TEI Exercise 1: Introducing the Text Encoding Initiative

[ebeshero]

Begin by reading these slides: "Overview of Text Encoding and the TEI"

Then contribute a post to this conversation about learning the TEI. Please respond in your post to at least two of the following prompts:

• From what you're reading, how is writing TEI code similar to or different from what you've been doing with XML so far?

• What new things are you learning about representing documents in markup from these slides?

• On one of the slides the authors make an interesting statement about what TEI does: "So although it looks as if what we’re doing here is reproducing a text, we are, in fact, selectively and strategically modelling it. We’re creating a surrogate or proxy, which functions sort of like a different projections of a map: each with selective and useful omissions and distortions. " What do you think is the difference between reproducing and modeling in this statement and why might it be important to help us understand what we are doing when we describe documents using TEI and XML?

• Think about the documents or objects we looked at together in the library, and pick one that you remember really interested you. How do you think TEI could help you model something interesting about that document or object ?

** Fun fact: one of the people who helped develop this slide deck is a member of our newtfire GitHub organization, @sydb . Other friends from the markup community who may be interested in our discussion include @djbpitt and @haggis78 .

[erinmooney]

• From what you're reading, how is writing TEI code similar to or different from what you've been doing with XML so far?

From what I read, I get the feeling that TEI is like a mix of XML and HTML, but it is closer to HTML. TEI is like the grammar notation version of XML, but written kind of like HTML.

• What do you think is the difference between reproducing and modeling in this statement and why might it be important to help us understand what we are doing when we describe documents using TEI and XML?

With modelling in TEI, it is recognized that not all documents are going to exactly follow the models (or templates) that are set up for them, so it navigates between creating a highly-constrained idealized model of the document (a template that is modelled specifically for text (a reproduction)) , and a loose model in which anything is possible (the general idea of a model). With a model, we base what we mark-up on what the research requires, then we select the parts of the text that suit our research.

[ebeshero]

@erinmooney Thanks for getting this started! I like this idea of how code makes a model based on what we're trying to learn or research.

[jbg5721]

From what you're reading, how is writing TEI code similar to or different from what you've been doing with XML so far?

• TEI and XML seem quite similar in the way you can have more specific tag names and a bit more flexibility. It is different however as in TEI structure is more similar to HTML. You have similar tags to HTML but they are more readily understandable to someone who might not be familiar with HTML code.

Think about the documents or objects we looked at together in the library, and pick one that you remember really interested you. How do you think TEI could help you model something interesting about that document or object ?

• The letters Warren(?) Behrend wrote before his death were interesting. I think with TEI you could capture things like what he put in the header, closer, how he structured his letter and even the paper size.

[ebeshero]

@jbg5721 Yes—that was Warren Behrend. When you read the letters you’ll pick up on details of his school life and the people he knew, the “blind date”, the Deusenberg car his parents were driving…You can get a picture of life in a past moment from letters like that. And yes, the paper and ink details too. Those are important to authenticate the letter—evidence that it’s from a particular time and place and not a forgery!

[arrowarchive]

I learned a little bit about TEI last year, and from what I remember, it's complicated.

A way to think of it is that TEI is to XML what ℼ is to mathematics: a small part of a bigger picture at first glance, but it has a larger role than one could suspect. TEI is used to fetch specific information, add to it, remove it, replace it, etc. in a way that makes text encoding and markup faster and more organized. It can also define already well-formed markup and make it even clearer than it already is while taking less time. It has a learning curve, but after enough time, practice, and writing down your steps, then it can be mastered. Unfortunately, it can be very precise and one wrong step could mean starting from scratch.

Back to the ℼ metaphor, it is used in a lot of complex arithmetic and equations. ℼ itself is infinite, so using the symbol or 3.14 simplifies the amount of time and effort significantly (see what I'm getting at?)

Lastly, with TEI, it changes the workflow of XML slightly. Normally, a file is marked up and then a schema file is associated with it. TEI comes before schema, and it's best to modify existing xml or use TEI before associating schema since it may create syntax errors otherwise.

