Emendations

Emendation, plural emendations, is the act of correcting errors in a text or document. The term derives from Latin emendare, meaning to correct or to improve. In scholarly usage, emendations are proposed corrections to a text that is corrupt or ambiguous, especially in the fields of textual criticism and philology. An emendation may substitute a word, phrase, or punctuation to restore meaning or grammatical sense.

In textual criticism, emendations are often conjectural readings proposed by editors when surviving manuscripts are corrupt or contradictory. Editors examine manuscript variants, quotations, and translations; they weigh external evidence (the age and reliability of manuscripts) and internal evidence (style, grammar, and likelihood within the context). A successful emendation aims to preserve the original sense without overstepping evidence. The resulting text is typically accompanied by a note explaining the rationale and the evidence.

In law and administrative use, emendation refers to formal corrections of official documents, statutes, deeds, or court records. An emended version may replace erroneous words, figures, or names, or restore intended meaning after a clerical error. In publishing, emendations correct typographical or factual errors in a text between editions; errata, corrigenda, or revised editions perform similar functions.

Limitations and reception: emendations are contentious when they rely heavily on conjecture; editors may debate the merit of proposed readings. Good practice requires explicit justification and, where possible, consensus with manuscript authority. Emendation contrasts with amendment, which usually refers to changes enacted by law or policy; in scholarly work, emendation tends to address the text itself rather than its legal status.