The problem with this argument is that you're assuming the TEI markup is 
expressing the opinion and the reasoned decision of the encoder. What if 
I, the encoder, am simply tagging to the best of my ability the 
distinctions expressed by a domain expert who has decided that the 
following cases are usefully and adequately distinct?

1814 (I know, because he dates it)
c. 1814	(e.g. somewhere around the time that a certain explorer was 
known to have visited Aphrodisias)
? 1814 (we have reason to think it was found in the expedition of 1814, 
but we may be mistaken)
3d century (palaeographical, and with confidence; exact="none"; 
precision="high")
? 3d century (palaeographical, but real reason for doubt on other 
grounds; exact="none"+cert="low")
c. 3d century (palaeographical, but not impossible that it was late 4th 
or early 5th; @exact="none"+precision="low")
"within fifty or so years of the death of Augustus" (14-64, 
@exact="notBefore")
"In the last generation before the Caracallan citizenship decree" 
(180-212, @exact="notAfter")
"probably within the Julio-Claudian period" (as opposed to 
"approximately"; i.e. if I'm wrong, I could be very wrong, but I'm 
willing to make the guess.)

After all, it is the domain expert who makes the distinctions that we 
need unambiguously to express. And several experts I have worked with 
recognise the difference between precision and certainty, as well as the 
difference between "1920-1940" and "c. 1930". (For dates, saying the 
precision is implicit in the number of digits used is not useful.)

Final question, out of interest... how would you express:

"17th July (definitely and precisely). Don't know which year, but almost 
certainly mid-sixteenth century."?

G


Sebastian Rahtz a écrit :
> Paul Schaffner wrote:
>> "Could not have been born in Kirk Blisholm before 1470, since the town 
>> was not founded till that year, but may have been born as late as 
>> 1510, if he is really the same John Doe as appears in the University 
>> register of 1525."   
> I am tempted to say "get off the fence and commit
> yourself to an interpretation; leave the reasoning
> for a <note>"
> 

-- 
Dr Gabriel BODARD
(Epigrapher & Digital Classicist)

Centre for Computing in the Humanities
King's College London
26-29 Drury Lane
London WC2B 5RL

Email: [log in to unmask]
Tel: +44 (0)20 7848 1388
Fax: +44 (0)20 7848 2980

http://www.digitalclassicist.org/
http://www.currentepigraphy.org/