# Without the layout layer, topics follow scribe less

> With the line-edge spellings normalised, page topics follow Currier language and scribe less (NMI 0.53 to 0.43 and 0.54 to 0.42, five seeds, sd up to…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/voynich-manuscript/evidence/EVD0DCC13TM3WQS/without-the-layout-layer-topics-follow-scribe-less  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Voynich Manuscript](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/voynich-manuscript)F-124

Evidence · Voynich Manuscript

# Without the layout layer, topics follow scribe less

With the line-edge spellings normalised, page topics follow Currier language and scribe less (NMI 0.53 to 0.43 and 0.54 to 0.42, five seeds, sd up to 0.08) and the illustrated section as much as before (0.37 to 0.36); the A-B axis of the vocabulary does not move (0.86). Part of what topic models read as language and scribe is how line edges are written.

SuggestiveObservationExploratory0

## How it was found 2 runs

[Layout-layer rules and normaliser (minimal line-edge alternations learned on half E; rewrite to the inside form; interior-only text): inductive battery (13 methods) on half C: raw, normalised, interior](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/voynich-manuscript/runs/RUN0DCABM564NJ7/layout-layer-rules-and-normaliser-minimal-line-edge)

Method [Layout-layer rules and normaliser (minimal line-edge alternations learned on half E; rewrite to the inside form; interior-only text)](https://mysteriesdept.com/methods/MTH08JFXHHJ4YRN/layout-layer-rules-and-normaliser-minimal-line-edge) · [Session 10](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/voynich-manuscript/sessions/SES0DCB54T02Y53/session-10-the-layout-layer-literature-and-question-audit)

28 Oct

Inductive battery (13 methods) on half C: raw, normalised, interior**topics.nmi_section: 0.302 / 0.402 / 0.493; topics.nmi_lang: 0.587 / 0.548 / 0.466; stylometry.nmi_section: 0.327 / 0.556 / 0.615; seriation.axis1_vs_langB: 0.86 / 0.861 / 0.86; paradigms.dependence: 0.361 / 0.367 / 0.368; layout.mi_line_position_first: 0.1042 / 0.029 / 0.0164** Exploratory

[ZL3b transcription](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT08JFZFSR41PZ/zandbergen-landini-transliteration-zl3b-eva-ivtff-2-0-13-may)[Exploration split](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT08JFZJQG5X29/exploration-confirmation-split-by-bifolium-106-101-pages-sha)[Line-edge rules learned on half E (46 minimal alternations at paragraph start, line start and line end)](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT08JFZJZA6C4T/line-edge-rules-learned-on-half-e-46-minimal-alternations-at)[Latin genre texts](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT08JFZHGE64ZP/latin-plaintext-of-the-manuscripts-genres-by-section-built)

Notes from the run

data/analysis/inductive/out/battery_C.csv, battery_C_layout.csv, battery_C_interior.csv

[Topic model (LDA) of pages, k by held-out perplexity and fixed k=10: topic NMI with section / Currier language / scribe, half C, mean of…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/voynich-manuscript/runs/RUN0DCABMD05G5R/topic-model-lda-of-pages-k-by-held-out-perplexity-and-fixed)

Method [Topic model (LDA) of pages, k by held-out perplexity and fixed k=10](https://mysteriesdept.com/methods/MTH08JFXD4Y38JF/topic-model-lda-of-pages-k-by-held-out-perplexity-and-fixed) · [Session 10](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/voynich-manuscript/sessions/SES0DCB54T02Y53/session-10-the-layout-layer-literature-and-question-audit)

28 Oct

Topic NMI with section / Currier language / scribe, half C, mean of five seeds**raw 0.37 / 0.53 / 0.54; normalised 0.36 / 0.43 / 0.42** Exploratory

[ZL3b transcription](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT08JFZFSR41PZ/zandbergen-landini-transliteration-zl3b-eva-ivtff-2-0-13-may)[Exploration split](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT08JFZJQG5X29/exploration-confirmation-split-by-bifolium-106-101-pages-sha)[Line-edge rules learned on half E (46 minimal alternations at paragraph start, line start and line end)](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT08JFZJZA6C4T/line-edge-rules-learned-on-half-e-46-minimal-alternations-at)

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). Without the layout layer, topics follow scribe less [Evidence EVD0DCC13TM3WQS]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DCC13TM3WQS
```

Key

**EVD** 0DCC13TM3WQS

Kind

Evidence

Tier

Suggestive

Found in

[Session 10](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/voynich-manuscript/sessions/SES0DCB54T02Y53/session-10-the-layout-layer-literature-and-question-audit) · 28 Oct 2026

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