Glossary of terms used in the TEI XML critical edition guides

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Last modified: 2026-08-30


Collection glossary · Collection overview · First guide: Understanding TEI documents for critical editions

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Use the links below to jump directly to a definition. This panel has its own scrollbar.

A–Z: A · C · D · E · F · H · I · L · M · N · O · P · R · S · T · U · V · W · X

A
Accepted record · Addition · Alignment · Annotation layer · Apparatus · Apparatus entry · Apparatus language · Apparatus layer · Apparatus location · Apparatus paragraph · Apparatus record · Apparatus registry · Attribute

C
Child element · Conjecture · ConTeXt · Correction · Critical apparatus · Critical edition · Critical lemma

D
Data record · Deletion · Diagnostic · Diplomatic transcription · Document tree · Documentary alteration

E
Edited text · Editorial category · Editorial operation · Editorial record · Editorial responsibility · Element · Empty element · Encoding · Extraction

F
Filtering · Function

H
Hierarchy

I
Identifier · Inline apparatus · Intermediate representation

L
Layout · Lemma · Lemma separator · Lemmatisation · Lexical apparatus · Lexical lemma · Lineation · LMTX · Location-referenced apparatus · Lua · Lua–ConTeXt contract · Lua table · LuaMetaTeX

M
Markup · Minimal working example (MWE) · Mixed content

N
Namespace · Negative apparatus · Node · Normalisation · Note series

O
Omission · Output

P
Parallel segmentation · Parallel text · Parent element · Parser · Positive apparatus · Project profile

R
Reader-facing label · Reading · Reading group · Reading text · Reference · Reference resolution · Registry · Rejected record · Renderer · Rendering · Reserved character · Root element

S
Schema · Segmentation · Selection · Semantic command · Semantic interface · Sibling element · Siglum · Sorting · Source · Stable identifier · Stand-off apparatus · Structured data · Substitution

T
TEI · TEI document · TEI Guidelines · TEI header · TeX · Textual content · Textual evidence · Textual variant · Transformation · Transposition · Typesetting · Typographical realisation

U
Uncertainty · Unequal textual extent · Unit of correspondence

V
Validation · Validation rule · Variant encoding method

W
Well-formed XML · Witness · Witness agreement · Witness declaration · Witness family · Witness group · Witness list · Witness metadata · Witness record · Witness registry · Witness type

X
XML · XML declaration · xml:id · XML setup · XML tree

TEI elements and attributes
<add> · <app> · <body> · <del> · <fileDesc> · <lem> · <link> · <linkGrp> · <listWit> · <rdg> · <rdgGrp> · <respStmt> · <sourceDesc> · <subst> · <TEI> · <teiHeader> · <text> · <unclear> · <variantEncoding> · <witness> · @cert · @corresp · @n · @resp · @type · @wit

Common distinctions
A note is not an apparatus entry · A siglum is not an XML identifier · XML is not TEI · TEI is not the printed edition · A critical lemma is not a lexical lemma · An editorial category is not its printed wording · A stable apparatus identifier is not the lemma text · A warning is not an error · Validation is not editorial proof

Contents

This glossary explains the principal terms used in the collection Building critical editions from TEI XML.

The six guides bring together several kinds of vocabulary:

These vocabularies describe different levels of the same workflow: 

textual evidence
        ↓
editorial interpretation
        ↓
TEI XML encoding
        ↓
validation and processing
        ↓
ConTeXt typesetting
        ↓
critical edition

The same object may therefore be described in several ways.

For example: 

editorial statement:
    witness B reads “soul”

TEI representation:
    <rdg wit="#B">soul</rdg>

processing operation:
    resolve the reference #B

printed result:
    soul B

The glossary explains how these levels are related.

It is not a complete dictionary of textual criticism, XML, TEI, Lua, or ConTeXt. It concentrates on the terms required to read and use the six guides.

How to use this glossary

The glossary can be consulted in four complementary ways.

Find a term

Use the floating Find a term panel near the top of the page. It contains direct links to the alphabetical entries and has its own scrollbar, so a term can be located without scrolling through the whole page.

By subject

Readers unfamiliar with one part of the workflow can begin with the thematic sections:

Alphabetically

The detailed entries are organised alphabetically in the second half of the page.

Through the guides

The overview and the six guides introduce overlapping groups of vocabulary. The table below gives the principal terms that are especially important at each stage.

Page Principal vocabulary
Collection overview textual evidence, editorial judgement, structured editorial data,

processing layer, typesetting layer, critical apparatus

Understanding TEI documents for critical editions XML, element, attribute, textual content, hierarchy, document tree,

namespace, reserved character, identifier, reference, well-formed XML, TEI document, TEI header, validation

Declaring witnesses in TEI critical editions witness, witness declaration, witness registry, siglum, reader-facing

label, xml:id, @n, reference resolution, witness type, witness group

Encoding a basic critical apparatus in TEI apparatus entry, apparatus location, lemma, reading,

<app>, <lem>, <rdg>, @wit, parallel segmentation, <variantEncoding>, mixed content, positive apparatus, negative apparatus

Encoding complex textual variation in TEI omission, addition, deletion, substitution, documentary alteration,

conjecture, editorial responsibility, uncertainty, reading group, segmentation, transposition, unequal textual extent

Processing TEI critical apparatus data with Lua extraction, normalisation, editorial record, witness record,

apparatus record, registry, reference resolution, project profile, diagnostic, accepted record, rejected record, intermediate representation, Lua–ConTeXt contract

Typesetting a TEI critical apparatus with ConTeXt renderer, semantic interface, semantic command, typographical realisation,

apparatus language, stable identifier, apparatus registry, annotation layer, critical lemma, lexical lemma, lexical apparatus, lemmatisation, alignment, unit of correspondence, stable identifiers and multilingual annotation layers

The vocabulary by subject

Textual criticism and scholarly editing

The terms in this section describe the scholarly objects and editorial decisions represented in a critical edition.

They answer questions such as: 

witnesses
    ↓
readings
    ↓
comparison
    ↓
editorial decision
    ↓
critical apparatus

The principal terms are:

XML structures and syntax

The terms in this section describe the general XML structures used by TEI.

XML provides the syntax: 

elements
    ↓
attributes
    ↓
nesting
    ↓
document tree

It does not by itself define the scholarly meaning of a witness, lemma, or reading.

The principal terms are:

TEI structures

TEI supplies a scholarly vocabulary expressed in XML.

