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Germanic runes tutorial
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‎languages/old-norse/runes.ipynb‎

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{
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"cells": [
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"# Runes\n",
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"Note: in order to use this Jupyter notebook, you need at least python 3.6 or above."
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"Configure ipython.\n",
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"\n",
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"```bash\n",
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"$ ipython profile create\n",
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"$ ipython locate\n",
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"$ nano .ipython/profile_default/ipython_config.py\n",
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"```\n",
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" Add it a the end of the file (without '#'):\n",
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"```bash\n",
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"c.InteractiveShellApp.exec_lines = [\n",
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" 'import sys; sys.path.append(\"/home/<username>/<path to runes-analyzer>\")'\n",
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"]\n",
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"```\n",
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" And... It's done!"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"In a shell, install the module **runesanalyzer**\n",
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"```bash\n",
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"$ git clone https://github.com/cltk/runes-analyzer.git\n",
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"$ cd runes-analyzer\n",
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"$ python3.6 setup.py install \n",
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"```\n",
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"Install the kernel associated with python3.6 [https://ipython.readthedocs.io/en/stable/install/kernel_install.html](https://ipython.readthedocs.io/en/stable/install/kernel_install.html) "
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"Let's test if the import is correct:\n",
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"```bash\n",
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"$ python3.6\n",
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"```"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": 1,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [],
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"source": [
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"from runesanalyzer import data"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"First of all, let's see what runes are:"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": 2,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [
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{
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"name": "stdout",
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"output_type": "stream",
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"text": [
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"[ᚠ, ᚢ, ᚦ, ᚨ, ᚱ, ᚲ, ᚷ, ᚹ, ᚺ, ᚾ, ᛁ, ᛃ, ᛇ, ᛈ, ᛉ, ᛊ, ᛏ, ᛒ, ᛖ, ᛗ, ᛚ, ᛜ, ᛟ, ᛞ]\n",
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"[ᚠ, ᚢ, ᚦ, ᚭ, ᚱ, ᚴ, ᚼ, ᚾ, ᛁ, ᛅ, ᛋ, ᛏ, ᛒ, ᛖ, ᛘ, ᛚ, ᛦ]\n",
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"[ᚠ, ᚢ, ᚦ, ᚭ, ᚱ, ᚴ, ᚽ, ᚿ, ᛁ, ᛅ, ᛌ, ᛐ, ᛓ, ᛖ, ᛙ, ᛚ, ᛧ]\n"
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]
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}
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],
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"source": [
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"for alphabet in [data.ELDER_FUTHARK, data.YOUNGER_FUTHARK, data.SHORT_TWIG_YOUNGER_FUTHARK]:\n",
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" print(alphabet)"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"The oldest runic inscriptions found are from 200 AC. They have always denoted Germanic languages. Until the 8th century, the elder *futhark* alphabet was used. It was compouned with 24 characters: ᚠ, ᚢ, ᚦ, ᚨ, ᚱ, ᚲ, ᚷ, ᚹ, ᚺ, ᚾ, ᛁ, ᛃ, ᛇ, ᛈ, ᛉ, ᛊ, ᛏ, ᛒ, ᛖ, ᛗ, ᛚ, ᛜ, ᛟ, ᛞ. The word *Futhark* comes from the 6 first characters of the alphabet: ᚠ (f), ᚢ (u), ᚦ (th), ᚨ (a), ᚱ (r), ᚲ (k). Later, this alphabet was reduced to 16 runes, the *younger futhark* ᚠ, ᚢ, ᚦ, ᚭ, ᚱ, ᚴ, ᚼ, ᚾ, ᛁ, ᛅ, ᛋ, ᛏ, ᛒ, ᛖ, ᛘ, ᛚ, ᛦ, with more ambiguity on sounds. Shapes of runes may vary according to which matter they are carved on, that is why there is a variant of the *younger futhark* like this: ᚠ, ᚢ, ᚦ, ᚭ, ᚱ, ᚴ, ᚽ, ᚿ, ᛁ, ᛅ, ᛌ, ᛐ, ᛓ, ᛖ, ᛙ, ᛚ, ᛧ."