[ebeshero]

@arrowarchive Hmm. When you say "TEI is used to fetch specific information, add to it, remove it, replace it, etc. in a way that makes text encoding and markup faster and more organized," I wonder if you're thinking of it as XQuery (which is what you learned last spring)!

TEI is more like the XML you've been coding--it is not for moving or remixing XML. It's for encoding information in and about documents. But it follows a controlled vocabulary that is shared by an international community (the Text Encoding Initiative), and it comes with its own schema that you can customize for a project.

The TEI currently has 590 different elements! And no project should really be using ALL of them--that would very confusing! But most projects that use the TEI choose a customized subset of elements and attributes from the TEI vocabulary to fit the research they're working on.

[hjl5363]

From what you're reading, how is writing TEI code similar to or different from what you've been doing with XML so far?

From what I am reading, writing TEI code is similar and different at the same time than what we have done in XML so far. With XML, we have been analyzing documents and making corrections in OXygen to fix Syntax errors, which is similar to the concept of analyzing a document. However, we haven't really done much in terms of creating many outputs out of one document or object, as was discussed in the TEI tutorial under "One Model, Many Outputs".

What new things are you learning about representing documents in markup from these slides?

There are some interesting things that I definitely learned from reading about representing documents in markup from these slides. To be completely honest (even as a DIGIT student), I did not really realize how much you actually do markup in your daily lives, whether it is within DIGIT 110 or not, When I was doing my XML test, I was marking up. When I correct my math homework, I am marking up. When I make changes to a social media post, I am marking up.

[Tiny-Pickles]

What do you think is the difference between reproducing and modeling in this statement and why might it be important to help us understand what we are doing when we describe documents using TEI and XML?

• I think the TEI guidelines simplify technical communication. It is a universal markup language that helps with in depth textual encoding and analysis. TEI allows us to model the structure of different documentation. For example you need to figure how to markup when different speakers are stating there lines in a play, TEI can show the nested structure, while in HTML it models how to display the information on the webpage rather than study the specific content of the document.

Think about the documents or objects we looked at together in the library, and pick one that you remember really interested you. How do you think TEI could help you model something interesting about that document or object ?

• I remember the documentation that involved the watermarks for the Hammermill paper company and in general the history of the company. I think it would be interesting to try and track the date progression of the watermark patent, and I believe that the TEI guidelines would help to create precise rules and structure to the document. We could probably use different elements and attributes that would be universal understood in the TEI index, some of these include the element and the element . Also tracking the use of the watermark on the documents could be useful showing the history of the hammermill paper company.

[Yuying-Jin]

I think TEI is the combination of both xml and html. TEI is very similar with HTML. It use

to mark paragraph and to mark heading. However, TEI can present more information than html. This point makes TEI similar with xml as well. The speaker of the dialogue must be accurately marked by . Also, element tags allow to show their type in attribute. For example, the type of bibliographic data can be marked in title tag, like .

[ZakMurphy191]

From what you're reading, how is writing TEI code similar to or different from what you've been doing with XML so far? TEI code is very similar to what I have been learning this semester in HTML, CSS, and XML I say this because they are all describing a descriptive pathway to either design, make, or describe. Just like the others TEI is a formal way to describe a document to enrich its content and create more than just a document. The code for TEI is very similar to XML in my opinion, because you have to map everything out to create a well formed document and also have in TEI language "enriched text". In all TEI is very similar to XML and HTML, because they all are a descriptive language with different outcome pathways.

What new things are you learning about representing documents in markup from these slides? I learned that when we markup a TEI document we want to keep the document in its originality but at the same time we want to enrich those paragraphs, relations, dates, times, etc... with valuable information that tells the reader of the finished TEI oh that what, when, why, or who he/she was discussing about and why he/she was discussing about it.

On one of the slides the authors make an interesting statement about what TEI does: "So although it looks as if what we’re doing here is reproducing a text, we are, in fact, selectively and strategically modelling it. We’re creating a surrogate or proxy, which functions sort of like a different projections of a map: each with selective and useful omissions and distortions. " What do you think is the difference between reproducing and modeling in this statement and why might it be important to help us understand what we are doing when we describe documents using TEI and XML?

