`<certainty>` | indicates the degree of certainty or uncertainty associated with some aspect of the text markup.

Attributes:

`target` | points at the elements whose markup is uncertain.
| Datatype: IDREFS
| Values: one or more SGML ID values.
| Default: #REQUIRED

Example:

    Elizabeth went to <persName id=p1>Essex</persName>
    <certainty target=p1 locus=gi degree='0.6'>

Note | If more than one IDREF is given, the `<certainty>` element is interpreted as applying to all. If no ID is present on the element being annotated, the attribute should give the ID of a `<ptr>` element which points at the element being annotated; for further discussion of this indirect pointing mechanism, see chapter 14 .

`locus` | indicates the precise location of the uncertainty in the markup: applicability of the element, precise position of the start- or end-tag, value of a specific attribute, etc.
| Datatype: CDATA

Legal values:

`#gi` | uncertain whether the element used actually applies to the passage.
`#startloc` | start-tag may not be correctly located.
`#endloc` | end-tag may not be correctly located.
`#location` | both the start-tag and the end-tag may not be correctly located.
`name` | the value given for the attribute `name` is uncertain.
`#transcribedContent` | the content of the element may not be a correct transcription of the source text.
`#suppliedContent` | the content of the element may not have been correctly supplied by the reader, e.g. as in the cases of `<corr>` and `<abbrev>` elements.

| Default: #REQUIRED
Note | The ``#'' distinguishes the terms of the controlled vocabulary from possible collisions with attribute names. Extensions to this vocabulary should also use this prefix.

`assertedValue`

provides an alternative value for the aspect of the markup in question---an alternative generic identifier, transcription, or attribute value, or the ID of an `<anchor>` element (to indicate an alternative starting or ending location). If an `assertedValue` is given, the confidence level specified by `degree` applies to the alternative markup specified by `assertedValue` ; if none is given, it applies to the markup in the text.

| Datatype: CDATA
| Values: generic identifier, attribute value, location (e.g. indicated by an IDREF to an `<anchor>` element or to an `<xptr>` element), or other appropriate alternative value.
| Default: #IMPLIED

Example:

    Elizabeth went to <persName id=p1>Essex</persName>
    <certainty target=p1 locus='#gi'
               assertedValue='place' degree='0.2'>

Note | This attribute makes it possible to indicate the degree of confidence in a specific alternative to some aspect of the markup. In the example above the encoder is expressing the likelihood (.2) that the generic identifier should be `<place>` rather than `<persName>` , which is the coded element.
`desc` | further describes the uncertainty in prose, perhaps indicating its nature, cause, or the justification for the degree of confidence asserted.
| Datatype: CDATA
| Values: a prose description of how and why the markup is uncertain.
| Default: #IMPLIED

Example:

    Elizabeth went to <persName id=p1>Essex</persName>
    <certainty target=p1 locus='#gi'  degree='0.2'
    desc='As this was written in the Spring
    it is probably the Earl, not the town'>

Note | In a given project, it may be possible to enumerate a finite list of recognized types and causes of uncertainty; in such cases, it will be useful to control the vocabulary used in this attribute, to aid later mechanical manipulation. It is not possible to suggest such a controlled vocabulary for general use.
`given` | indicates conditions assumed in the assignment of a degree of confidence.
| Datatype: CDATA
| Values: a characterization of the conditions which are assumed in the assignment of a degree of confidence. This may be in prose.
| Default: #IMPLIED

Example:

    <!-- in the header, hand 'h1' is
        identified as that of 'msm' ... -->
    <hand id=h1 scribe=msm>

     <!-- in the text, the scribe has corrected 'Wessex'
         into 'Essex' ... -->
    Elizabeth went to <corr id=c1 sic='Wessex' resp=msm>Essex</corr>.

    <!-- we are 60% certain that hand h1 is 'msm',
         and 90% certain that if h1 is 'msm', then
         it is 'msm' who corrected 'Wessex'
         into 'Essex'.  -->
    <certainty id=h1 target=h1 locus=scribe degree='0.6'>
    <certainty target=p1 locus=resp given=h1 degree='0.9'>

Note

A project may wish to control the vocabulary used in this attribute.

The envisioned typical value of this attribute would be the identifier of another `<certainty>` element or a list of such identifiers. It may thus be possible to construct probability networks by chaining `<certainty>` elements together. Such networks would ultimately be grounded in unconditional `<certainty>` elements (with no value for `given` ). The semantics of this chaining would be understood in this way: if a `<certainty>` element is specified, via an IDREF, as the assumption, then it is not the attribution of uncertainty that is the assumption, but rather the assertion itself. For instance, in the example above, the first `<certainty>` element indicates that the confidence in the identification of the new scribe as ``msm''. The second indicates the degree of confidence that ``Essex'' is a personal name, given that the new scribe is ``msm''. Note that the given in the second `<certainty>` element is not the assertion that the likelihood that msm is the new scribe is 0.6, but simply the assertion that msm is the new scribe; this is a recommended convention to facilitate building networks.

The ambitious encoder may wish to attempt complex networks or probability assertions, experimenting with references to other elements or prose assertions, and deploying feature structure connectives such as `<alt>` , `<join>` , and `<not>` . However, we do not believe that the `<certainty>` element gives, at this time, a comprehensive ambiguity-free system for indicating certainty.

`degree` | indicates the degree of confidence assigned to the aspect of the markup named by the `locus` attribute.
| Datatype: CDATA
| Values: Values of `degree` might be yes or no, the reals between 0 and 1, or traditional characterizations such as ``doubtful'', ``circa'', etc. Generally we recommend decimal numbers between 0 and 1, where larger numbers denote a greater degree of confidence in the assertions; 0 representing ``certainly false'' and 1 representing ``certainly true''.
| Default: #IMPLIED

Example

For discussion of this example, see section 17.1.2 .

    Earnest went to <anchor id=a1> old
    <persName id=p1>Saybrook</persName>.

    <certainty id=c1 target=p1 locus='#gi' degree='0.6'>
    <certainty given=c1 target=p1 locus=startloc degree='0.9'>

    <certainty id=c2 target=p1 locus='#gi'
               assertedValue='persName' degree='0.4'>
    <certainty given=c2 target=p1 locus=startloc degree='0.5'>
    <certainty id=c3
               given=c1 target=p1 locus=startloc
               assertedValue='a1' degree='0.5' >

Tagset additional tag set for certainty
Class metadata [and indirectly also:] globincl
Filename `teicert2`
Content: Empty.
Parents[none]
Children[none]
Declaration

    <!ELEMENT certainty     - O  EMPTY                              >
    <!ATTLIST certainty          %a.global
              target             IDREFS              #REQUIRED
              locus              CDATA               #REQUIRED
              assertedValue      CDATA               #IMPLIED
              desc               CDATA               #IMPLIED
              given              CDATA               #IMPLIED
              degree             CDATA               #IMPLIED       >

See 17.1.2

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