It defines structures for representing:

The principal terms are:

Identifiers, references, and validation

Structured editions rely on explicit links between declarations and uses.

For example: 

witness declaration
xml:id="B"
        ↑
        │
reading reference
wit="#B"

The principal terms are:

Lua and data processing

Lua is used when the encoded information must be selected, checked, grouped, sorted, or transformed before typesetting. 

TEI XML
    ↓
extraction
    ↓
normalisation + reference resolution + validation
    ↓
accepted editorial records
    ↓
ConTeXt

The principal terms are:

ConTeXt and typesetting

ConTeXt turns the encoded and processed information into a designed document.

The terms in this section describe the final presentation: 

accepted editorial records
      ↓
semantic ConTeXt interface
      ↓
typographical realisation
      ↓
lines + pages
      ↓
PDF

The principal terms are:

Quick correspondence table

Scholarly concept TEI representation Processing operation Possible printed form
Apparatus entry <app> Collect the lemma and readings One apparatus entry
Lemma <lem> Identify the edited reading mind]
Variant reading <rdg> Retrieve the alternative text soul
Witness support @wit Resolve witness references B
Witness declaration <witness> with xml:id Retrieve metadata and siglum A, B, or another siglum
Group of readings <rdgGrp> Preserve or transform the grouping Several related readings

The four principal layers

Layer Main question Typical vocabulary
Editorial layer What textual evidence exists, and how should it be interpreted? Witness, lemma, reading, omission, conjecture
Encoding layer How should that information be recorded explicitly? Element, attribute, <app>, @wit,

xml:id

Processing layer How should the encoded information be selected, checked, or transformed? Lua table, selection, filtering, sorting, reference resolution
Typesetting layer How should the result be presented to the reader? Apparatus paragraph, lineation, layout, rendering

The same statement can therefore be followed through the four layers: 

editorial:
    witness B supports the reading “soul”

encoding:
    <rdg wit="#B">soul</rdg>

processing:
    resolve #B and retrieve its siglum

typesetting:
    soul B

Alphabetical glossary

A

Accepted record

An accepted record is an editorial record that has passed the checks required by the project and may therefore be transmitted to the typesetting layer.

Guide 5 distinguishes accepted records from records retained only for diagnosis. Acceptance does not mean that the record is historically or philologically true beyond dispute. It means that, according to the declared processing rules, its structure, references, and editorial status are explicit enough for further use. 

processed record
      │
   validation
      │
   +--+--+
   │     │
accepted rejected
   │
   ▼
ConTeXt

See also:

Addition

An addition is textual material present in one witness or textual state but absent from the comparison text or lemma used by the edition.

The editorial relation should be kept distinct from the abbreviation used in a printed apparatus. A structured record may therefore contain: 

operation = "addition"

while ConTeXt renders the same information as add., adds, or another convention.

An addition should also be distinguished from the TEI element <add>, which can describe a documentary act of adding material to a witness.

See also:

Alignment

Alignment is the explicit relationship established between corresponding units in two or more textual streams.

In a parallel edition, alignment may connect:

Alignment describes a scholarly correspondence. It does not require the corresponding passages to occupy identical lines or to contain word-for-word equivalents.

See also:

Annotation layer

An annotation layer is one functionally distinct class of scholarly annotation in an edition.

A page may contain, for example: 

critical apparatus
lexical apparatus
translation notes
bibliographical notes

The layers may share the same page while keeping different numbering, placement, typography, and inclusion rules.

An annotation layer is broader than an apparatus layer: not every annotation series necessarily records textual variation.

See also:

Apparatus

An apparatus is an organised body of information accompanying an edited text.

The term may refer to:

In this collection, the word usually refers to a textual apparatus recording differences between witnesses.

The term does not by itself determine where the information appears on the page.

See also:

Apparatus entry

An apparatus entry is one structured record of textual variation.

It normally relates:

In TEI: 

<app>
  <lem wit="#A">mind</lem>
  <rdg wit="#B">soul</rdg>
</app>

A possible printed form is: 

mind] soul B

The printed form compresses a richer structure: 

apparatus entry
├── lemma
│   ├── text: mind
│   └── witness: A
└── reading
    ├── text: soul
    └── witness: B

See also:

Apparatus language

Apparatus language is the set of verbal and symbolic conventions used to express editorial categories in a visible critical apparatus.

For example, the same structured values may be rendered as: 

omission   → om.       or omitted
addition   → add.      or adds
ante       → ante      or before
post       → post      or after

The apparatus language belongs to presentation. The underlying editorial category should remain stable when the visible wording changes.

See also:

Apparatus layer

An apparatus layer is one distinct category of apparatus information.

A critical edition may contain separate layers for:

ConTeXt can give each layer a distinct visual form or placement.

For example: 

main text
├── textual apparatus
├── source apparatus
└── translation notes

See also:

Apparatus location

An apparatus location is the textual place or span at which variation is being represented.

It may correspond to a word, phrase, line, or longer passage. The location is an editorial unit: it should not be confused automatically with a temporary printed line number or line break.

See also:

Apparatus paragraph

An apparatus paragraph is a paragraph containing several compact apparatus entries.

For example: 

12 mind] soul B   15 seeks] desires C   18 unity] harmony D

The apparatus entries may be stored separately as structured data and later assembled into one paragraph by ConTeXt.

The paragraph is therefore a typesetting result, not necessarily the storage format of the editorial data.

Apparatus record

An apparatus record is a structured representation of one apparatus entry used during processing.

A record may contain: 

identifier
lemma
readings
editorial operations
witness identifiers
resolved witness objects
validation status
diagnostics

It is not yet a printed apparatus entry. It is an intermediate editorial object from which one or more visible forms may be generated.

See also:

Apparatus registry

An apparatus registry is a collection of apparatus records indexed by stable identifiers.

Conceptually: 

app-001 ──► apparatus record
app-002 ──► apparatus record
app-003 ──► apparatus record

The registry answers which record belongs to an identifier. The position of an apparatus call in the running text answers where that record is to be presented.

See also:

Attribute

An attribute adds information to an XML element.

It appears inside the start tag: 

<rdg wit="#B" type="orthographic">soule</rdg>

Here:

The structure is: 

rdg
├── attribute: wit="#B"
├── attribute: type="orthographic"
└── textual content: soule

Attribute values must be quoted.

See also:

C

Child element

A child element is an element directly contained inside another element.