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": 3,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [],
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"source": [
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"from runesanalyzer import runes"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"Get the available runic alphabets"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": 4,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [],
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"source": [
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"from runesanalyzer.data import RunicAlphabetName"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": 5,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [
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{
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"name": "stdout",
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"output_type": "stream",
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"text": [
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"elder_futhark\n",
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"younger_futhark\n",
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"short_twig_younger_futhark\n"
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]
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}
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],
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"source": [
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"for name in RunicAlphabetName:\n",
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" print(name.value)"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"Some famous runic inscriptions"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": 6,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [
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{
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"data": {
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"text/plain": [
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"'᛬ᚴᚢᚱᛘᛦ᛬ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ᛬ᚴ(ᛅᚱ)ᚦᛁ᛬ᚴᚢᛒᛚ᛬ᚦᚢᛋᛁ᛬ᛅ(ᚠᛏ)᛬ᚦᚢᚱᚢᛁ᛬ᚴᚢᚾᚢ᛬ᛋᛁᚾᛅ᛬ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚱᚴᛅᛦ᛬ᛒᚢᛏ᛬'"
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]
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},
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"execution_count": 6,
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"metadata": {},
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"output_type": "execute_result"
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}
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],
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"source": [
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"data.little_jelling_stone"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": 7,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [
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{
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"data": {
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"text/plain": [
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"'ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ᛬ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ᛬ᛒᛅᚦ᛬ᚴᛅᚢᚱᚢᛅ ᚴᚢᛒᛚ᛬ᚦᛅᚢᛋᛁ᛬ᛅᚠᛏ᛬ᚴᚢᚱᛘ ᚠᛅᚦᚢᚱ ᛋᛁᚾ ᛅᚢᚴ ᛅᚠᛏ᛬ᚦᚭᚢᚱᚢᛁ᛬ᛘᚢᚦᚢᚱ᛬ᛋᛁᚾᛅ᛬ᛋᛅ ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ(᛬)ᛁᛅᛋ᛬ᛋᚭᛦ᛫ᚢᛅᚾ᛫ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚢᚱᚴ\\nᛅᛚᛅ᛫ᛅᚢᚴ᛫ᚾᚢᚱᚢᛁᚴ\\n᛫ᛅᚢᚴ᛫ᛏ(ᛅ)ᚾᛁ(᛫ᚴᛅᚱᚦᛁ᛫)ᚴᚱᛁᛋᛏᚾᚭ'"
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]
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},
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"execution_count": 7,
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"metadata": {},
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"output_type": "execute_result"
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}
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],
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"source": [
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"data.big_jelling_stone"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"Runes are encoded in UTF-8 from \\u16A0 ᚠ to \\u16FF ᛪ. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runic_(Unicode_block)"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"Interesting, but why a Python module for runes? This module provides:\n",
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"* metadata attached to runes (runic alphabet which it is in, its representation, the approximate sound it describes, the transcription, the name)\n",
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"* a rune to latin character transcriber \n",
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"* a unified method to retrieve corpora of runic inscriptions "
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": 8,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [
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{
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"data": {
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"text/plain": [
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"ᚠ"
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]
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},
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"execution_count": 8,
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"metadata": {},
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"output_type": "execute_result"
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}
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],
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"source": [
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"data.ELDER_FUTHARK[0]"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"Runes are defined with the **Rune** class in the *rune* module."
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": 9,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [
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{
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"data": {
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"text/plain": [
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"ᚠ"
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]
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},
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"execution_count": 9,
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"metadata": {},
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"output_type": "execute_result"
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}
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],
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"source": [
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"data.Rune(data.RunicAlphabetName.elder_futhark, \"\\u16A0\", \"f\", \"f\", \"fehu\")"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"Use the **Transcriber** class to get a basic transcription of a runic inscription."
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": 10,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [
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{
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"data": {
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"text/plain": [
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"'᛫kurmR᛫kunukR᛫k(ar)þi᛫kubl᛫þusi᛫a(ft)᛫þurui᛫kunu᛫sina᛫tanmarkaR᛫but᛫'"
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]
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},
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"execution_count": 10,
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"metadata": {},
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"output_type": "execute_result"
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}
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],
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"source": [
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"data.Transcriber.transcribe(data.little_jelling_stone, data.YOUNGER_FUTHARK)"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": 11,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [],
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"source": [
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"from runesanalyzer import scraper"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"If you want to import all the Sweden runic inscriptions, call the following function."
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "code",
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"execution_count": null,
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"metadata": {},
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"outputs": [
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{
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"data": {
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"text/plain": [
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"<function runesanalyzer.scraper.retrieve_sweden_runic_inscription()>"
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]
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},
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"execution_count": 12,
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"metadata": {},
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"output_type": "execute_result"
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}
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],
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"source": [
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"scraper.retrieve_sweden_runic_inscription"
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"Future tasks:\n",
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"* normalizing runic inscriptions and transcriptions\n",
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"* making a statistics module to analyze frequencies of words, runes, spellings in runic inscriptions.\n",
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"* getting more runic inscriptions from Norway, Denmark, etc\n",
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"* using phonetical rules [module](https://github.com/cltk/cltk/blob/master/cltk/phonology/utils.py) to get a normalized pronunciation of Old norse inscriptions written with runes.\n",
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" "
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]
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},
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{
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"cell_type": "markdown",
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"metadata": {},
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"source": [
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"By Clément Besnier, email address: clemsciences@aol.com"
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]
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}
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],
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"metadata": {
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"kernelspec": {
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"display_name": "Python 3.6",
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"language": "python",
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"name": "python3"
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},
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"language_info": {
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"codemirror_mode": {
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"name": "ipython",
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"version": 3
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},
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"file_extension": ".py",
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"mimetype": "text/x-python",
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"name": "python",
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"nbconvert_exporter": "python",
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"pygments_lexer": "ipython3",
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"version": "3.6.3"
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}
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},
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"nbformat": 4,
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"nbformat_minor": 1
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}

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