Re: OT: ff

[Emery Snyder emerylist@xxxxxxxx]

Actually, all of these cases are examples of the general usage in
Latin abbreviation to use doubling as an intensifier (the Italian
seems to have taken over this habit).

So:
p. = pagina (singular ablative of "pagina" = "page"), pp. = the plural
(I assume the plural ablative, paginis)
f. = folio (singular abl. of "folium" = "leaf"), ff. = foliis (plural)

f = forte (loud), ff = fortissime (really loud), and you can keep
adding on; although one rarely sees more than three (fff) in actual
practice, I have seen composers who want more granular instructions go
up to 5, giving you a scale of eleven values (ppppp -- p - [nothing] -
f -- fffff).

Doubling for the plural works even for multiletter abbreviations, but
you only double the last letter:
MS = manuscriptum (singular), plural = MSS

Since Engl. "page" derives from Latin "pagina," and "folio" from
"folium," the Latin abbreviations are often reinterpreted as English
ones, but English abbreviation doesn't really have this convention.
If you look at style guides in English, they often recommend "p." for
both singular and plural, the same way they recommend "ex." ("for
example") rather than "e.g." ("exempli gratia").

In Latin doubling can mean "plural or greater", but it can also just
reflect the syllables of the abbreviated word or phrase; here are some
examples:
FF. = Fratres (brothers)
ll. = leges (laws)
BUT: pp (with a line over it): "propter" (= because) or "papa" (=
"pope")

During the period when there were three emperors, "AAA" stood for
"Augusti tres" ("the three august ones")

Indispensible reference (well, if you read Latin MSS):
Cappelli, Adriano. Lexicon abbreviaturarum dizionario di abbreviature
latine ed italiane usate nelle carte e codici specialmente del
Medio-Evo, riprodotte con oltre 14000 segni incisi, con l'aggiunta di
uno studio sulla brachigrafia medioevale, un prontuario di sigle
epigrafiche, l'antica numerazione romana ed arabica ed i segni
indicanti monete, pesi, misure, etc. 6th ed. Milano: Hoepli, 1987.
(there are probably newer eds. by now, but it doesn't really change
much between editions)

Also really really good:
Bischoff, Bernhard. Latin paleography: antiquity and the middle ages.
Trans. Dáibhí ó Cróinin and David Ganz. Cambridge UP, 1990.

Both books have photographs of manuscripts for you to try your skill.








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Tuesday, 8 July 2003, 9:14:31 AM, Brucefelk wrote:

> Myeon Gochnauer writes,

>>What is the origin of "ff." as it is used in scholarly footnotes, meaning
> "(and) following (pages/items)"?

> It's not an obvious abbreviation for "following"<

> That's what it means, none the less. Actually "f" means the following page,
> and ff the following pages (two or several).

> In music, "f" is "forte" (strong[ly] or loud[ly); "ff" simply means, in
> essence, twice as much; and "fff" all the way.

> bruce fffelknor