In: 

<app>
  <lem>mind</lem>
  <rdg>soul</rdg>
</app>

both <lem> and <rdg> are children of <app>. 

app
├── lem
└── rdg

See also:

Conjecture

A conjecture is a reading proposed by an editor rather than directly attested by the known witnesses.

A conjecture may be introduced when:

A conjecture must be distinguished from an attested reading.

The precise TEI encoding depends on the project’s policy.

See also:

ConTeXt

ConTeXt is a programmable typesetting system based on TeX and LuaMetaTeX.

In this collection, ConTeXt is used to:

ConTeXt acts primarily at the level of processing and presentation.

See also:

Correction

A correction is a change made to an earlier textual state.

A manuscript may contain: 

original reading
        ↓
deletion
        ↓
replacement
        ↓
later correction

A correction is therefore not always equivalent to a simple variant reading.

An edition may need to identify:

See also:

Critical apparatus

A critical apparatus records textual variation and editorial decisions in relation to an edited text.

A typical entry may contain:

A critical apparatus may be printed at the bottom of the page, but it is not merely a footnote system.

Its entries represent structured relations between textual forms.

See also:

Critical edition

A critical edition presents a text established through the comparison and interpretation of textual evidence.

It normally includes:

A critical edition is both: 

a scholarly interpretation of the text
                  +
a publication designed for readers

Critical lemma

A critical lemma is the portion of the edited text to which one or more variant readings in a critical apparatus refer.

This use of lemma must be distinguished from the lexical use of the same word. In: 

Κατέβην] Κατέβημεν B; om. C

Κατέβην is the critical lemma because it identifies the edited passage affected by the variation.

See also:

D

Data record

A data record is a structured group of related values.

An apparatus entry may be represented in Lua as: 

{
  lemma = "mind",
  readings = {
    {
      text = "soul",
      witness = "B",
    },
  },
}

The record preserves the distinction between:

The visible apparatus can then be generated from those values.

See also:

Deletion

A deletion is a documentary alteration in which material present in a witness has been cancelled, erased, struck through, or otherwise marked as removed.

Deletion is not the same as omission. An omission compares what different witnesses transmit; a deletion describes an alteration within a particular documentary witness.

See also:

Diagnostic

A diagnostic is structured information produced during processing to record a problem, irregularity, warning, or failed check.

Diagnostics may identify:

Guide 5 distinguishes errors, which make a record unusable under the project rules, from warnings, which preserve a usable record while drawing attention to a condition requiring review.

See also:

Diplomatic transcription

A diplomatic transcription attempts to reproduce the features of a particular witness as closely as the editorial method allows.

It may preserve:

The same TEI source may support both a diplomatic transcription and a normalised reading text.

See also:

Document tree

A document tree is the hierarchical structure formed by the elements of an XML document.

For example: 

TEI
├── teiHeader
└── text
    └── body
        └── p
            └── app
                ├── lem
                └── rdg

The tree makes parent, child, sibling, ancestor, and descendant relations visible.

See also:

Documentary alteration

A documentary alteration is a physical or scribal change represented within a witness, such as deletion, addition, or substitution.

Documentary alteration and textual variation answer different questions: 

documentary alteration:
    what happened within this witness?

critical apparatus:
    how do the transmitted textual forms differ?

The two levels may interact, but they should not be collapsed.

See also:

E

Edited text

The edited text is the principal text presented by the editor.

It may:

The edited text is not identical with:

See also:

Editorial category

An editorial category is a controlled internal description of the meaning of an encoded or processed phenomenon.

Examples include: 

reading
omission
addition

The category expresses scholarly meaning. It should not be replaced in the data model by one particular printed abbreviation such as om. or add..

See also:

Editorial operation

An editorial operation is a controlled value describing the relation that a reading or apparatus component bears to the edited text.

In the processing model used by the later guides, operations such as reading, omission, or addition allow Lua to preserve the editorial distinction while ConTeXt determines its visible form.

See also:

Editorial record

An editorial record is a structured processing object whose fields make an editorial statement explicit and inspectable.

It may contain documentary identity, textual values, witness relations, editorial categories, validation status, and diagnostics.

Guide 5 uses editorial records as the controlled intermediate form passed from TEI processing towards ConTeXt.

See also:

Editorial responsibility

Editorial responsibility identifies the person or declared agent responsible for an editorial intervention or claim.

It must be distinguished from witness support: 

@wit
    who transmits this reading?

@resp
    who is responsible for this editorial intervention?

A conjecture proposed by an editor should therefore not be given fictitious witness support merely to make it resemble an attested reading.

See also:

Element

An element is one of the main structural units of an XML document.

A normal element contains:

For example: 

<rdg>soul</rdg>

This can be divided into:

Part Example
Start tag <rdg>
Textual content soul
End tag </rdg>

Elements may contain other elements: 

<app>
  <lem>mind</lem>
  <rdg>soul</rdg>
</app>

See also:

Empty element

An empty element contains no textual content or child elements.

It may be written in self-closing form: 

<lb/>

This is structurally equivalent to: 

<lb></lb>

In TEI, an empty element may mark a boundary, reference, or other structural point.

Encoding

Encoding is the act of representing textual or editorial information through explicit markup.

For example: 

printed form:
mind] soul B

structured description:
lemma: mind
reading: soul
witness: B

TEI encoding records the components and their relations independently of one final printed appearance.

See also:

Extraction

Extraction is the processing stage in which relevant structures are read from the TEI source and made accessible to later operations.

Extraction does not by itself validate or reinterpret the data. It precedes operations such as normalisation, reference resolution, and project-level validation. 

TEI source
    ↓
extraction
    ↓
normalisation
    ↓
reference resolution
    ↓
validation

See also:

F

Filtering

Filtering selects records that satisfy certain conditions and excludes others.

A project may filter apparatus data in order to:

Filtering may be performed with:

See also:

Function

A function is a block of Lua code that performs a particular task.

A function may:

Example: 

local function normalise_reference(reference)
    return reference:gsub("^#", "")
end

This function removes an initial number sign from a reference such as #B.

H

Hierarchy

A hierarchy is an organisation in which structures are nested inside other structures.

XML is hierarchical: 

document
└── text
    └── body
        └── paragraph
            └── apparatus entry
                ├── lemma
                └── reading

Hierarchy distinguishes XML from a flat sequence of unrelated strings.

See also:

I

Identifier

An identifier is a value used to distinguish one encoded object from another.

