Manusutdrag

Manusutdrag is a term used in Swedish philology and manuscript studies to denote a short passage taken from a manuscript for the purpose of study, citation, or comparison. The word combines manuscript (manus) and excerpt (utdrag) and is typically translated as “manuscript excerpt” or “excerpt from a manuscript.” It is most commonly encountered in scholarly editions of medieval or early modern texts, where precise sources must be identified.

In practice, a manusutdrag serves several functions. It provides a concrete example of a manuscript’s orthography, scribal habit, or textual variant, allowing readers to assess how a text appears in a particular manuscript. It may illustrate a disputed reading, a scribal error, or a translation-friendly wording that differs from other witnesses. Excerpts are usually accompanied by exact source details, such as the manuscript siglum, collection, shelf mark, folio or page numbers, and dating, along with a transcription that may retain original spellings and lineation. Some editions also offer a translation or brief palaeographic notes to clarify dating, script, or material.

Presentation and conventions vary by discipline. Transcriptions of manusutdrag often follow established palaeographic and editorial practices, indicating variants when multiple witnesses exist. They may appear within critical apparatus or as separate embedded quotations, and are typically cited to enable verification against the original manuscript. While related concepts include textual criticism and manuscript facsimies, a manusutdrag focuses specifically on a discrete, source-backed excerpt rather than on a complete text edition.