The difference between reproducing and modeling a document is reproducing is keeping the same format as the original text, and modeling is the descriptive language we describe the original text in, doing it in a specific way that makes sense within the text. It might be helpful to understand the why factor because we need to know the best way to describe the text because the code is a lot like a puzzle you need the pieces in the correct position to get the full experience and knowledge about the text. Otherwise the "puzzle" will not make sense within the text and will be confusing to the reader, like looking at a puzzle where the pieces do not match up.

Think about the documents or objects we looked at together in the library, and pick one that you remember really interested you. How do you think TEI could help you model something interesting about that document or object ?

The document that really interested me were the notes from Mr. Behrend's wife to him when she was separated from each other. I think TEI could help me model interesting ways to connect the people with knowledge from previous notes, I also think it could help me reference the people that she is making fun of or talking about in the notes to Mr. Behrend.

[acc5763]

XML is a descriptive markup language. TEI is a certain type of XML. They said a "flavor" of XML. TEI is a way of marking up a text. You can use TEI to retrieve certain information so this makes the process a lot faster and more organized. The difference between reproducing and modeling a text, reproducing is simply copying it down. Remodeling is the you effect the structure of it. We are breaking it down in to subcategories by using TEI. That way we can navigate through the document much faster.

One document that really intrigued me was the traveling diaries. It was funny to hear that in Paris they saw a bunch of naked women and Mary drew them in the diary. TEI would allow s to navigate the diary faster and easier. If we desired to go to a certain section of the diary, it would be able to get us there quickly and efficiently.

[aidanvray]

I feel that from what I read in the tutorial, I don't have a very good grasp of what distinguishes XML and TEI from each other yet. It's something that I'll probably understand better once I get some hands on practice. However, I did like that it pointed out how flexible TEI is with modelling a variety of different text formats, as opposed to HTML which was specifically made for websites. And I think what differentiates reproduction from modelling is that a reproduction is an attempt at making a copy that's as close to the original as a recreation can be. On the other hand, modelling creates a deliberately imperfect copy that seeks to capture certain things about the original document.

[lbanic]

From what you're reading, how is writing TEI code similar to or different from what you've been doing with XML so far? The slides say that "TEI provides the specifics of the actual encoding language." So while XML is an 'overview' (for lack of better words), TEI gets into the details of the code while being similar to HTML code.

Think about the documents or objects we looked at together in the library, and pick one that you remember really interested you. How do you think TEI could help you model something interesting about that document or object ? I remember seeing Mary Behrend's diary and it really interested me. I think TEI could help me model something in the diary because since it uses a "controlled vocabulary" I think it could possibly be a bit easier to see and understand the mark ups.

[luh429]

After reading the tutorial on TEI I still have a few questions about how exactly it differs from our other markup languages like XML or HTML. However what I do think I understand is that it is supposed to allow for the reader to be able to distinguish how different parts of the document relate to each other. For example the speaker to what they are saying. In this example TEI works better than other markup languages for the reason that it is able to give us more specific information about what we are reading and allows the reader to better comprehend the text. However it also has its limits as the tutorial explained that it is not as good for website creation as HTML and there is also a time when XML is better for what you are doing.

[bealse18]

• From what you're reading, how is writing TEI code similar to or different from what you've been doing with XML so far?

It seems like TEI and XML are pretty similar from what I’ve read so far. But that CML defines a syntax for encoding and TEI gives the specifics for the coding language.

• Think about the documents or objects we looked at together in the library, and pick one that you remember really interested you. How do you think TEI could help you model something interesting about that document or object ?

I remember I was interested in possibly learning more about Warren and the letters his parents wrote before the accident, I also would like to look at the recipe book that we glanced at to see if that was something I’d be interested in.

[kmh6907]

From what you're reading, how is writing TEI code similar to or different from what you've been doing with XML so far?