A witness may be identified with: 

<witness xml:id="B">
  ...
</witness>

Another element can then refer to it: 

<rdg wit="#B">soul</rdg>

The identifier is primarily intended for machine-readable linking.

It is not necessarily the same as the siglum printed for readers.

See also:

Inline apparatus

An inline apparatus places the TEI apparatus entry directly in the encoded textual sequence.

For example: 

<p>
  The
  <app>
    <lem wit="#A">mind</lem>
    <rdg wit="#B">soul</rdg>
  </app>
  seeks unity.
</p>

The apparatus entry occupies the position of the variable passage.

Advantages include:

See also:

Intermediate representation

An intermediate representation is the controlled body of structured records produced after the TEI source has been extracted, normalised, resolved, and checked.

It forms a contract between documentary encoding and typesetting: 

TEI XML
    ↓
processing
    ↓
intermediate representation
    ↓
ConTeXt

The representation is independent of the original XML syntax but preserves the editorial distinctions required for later outputs.

See also:

L

Layout

Layout is the spatial organisation of material on the page.

It includes:

Layout belongs primarily to ConTeXt rather than to TEI encoding.

Lemma

A lemma is the passage in the edited text to which an apparatus entry refers.

In: 

mind] soul B

mind is the lemma.

In TEI: 

<lem wit="#A">mind</lem>

A lemma may consist of:

See also:

Lemma separator

A lemma separator is the sign separating the lemma from the readings in a printed apparatus.

A common example is: 

mind] soul B

The closing square bracket is a typographical convention.

It is not part of the lemma itself and does not need to be stored as editorial data in TEI.

Lemmatisation

Lemmatisation is the act of associating a visible textual form with a lemma appropriate to a particular scholarly task.

The collection uses the term at more than one level:

The two operations may concern the same visible word but answer different questions.

See also:

Lexical apparatus

A lexical apparatus is a distinct annotation layer containing lexical, morphological, grammatical, or related philological information about forms in the running text.

It differs from a critical apparatus because it does not primarily record textual variation between witnesses.

See also:

Lexical lemma

A lexical lemma is the dictionary or citation form used to identify a lexical item represented by an inflected or otherwise varying form in the running text.

For example: 

Κατέβην
    ↓
καταβαίνω

The first form is encountered in the text; the second is the lexical lemma.

See also:

Lineation

Lineation is the numbering or identification of lines.

Line numbers may be used to:

Lineation may follow:

ConTeXt renders the line numbers, while TEI records or supports the textual structure to which they refer.

LMTX

LMTX is the current ConTeXt environment built around LuaMetaTeX.

In the collection, the term matters because Lua is already part of the engine environment: a Lua processing layer can therefore cooperate directly with ConTeXt rather than acting as an unrelated external conversion program.

See also:

Location-referenced apparatus

A location-referenced apparatus stores apparatus entries separately from the main textual sequence and identifies their locations by reference.

An entry may refer to:

This method separates the main text from the apparatus but requires reliable reference resolution.

See also:

Lua

Lua is a programming language integrated into LuaMetaTeX.

In this collection, Lua may be used to:

Lua processes the encoded data. It does not replace TEI or ConTeXt.

See also:

Lua–ConTeXt contract

The Lua–ConTeXt contract is the agreed boundary between processed editorial data and typographical composition.

Lua promises to provide records with predictable fields and explicit status. ConTeXt may then rely on those fields without re-parsing raw TEI or repeating the validation work. 

checked editorial record
        ↓
stable interface
        ↓
ConTeXt composition

See also:

Lua table

A Lua table is Lua’s principal data structure.

It can represent:

Example: 

local witness = {
    id          = "B",
    siglum      = "B",
    type        = "manuscript",
    description = "A later manuscript",
}

Each field remains separate and can be selected or transformed independently.

LuaMetaTeX

LuaMetaTeX is the engine used by current ConTeXt distributions.

It combines TeX-based typesetting with an embedded Lua environment.

This integration permits a workflow such as: 

XML structures
      ↓
Lua data
      ↓
ConTeXt typesetting

M

Markup

Markup consists of signs added to content in order to identify its structure or function.

In: 

<rdg wit="#B">soul</rdg>

the markup includes:

The textual content is: 

soul

Markup need not appear in the final edition.

Minimal working example (MWE)

A minimal working example or MWE is a small self-contained example designed to demonstrate or test one mechanism.

In this collection, an MWE may deliberately repeat a small amount of supporting TEI or Lua code so that it can be compiled independently. That repetition does not imply that every production project should duplicate the same structures.

Mixed content

Mixed content is XML content in which text and child elements occur together inside the same parent element.

For example, a TEI paragraph may contain ordinary character data and <app> elements in sequence. Whitespace around the embedded elements can therefore become significant during processing if it is handled carelessly.

See also:

N

Namespace

An XML namespace identifies the vocabulary to which element names belong.

A TEI document normally declares the TEI namespace on its root element: 

<TEI xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
  ...
</TEI>

The namespace allows an XML processor to distinguish TEI elements from elements belonging to another vocabulary.

In the guides, the namespace is declared once on <TEI> and applies by default to the unprefixed TEI elements inside it.

The namespace address is an identifier. It is not necessary to visit it while processing the file.

See also:

Negative apparatus

A negative apparatus normally records only the witnesses containing readings different from the lemma.

For example: 

mind] soul B; understanding C

The witnesses supporting mind are not listed explicitly.

Their support is inferred from the declared witness base and the conventions of the edition.

See also:

Node

A node is one component of an XML tree.

Depending on the processing model, nodes may include:

In these guides, the term often refers more narrowly to an XML element being inspected or processed.

Normalisation

Normalisation is the processing operation that converts equivalent or irregular source notation into a controlled internal form without silently erasing significant editorial distinctions.

Examples include:

Normalisation is interpretative because the project must decide which differences are insignificant enough to normalise and which must be preserved.

The spelling normalization is also common.

See also:

Note series

A note series is a separately defined class of notes in ConTeXt.

Different series may be used for:

Each series may have its own:

A critical apparatus can use note mechanisms for placement, but its source data are more structured than an ordinary note.

O

Omission

An omission occurs when a witness lacks material present in another witness or in the edited text.

For example: 

A  The mind seeks unity.
B  The mind seeks.

Witness B omits unity.

An omission is a textual relation, not merely an empty character string.

The exact TEI representation depends on the project’s encoding policy.

