We do not use the <lg> (line group) element, <l> (line) element, or <p> (paragraph) element in our semi-diplomatic transcriptions. Compositors sometimes set verse as prose to save space, or prose as verse to fill up more page space. We do not make any claims in the semi-diplomatic transcription about whether a semi-diplomatic transcription is verse or prose.

Use the milestone <lb> element to demarcate the beginning of a compositorial line. When the compositorial line begins with the speech prefix, put the <lb> element before the <sp> element. See Practice: Encode Speeches.

If a compositor breaks a word across a line, type the hyphen and wrap it in the <pc> element. Add the @force and the value "weak".

The reason we ask you to encode these is that our static search engine is programmed to ignore tagged hyphens so that it can find words that are broken across lines.¹

All LEMDO semi-diplomatic transcriptions are given witness line numbers (WLNs). Add the @type attribute to the <lb> element that begins the compositorial line with the value of "wln". Add an @n attribute with a numerical. Numerical values must be consecutive whole numbers. Do not use decimals.

On the question of which compositorial lines are numbered, LEMDO follows Charles Hinman’s practice for TLNs in The Norton Facsimile (Hinman xxiii-xxiv). The first countable WLN is the first compositorial line after the title. Usually, the first compositorial line after the title will be an introduction such as ACTUS I or similar. It is important to remember that act and scene numbers in these texts are inconsistent, so there may be times when the first compositorial line after the title is not an act or scene number but rather the opening stage direction, or the first speaker element. In these cases, you must still tag <lb type="wln" n="1"/> on the first compositorial line after the title. If the placement of the first WLN is incorrect in your file, then all subsequent WLNs will need to be revised. Reassigning WLNs is a process, so if you are unsure where the first compositorial line is on your Old-Spelling text, check in with a project lead to get confirmation before proceeding.

In summation: lb type="wln" n="1"/ must appear on the first compositorial line after the title of the play, regardless of what is on that compositorial line.

Neither forme works nor vertical spaces are encoded using <lb> . Therefore, neither receives WLNs.

If there are marginal stage directions in your source playbook, add an <lb> element at the beginning of each line regardless if they appear inline with lines in the compositorial block. Do not put the @type or @n attributes on these <lb> elements. As marginal stage directions are not part of the compositorial block, they are not included in the sequential numbering of compositorial lines.

For detailed practice on encoding marginal stage directions, see Special Case: Encode Marginal Stage Directions.

If you come across an interjection, simultaneous speech, or floating stage direction that spans multiple lines and is to the right of a speech or other literary division and is within the compositorial block (i.e., not in the margin), do not give the <lb> s in that floating block @type or @n attributes. They share a compositorial line with other text, which will have numbered WLNs. To learn more about these cases, see plc-right-adjacent in Placement Values and Placement Value Examples.

At rendering time, LEMDO breaks lines according to the placement of the <lb> elements in your encoding. On very narrow screens, long compositorial lines may wrap dynamically but there will always be a break wherever you have captured an <lb> .