• From what I can understand from the reading, TEI is similar to the other coding languages I have used before such as XML and HTML, but it is a lot more similar to HTML code. TEI gets more precise with the detailing of the code allowing people to better understand the specifics or how parts of the code relate to others, while XML is more of an overview of code.

Think about the documents or objects we looked at together in the library, and pick one that you remember really interested you. How do you think TEI could help you model something interesting about that document or object?

• Out of all the things we looked at yesterday in the archives I was very interested in the recipes as well as the travel journals. I think TEI could help me model those two texts better than XML because it is able to label or provide more specific information within the texts which could help people better understand the more important parts of the documents.

[austinmurry]

From what I read, XML and TEI are not very different at all, but they also have their differences. XML and TEI are both ways of marking up a document, but XML defines the specific syntax while TEI is structured a bit more like HTML actually. TEI uses "p" elements like HTML and they also break things up into a heading and body elements, but then they use the speaker elements and such more like XML does. TEI also lays out a set of rules that the coder must follow while XML allows you to make up your own tags and do things more according to your preferences. One of the projects that interested me from going to the library archives was Warren's letters he and his family exchanged before his accident and unfortunate end. It can help us model things into an entire speech tag and put the individual speakers and then what was included in the letters. We could also include a heading that includes when the letter was written and other information that could be important to mark up.

[thammer12499]

While TEI was very similar in some ways to the coding languages we've used, I personally felt it was closer to HTML than XML in its structure. It's especially similar in the way it calls upon code from another file while not being dissimilar to XML.

I was personally interested in the diary that Mary had and wanted to try my hand at translating her chicken scratch into readable code.

[SCD5363]

TEI seams like html but with different rules but has the same nesting structure. as they said in the document," HTML, another common markup language, we see why the choice of markup systems is important for a project. HTML is a great markup language for publishing on the web. If the primary goal of your project is to get your editions published, you may be wondering, Why TEI? Wouldn’t HTML be easier? This slide is the perfect illustration of how more complex markup systems allow for fuller analysis and representation.

As you probably noticed, we’re mapping multiple TEI elements onto a single HTML element. For example, speeches, speakers, stage directions all get the catch-all p element (or the HTML paragraph). Nor is HTML modelling the nested structure of the play document in the same way the TEI is. So there is no way of associating a speaker tag with the speech, which we do in the TEI with the tag." So TEI is used in HTML to help associate specific items that HTML cannot.

[ericsandbloom]

I think it's easy to say that TEI is very similar to HTML. HTML a lot more broad, and the structure is more suited to works of writing in general. It feels as if it gives the basic structure, instead of the puzzle pieces themselves. TEI is the middle ground for the other two. It has the same XML is more focused on defining the said pieces and setting the rules for the document. So far what we've been doing, while using TEI would be valid, it's much more suited to XML, mainly due to the goals of the assignments.

I've already learned basic HTML so there isn't much new content for me to learn, but this is my first hearing of TEI in depth like this so I guess the structure and how it's a middle ground between XML & HTML. You can still give chunks of text an element, which you cannot really do in HTML.

[NickyV1234]

From what you're reading, how is writing TEI code similar to or different from what you've been doing with XML so far?

TEI is similar to xml in the way that you take text and organize it using tags and attributes, the file extensions are even both the same. but the main difference between tei and xml is that there are specific tags and hierarchy you need to follow.

Think about the documents or objects we looked at together in the library, and pick one that you remember really interested you. How do you think TEI could help you model something interesting about that document or object ?

I remember there being blueprints on how to build wooden boats. that would be an interesting one to code up because I can format it so that the steps in the instructions are more clearly seperated.

[gvt5036]

From what you're reading, how is writing TEI code similar to or different from what you've been doing with XML so far?

From what I understand, TEI is almost identical to what we've been doing with XML except it provides a specific workflow and syntax to follow when working.

Think about the documents or objects we looked at together in the library, and pick one that you remember really interested you. How do you think TEI could help you model something interesting about that document or object ?

I think that TEI could be useful in transcribing anything that has many parts or is particularly long, for example, Mary Behrend's calendar.