See also:

Output

Output is a result generated from the encoded and processed source.

Possible outputs include:

One TEI source may therefore produce several outputs: 

TEI source
├── reading text
├── critical PDF
├── HTML edition
└── editorial report

P

Parallel segmentation

Parallel segmentation is the TEI apparatus method used in the teaching files of Guides 3 and 4, in which corresponding lemma and reading material is encoded together inside an apparatus entry.

The method is declared in the TEI header with <variantEncoding>.

Parallel segmentation should not be confused with the typographical alignment of an original text and a translation on the printed page.

See also:

Parallel text

A parallel text presents two or more textual streams in coordinated positions.

Examples include:

TEI records the structures and relations. ConTeXt controls the visual alignment.

Parent element

A parent element directly contains one or more child elements.

In: 

<app>
  <lem>mind</lem>
  <rdg>soul</rdg>
</app>

<app> is the parent of both <lem> and <rdg>.

See also:

Parser

An XML parser reads an XML document and constructs its structural representation.

A parser can determine:

A parser does not by itself understand the scholarly significance of a witness or lemma.

That meaning comes from TEI and the project’s editorial model.

Positive apparatus

A positive apparatus explicitly records the witnesses supporting the lemma as well as those supporting the alternative readings.

For example: 

mind A D] soul B; understanding C

Here:

A positive apparatus is explicit but normally occupies more space than a negative apparatus.

See also:

Project profile

A project profile is the explicit set of project-specific editorial rules applied in addition to general XML or TEI conformance.

For example, a project may require: 

every apparatus record has a lemma
ordinary readings contain text
empty readings are classified explicitly
all witness references resolve
duplicate references are reported

Such rules make assumptions inspectable. They do not replace editorial judgement.

See also:

R

Reader-facing label

A reader-facing label is the short form displayed to readers for an identified scholarly object.

In Guide 2, witnesses have stable TEI identifiers such as ms-A while the tutorial uses @n to store labels such as A.

Identity and display therefore remain distinct: 

machine identity    ms-A
reader-facing label A

See also:

Reading

A reading is a textual form attested, reconstructed, or proposed at a particular location.

A reading may be:

In TEI, a variant reading is commonly represented by <rdg>.

See also:

Reading group

A reading group is an explicit grouping of readings that the editor considers meaningfully related.

Grouping is itself an editorial claim. Sharing a type or a superficial feature does not automatically require readings to be grouped.

TEI commonly represents such a structure with <rdgGrp>.

See also:

Reading text

A reading text is a version intended primarily for continuous reading.

It may:

A reading text can be generated from the same structured source as the full critical edition.

Reference

A reference connects one encoded object with another.

For example: 

<rdg wit="#B">soul</rdg>

The value #B refers to: 

<witness xml:id="B">
  ...
</witness>

The initial number sign indicates a reference to an identifier within the same document.

See also:

Reference resolution

Reference resolution is the process of following a reference and retrieving the object it identifies.

For example: 

@wit="#B"
      ↓
interpret #B
      ↓
find xml:id="B"
      ↓
retrieve witness data
      ↓
print the siglum B

Reference resolution may be performed with ConTeXt XML facilities, Lua, or a combination of both.

Registry

A registry is a structured collection that allows records to be retrieved through stable keys.

A registry separates declaration from repeated use. The collection employs registries especially for witnesses and apparatus entries.

See also:

Rejected record

A rejected record is a processed editorial record that does not satisfy the project rules required for safe transmission to the typesetting layer.

Rejected records may still be retained with their diagnostics so that the source or editorial model can be corrected.

Rejection is therefore a processing status, not a command to delete the evidence.

See also:

Renderer

A renderer is a function or processing component that traverses prepared editorial records and calls the semantic commands required for presentation.

In Guide 6, a Lua renderer should select and organise semantic functions while leaving fonts, punctuation, spacing, and other visible decisions to ConTeXt.

A semantic renderer is a renderer designed explicitly around this division of responsibility.

See also:

Rendering

Rendering is the conversion of structured data into a visible form.

The same encoded reading may be rendered as: 

soul B

or: 

Witness B reads “soul”.

or may be omitted from a reading edition.

Rendering belongs to the processing and typesetting layers, not to the TEI data alone.

Reserved character

A reserved character is a character whose literal use in XML is restricted because it participates in XML syntax.

Characters such as < and & must therefore be escaped when they are intended as textual content rather than markup.

See also:

Root element

The root element is the single outermost element of an XML document.

In an individual TEI document, the root element is normally: 

<TEI xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
  ...
</TEI>

Everything else is contained directly or indirectly within it.

A well-formed XML document must have exactly one root element.

See also:

S

Schema

A schema describes the structures permitted in a class of XML documents.

A schema may define:

A TEI schema can be used to check whether a document follows a selected TEI model.

A valid document may still contain editorial mistakes.

See also:

Segmentation

Segmentation is the editorial act of deciding where meaningful textual units begin and end.

In a critical apparatus, segmentation determines the extent of a lemma or variant. In parallel texts, it determines which units are treated as corresponding.

Segmentation should therefore represent a scholarly relation rather than an accidental line break produced by one page layout.

See also:

Selection

Selection is the process of locating particular XML elements or data records.

Examples include selecting:

Selection identifies the relevant material.

Filtering then determines which selected records should be retained.

Semantic command

A semantic command is a ConTeXt command named for the editorial function it represents rather than for one fixed visual appearance.

Examples in Guide 6 include commands representing: 

apparatus lemma
reading
omission
addition
witness type

The command may later receive different fonts, punctuation, or wording without changing the editorial records.

See also:

Semantic interface

A semantic interface is the set of named commands through which processed editorial data are handed to ConTeXt.

Its purpose is to keep the meaning of the components explicit while allowing their visual form to change independently. 

editorial record
      ↓
semantic interface
      ↓
typographical realisation

See also:

Sibling element

Sibling elements are elements that share the same parent.

In: 

<body>
  <p>First paragraph.</p>
  <p>Second paragraph.</p>
</body>

the two <p> elements are siblings. 

body
├── p
└── p

Their order in the XML document is significant.

Siglum

A siglum is a short label used to identify a witness in scholarly writing.

Examples include: 

A
B
P46
M
α
Vat.

A siglum is intended primarily for human readers.

It should be distinguished from an XML identifier.

Function Example
XML identifier xml:id="ms-paris-123"
Printed siglum P

A project may use the same value for both, but the functions remain distinct.

