able to sign and understand a fair amount, I've since lost a lot; I do intend to revisit this, though

French: For my associates in Spanish I needed 2 semesters of another language and the ASL didn't count. so I tossed in french. i took it simultaneously with some Spanish and remember NONE of it. i wish i'd gone for arabic instead </3

Nahuatl: my current study! I try to pay respect to and learn about Indigenous culture and history, and language is a huge part of that. as a part mexican language fanatic, studying a language Indigenous to mexico seems a foregone conclusion. also, the tl sound is my favorite in any language I think. if you let me have access to a dictionary and give me a bit of time, i can hold choppy, simple conversations (and write/read intermediate ones)

hope that helps! i don't intend to stop here, and have my eye on yucatec maya, farsi, and more! as I said, language fanatic

[daily-voca-recs]

(This song contains major spoilers for The Witch’s House)

[savebylou]

Asked if he was looking to retire, he said: 'Oh god no, I'll probably drop dead doing what I'm doing.

'As long as I think there's a need or a purpose and it's something I can do well, I'm up for it.'

It was then revealed that he signed a deal with Netflix for the show and - clearly not afraid to shout about his talent scouting prowess - called it Simon Cowell: Midas Touch. A source revealed to The Sun that Simon is in the end stages of finalising the deal with the streamer. They said: 'Netflix is the perfect place for his new show and Box To Box, who are producing the series, have worked with them before.

[The article link is from 2019, but that article doesn't say anything about the name and they haven't comment recently if this title, so who knows].

Full article here.

[alarming-prism]

i think the jump from 'this is an annual tumblr holiday' to 'Only Tumblr People Know About This' regarding dracula daily is a lil funny. idk how to tell y'all that non-tumblr people are aware of this. it's not some obscure tumblr meme. the first person to tell me that dracula daily is starting again this year was my professor via an announcement to our entire class

[otterandterrier]

10 likes and I open a fourth personal instagram account that I actually use to connect with family, friends and acquaintances