This study is devoted to two of the oldest known manuscripts in which the oeuvre of the medieval mystical author Hadewijch has been preserved: Brussels, KBR, 2879-2880 (ms. A) and Brussels, KBR, 2877-2878 (ms. B). On the basis of codicological and contextual arguments, it is assumed that the scribe who produced B used A as an exemplar. While the similarities in both layout and content between the two manuscripts are striking, the present article seeks to identify the differences. After all, regardless of the intention to produce a copy that closely follows the exemplar, subtle linguistic variation is apparent. Divergences relate to spelling conventions, but also to the way in which words are abbreviated (and the extent to which abbreviations occur). The present study investigates the spelling profiles of the scribes who produced mss. A and B in a computational way. In the first part of this study, we will present both manuscripts in more detail, after which we will consider prior research carried out on scribal profiling. The current study both builds and expands on Kestemont (2015). Next, we outline the methodology used to analyse and measure the degree of scribal appropriation that took place when ms. B was copied off the exemplar ms. A. After this, we will discuss the results obtained, focusing on the scribal variation that can be found both at the level of individual words and n-grams. To this end, we use machine learning to identify the most distinctive features that separate manuscript A from B. Finally, we look at possible diachronic trends in the appropriation by B's scribe of his exemplar. We argue that scribal takeovers in the exemplar impacts the practice of the copying scribe, while transitions to a different content matter cause little to no effect.

翻译：本研究聚焦于现存最古老的两部手稿，其中包括中世纪神秘主义作家哈德维希的作品：布鲁塞尔皇家图书馆2879-2880号（手稿A）与2877-2878号（手稿B）。基于手稿学与语境学论证，我们假定抄写员B在制作副本时以手稿A为范本。尽管两件手稿在版式与内容上存在显著相似性，本文仍致力于揭示其差异。毕竟，即便意图忠实复制范本，微妙的语言变异仍清晰可辨。这些差异涉及拼写规范，以及词语缩写的方式与频率。本研究采用计算方法分析手稿A与B抄写员的拼写特征。研究第一部分将详细呈现两件手稿，继而回顾此前关于抄写员特征分析的研究。本工作在Kestemont（2015）基础上既有继承又有拓展。随后，我们概述了用于分析与测量抄写员在复制手稿B过程中对范本A进行"挪用"程度的方法论。在此之后，我们聚焦于单词和n-gram层面发现的抄写变异，讨论研究结果。为此，我们运用机器学习识别区分手稿A与B的最显著特征。最后，我们探讨B抄写员对其范本进行挪用的可能历时性趋势。研究表明：范本中抄写员更迭会影响复制抄写员的实践行为，而内容转换则几乎不产生任何影响。