See also:

Sorting

Sorting arranges records in a defined order.

Witnesses may be sorted:

Readings may also be sorted by:

The final order should not depend accidentally on the order in which the records appear in the XML file.

Source

A source is material from which textual or editorial information is derived.

Sources may include:

A source is not always identical with a witness. The distinction depends on the editorial model.

Stable identifier

A stable identifier is an internal identifier designed to remain valid even when the visible wording or presentation of the object changes.

For apparatus records, an identifier such as: 

app-001

is normally safer than using the lemma itself as a key. The lemma may recur, contain punctuation, or change during editorial revision.

See also:

Stand-off apparatus

A stand-off apparatus stores apparatus information separately from the main textual sequence.

The apparatus entries point back to passages through identifiers or references.

A simplified structure is: 

text
├── passage xml:id="p1"
└── passage xml:id="p2"

apparatus
├── entry referring to #p1
└── entry referring to #p2

This method keeps the reading text less interrupted but requires careful reference management.

See also:

Structured data

Structured data are data whose components and relations are identified explicitly.

A printed string: 

mind] soul B

can be represented as: 

entry
├── lemma: mind
└── reading
    ├── text: soul
    └── witness: B

Structured data can be:

See also:

Substitution

A substitution is a documentary alteration in which one textual state is replaced by another.

TEI may represent the documentary relationship with <subst>, containing material that was deleted and material that was added.

A substitution should not be flattened into a simple variant if the sequence of documentary alteration matters to the edition.

See also:

T

TEI

TEI stands for the Text Encoding Initiative.

The TEI provides guidelines and an XML vocabulary for representing texts and textual scholarship.

It includes structures for:

TEI records scholarly structures and relations. It does not prescribe one final typography.

See also:

TEI document

A TEI document is an XML document using the TEI vocabulary and namespace.

A minimal structure is: 

TEI
├── teiHeader
└── text
    └── body

A critical-edition document may later add:

See also:

TEI Guidelines

The TEI Guidelines define and explain the TEI encoding model.

They document:

The six guides use only a small part of the complete TEI Guidelines.

A critical-edition project should document any choices it makes between alternative TEI methods.

TEI header

The TEI header contains metadata about the encoded text and the TEI file.

It is represented by <teiHeader>.

It may contain:

The header documents the identity, origin, and editorial framework of the encoded text.

See also:

TeX

TeX is the underlying typesetting system on which ConTeXt builds.

In the final architecture of Guide 6, scholarly structures have already been encoded and processed before the final page-building stage. LuaMetaTeX then performs operations such as paragraph building, line breaking, vertical spacing, and page breaking under ConTeXt's control.

See also:

Textual content

Textual content is the character data contained inside an XML element.

In: 

<rdg wit="#B">soul</rdg>

the textual content is: 

soul

The tags and attributes are markup.

An element may contain:

Textual evidence

Textual evidence is the body of attested textual information on which an editorial analysis is based.

In this collection it includes the readings, alterations, agreements, differences, and other relevant features preserved by declared witnesses.

TEI encodes the evidence and the relationships the project chooses to record; processing and typography operate on that representation but do not create the underlying evidence.

See also:

Textual variant

A textual variant is a difference between two or more textual forms.

Variants may involve:

Not every difference must be printed in the final apparatus.

The edition’s policy determines which variants are recorded, selected, or suppressed.

Transformation

A transformation converts structured data from one form into another.

Examples include:

A transformation may change the form while preserving the scholarly meaning.

Transposition

A transposition occurs when the same textual material appears in a different order.

For example: 

A  reason and freedom
B  freedom and reason

A transposition is more complex than a simple substitution because the same material remains present but is reordered.

See also:

Typesetting

Typesetting is the composition of text and related material into a designed visual form.

It includes:

In this collection, ConTeXt typesets information encoded in TEI and prepared through XML setups or Lua.

Typographical realisation

Typographical realisation is the visible form chosen for structured editorial information.

The same editorial category may receive different realisations according to the language, house style, output medium, or available space. 

semantic value: omission

possible realisations:
    om.
    omitted
    —

Changing the realisation should not require the scholarly data to be re-encoded.

See also:

U

Uncertainty

Uncertainty records doubt about an encoded reading, interpretation, or local textual feature.

Uncertainty is information. It should not be represented merely by deleting content or treating it as an omission.

The guides distinguish uncertainty affecting a whole reading from uncertainty attached to a local part of the reading.

See also:

Unequal textual extent

Unequal textual extent describes variation in which the corresponding textual forms do not occupy the same amount of textual material.

One witness may preserve a shorter or longer span than another, so apparatus boundaries and segmentation become editorial decisions rather than simple word-for-word matches.

See also:

Unit of correspondence

A unit of correspondence is the level at which two textual streams are declared to correspond in a parallel edition.

Possible units include: 

word
clause
sentence
paragraph
verse
numbered section

Choosing the unit is an editorial decision. It should not be inferred from temporary line breaks produced by typography.

See also:

V

Validation

Validation checks whether an XML document follows a defined schema or set of rules.

Validation may detect:

Project-specific checks may also detect:

Validation improves consistency but does not prove that the editorial interpretation is correct. 

well-formedness:
    does the XML syntax work?

validation:
    does the document follow the selected structural rules?

editorial review:
    does the encoding represent the evidence correctly?

See also:

Validation rule

A validation rule is a condition that encoded data must satisfy.

Examples include: 

Every @wit reference must resolve to a declared witness.

Every xml:id value must be unique.

Every apparatus entry must contain the structures required by the project.

Every reading type must belong to an approved vocabulary.

Some rules can be expressed in a schema.

Others are better checked with Lua or project-specific processing.

Variant encoding method

A variant encoding method is the project-declared TEI strategy used to represent textual variation.

In Guide 3 the teaching files declare the parallel segmentation method with <variantEncoding>. The declaration documents how apparatus structures in the body should be interpreted.

See also:

W

Well-formed XML

A document is well formed when it follows the fundamental syntax rules of XML.

Among other requirements:

Well formed: 

<app>
  <lem>mind</lem>
  <rdg>soul</rdg>
</app>

Not well formed: 

<app>
  <lem>mind
  <rdg>soul</app>

A well-formed document is not necessarily valid TEI.

See also:

Witness

A witness is a source that preserves or transmits a form of the text.

Depending on the project, witnesses may include:

A witness is normally:

For example: 

<witness xml:id="B">
  <abbr>B</abbr>
  <desc>A fifteenth-century manuscript.</desc>
</witness>

See also:

Witness agreement

Witness agreement occurs when two or more witnesses support the same reading.

For example: 

A D  mind
B C  soul

In TEI: 

<rdg wit="#B #C">soul</rdg>

The encoding records the agreement.

Its textual significance remains a matter of editorial interpretation.

Witness declaration

A witness declaration is the structured TEI description that gives a textual witness a stable identity and enough metadata to be referenced later.

The principle is: 

declare once
    ↓
give a stable identity
    ↓
reference when needed

See also:

Witness family

A witness family is a group of witnesses thought to share textual or historical characteristics.

A family may reflect:

A witness family should not replace individual declarations where individual support matters.

Witness group

A witness group is an explicit grouping of witnesses for a project-defined purpose.

A group may represent a family, a material category, a regional cluster, or another useful classification. Group membership does not replace the individual identity of each witness.

See also:

Witness list

A witness list is the part of a TEI document in which witnesses are declared and described.

It is commonly represented by <listWit>: 

<listWit>
  <witness xml:id="A">
    <abbr>A</abbr>
    <desc>The principal manuscript.</desc>
  </witness>
  <witness xml:id="B">
    <abbr>B</abbr>
    <desc>A later manuscript.</desc>
  </witness>
</listWit>

Readings elsewhere in the document can refer to these declarations.

See also:

Witness metadata

Witness metadata are structured descriptive values associated with a witness rather than with one particular reading.

They may include:

A compact apparatus may print only the siglum while the fuller metadata remain available for other outputs.

See also:

Witness record

A witness record is the processing representation of one declared witness.

A Lua witness record may contain identity, display label, type, description, and ordering information. Apparatus records can then resolve witness references to these known objects.

See also:

Witness registry

A witness registry is a structured collection of declared witness records, normally indexed by stable identifiers.

It allows repeated apparatus references to resolve to one declaration rather than duplicating witness descriptions at every textual location.

See also:

Witness type

Witness type is a classification describing what kind of textual source a witness is, for example a manuscript or printed edition.

Type is not identity. Two witnesses may have the same type while remaining different documentary objects.

See also:

X

XML

XML stands for Extensible Markup Language.

XML provides a syntax for representing structured information through:

XML does not itself define the meaning of:

TEI supplies a scholarly vocabulary for representing those concepts in XML. 

XML
└── general syntax for structured documents

TEI
└── scholarly vocabulary expressed in XML

See also:

XML declaration

The XML declaration may appear at the beginning of an XML file: 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

It identifies:

It is not an XML element and does not belong to the TEI vocabulary.

xml:id

xml:id is the standard XML attribute used to assign a unique identifier to an element.

For example: 

<witness xml:id="A">
  <abbr>A</abbr>
</witness>

Another element can refer to it: 

<rdg wit="#A">mind</rdg>

The value of xml:id:

See also:

XML setup

An XML setup is a ConTeXt mechanism associating processing instructions with XML elements.

Conceptually: 

TEI element
      ↓
ConTeXt XML setup
      ↓
typeset result

A setup may:

See also:

XML tree

An XML tree is the hierarchical representation of an XML document.

For example: 

TEI
├── teiHeader
└── text
    └── body
        └── p
            └── app
                ├── lem
                └── rdg

Lua and ConTeXt can inspect and process nodes within this tree.

Principal TEI elements and attributes

This section gathers the TEI names used repeatedly throughout the guides.

<add>

The TEI element <add> records material added within the documentary history of a witness.

It therefore describes a documentary intervention, not automatically an addition in the comparative critical apparatus.

See also:

<app>

The TEI element <app> represents an apparatus entry.

It may contain:

Example: 

<app>
  <lem wit="#A">mind</lem>
  <rdg wit="#B">soul</rdg>
  <rdg wit="#C">understanding</rdg>
</app>

Conceptually: 

app
├── lem
├── rdg
└── rdg

See also:

<body>

The TEI element <body> contains the principal textual body of the encoded document.

In the teaching files it forms the textual branch beneath <text> and contains the paragraphs in which apparatus entries are later inserted.

<del>

The TEI element <del> records material deleted within a documentary witness.

It should be distinguished from an omission between witnesses.

See also:

<fileDesc>

The TEI element <fileDesc> contains the basic bibliographical description of the encoded resource inside the TEI header.

The minimal documents constructed in Guide 1 use it as the principal descriptive container within <teiHeader>.

See also:

<lem>

The TEI element <lem> represents the lemma.

Example: 

<lem wit="#A">mind</lem>

It may identify:

ConTeXt determines how the lemma is printed.

<link>

The TEI element <link> expresses an explicit relationship between identified objects.

In the parallel-text discussion of Guide 6, links may be used when correspondence between passages needs a more explicit stand-off structure than a simple @corresp attribute.

See also:

<linkGrp>

The TEI element <linkGrp> groups related <link> elements.

It can be used to keep a set of explicit correspondences together without turning typographical alignment into source data.

See also:

<listWit>

The TEI element <listWit> contains witness declarations.

Example: 

<listWit>
  <witness xml:id="A">...</witness>
  <witness xml:id="B">...</witness>
</listWit>

It provides a central place from which witness information can be retrieved.

<rdg>

The TEI element <rdg> represents a reading.

Example: 

<rdg wit="#B">soul</rdg>

It may record:

See also:

<rdgGrp>

The TEI element <rdgGrp> groups related readings.

Example: 

<rdgGrp type="orthographic">
  <rdg wit="#B">soule</rdg>
  <rdg wit="#C">soul</rdg>
</rdgGrp>

The group may express:

Its meaning should be documented by the edition.

<respStmt>

The TEI element <respStmt> records a statement of responsibility.

In Guide 4 it provides a declared editorial agent that an intervention can reference with @resp.

See also:

<sourceDesc>

The TEI element <sourceDesc> describes the source or sources from which the encoded resource derives.

In the teaching documents it is also the branch in which the witness list is introduced.

See also:

<subst>

The TEI element <subst> represents a substitution in the documentary history of a witness.

A typical substitution relates deleted and added material: 

<subst>
  <del>...</del>
  <add>...</add>
</subst>

See also:

<TEI>

The TEI element <TEI> is the root element of an individual TEI document.

Example: 

<TEI xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0">
  <teiHeader>
    ...
  </teiHeader>
  <text>
    ...
  </text>
</TEI>

It normally contains:

<teiHeader>

The TEI element <teiHeader> contains metadata and documentation about the encoded resource.

It may record:

See also:

<text>

The TEI element <text> contains the encoded textual resource beneath the TEI header.

In the minimal architecture of Guide 1 it contains the <body> and therefore the textual branch that later receives apparatus entries.

<unclear>

The TEI element <unclear> marks textual material whose reading is locally uncertain.

It preserves the distinction between visible but uncertain content and an absence of content.

See also:

<variantEncoding>

The TEI element <variantEncoding> declares the method used to encode textual variation.

The Guide 3 teaching file declares the parallel segmentation method here, so that the apparatus structures in the textual body have an explicit documented interpretation.

See also:

<witness>

The TEI element <witness> declares or describes a textual witness.

Example: 

<witness xml:id="A">
  <abbr>A</abbr>
  <desc>The principal manuscript.</desc>
</witness>

The element normally has an xml:id so that readings can refer to it.

@cert

The TEI attribute @cert expresses a degree of certainty associated with an interpretation or encoded feature.

Guide 4 uses it to distinguish uncertainty from absence or missing data.

See also:

@corresp

The TEI attribute @corresp points to one or more corresponding identified objects.

In Guide 6 it is used to express scholarly correspondence between parallel textual passages independently of their final line or column alignment.

See also:

@n

The TEI attribute @n supplies a number or label associated with an element.

Guide 2 uses it as a tutorial convention for the reader-facing witness label, while xml:id supplies the stable machine-readable identity.

See also:

@resp

The TEI attribute @resp associates an encoded intervention or claim with a declared responsible person or agent.

It represents editorial responsibility, not witness support.

See also:

@type

The TEI attribute @type classifies an encoded object according to a vocabulary chosen or documented by the project.

The value should describe a meaningful editorial category rather than merely reproduce a typographical abbreviation.

See also:

@wit

The attribute @wit identifies the witness or witnesses supporting a lemma or reading.

One witness: 

<rdg wit="#B">soul</rdg>

Several witnesses: 

<rdg wit="#B #C #D">soul</rdg>

The values are references.

They are not necessarily identical with the sigla printed in the apparatus. 

@wit="#B #C"
      ↓
split the references
      ↓
resolve B and C
      ↓
retrieve their sigla
      ↓
print B C

Common distinctions

A note is not an apparatus entry

Ordinary note Critical apparatus entry
Usually contains a relatively independent comment Records a relation between textual forms
Often attached to one point in the text May concern a word, phrase, line, or longer passage
May be stored as prose Benefits from structured representation
Does not normally cite witness support systematically Commonly associates readings with witnesses

A siglum is not an XML identifier

Siglum XML identifier
Intended for readers Intended for machine-readable linking
May contain typographical conventions Must follow XML identifier rules
May vary between publications Should remain stable in the encoded source
Example: Par. Example: ms-paris-123

XML is not TEI

XML TEI
General markup syntax Scholarly vocabulary and encoding model
Defines elements, attributes, and hierarchy Defines elements such as <app>,

<lem>, and <rdg>

Does not define textual criticism Provides recommendations for textual scholarship
Can express many vocabularies Is one particular XML vocabulary

TEI is not the printed edition

TEI encoding Printed rendering
Records semantic and editorial structures Presents selected information to readers
May preserve more information than is printed May abbreviate or suppress information
Uses elements, attributes, identifiers, and references Uses typography, punctuation, spacing, and layout
Remains independent of one design Is produced for a particular publication

A critical lemma is not a lexical lemma

Critical lemma Lexical lemma
Identifies the edited passage affected by textual variation Identifies the dictionary form of a lexical item
Belongs primarily to textual criticism Belongs primarily to lexical and morphological analysis
Example: Κατέβην in an apparatus entry Example: καταβαίνω as the dictionary form

The same visible word may participate in both operations, but the two lemmas answer different scholarly questions.

An editorial category is not its printed wording

Editorial category Printed wording
Represents scholarly meaning in the data model Represents one typographical convention
Should remain stable across outputs May change with language or house style
Example: omission Example: om., omitted, or —

A stable apparatus identifier is not the lemma text

A lemma may occur more than once or change during revision. An internal key such as app-001 can remain stable while the wording of the lemma changes. 

stable identifier     app-001
visible lemma         ratio
later revised lemma   recta ratio

The identifier belongs to the processing architecture; the lemma belongs to the edited text and apparatus.

A warning is not an error

Warning Error
Processing can still establish a usable meaning Safe editorial meaning cannot be established under the project rules
Record may remain accepted Record is rejected from the typesetting input
Calls for review Calls for correction before normal output

Both should be preserved in diagnostics rather than hidden by silent repair.

Validation is not editorial proof

A document may be valid XML and valid TEI while still containing:

Validation asks: 

Does the document follow the declared structural rules?

Editorial review asks: 

Does the document represent the textual evidence correctly?

Both are necessary, but they are not interchangeable.

The complete workflow in one view 

TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
manuscripts, editions, inscriptions, other witnesses
                         ↓
EDITORIAL ANALYSIS
collation, segmentation, lemmas, readings,
omissions, additions, conjectures, responsibility
                         ↓
TEI XML ENCODING
elements, attributes, identifiers, references
                         ↓
EXTRACTION
selected TEI structures become processing objects
                         ↓
NORMALISATION
equivalent notation becomes controlled internal form
                         ↓
REFERENCE RESOLUTION
identifiers become relations to declared objects
                         ↓
PROJECT VALIDATION
rules, errors, warnings, accepted / rejected status
                         ↓
INTERMEDIATE REPRESENTATION
accepted editorial records and registries
                         ↓
SEMANTIC RENDERING
Lua selects editorial functions;
ConTeXt receives semantic commands
                         ↓
TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSITION
apparatuses, annotation layers, parallel texts,
layout, spacing, line and page breaking
                         ↓
OUTPUT
critical PDF, reading text, HTML edition, reports

The sequence is cumulative but not mechanically compulsory. Simple TEI structures may still be processed directly with ConTeXt XML setups. Lua becomes especially useful when relations must be normalised, resolved, checked, grouped, or reused systematically.

Collection: Building critical editions from TEI XML · Guide 1: Understanding TEI documents for critical editions · Guide 6: Typesetting a TEI critical apparatus with ConTeXt

Related pages

Glossary · Collection overview · Guide 1: Understanding TEI documents for critical editions