6.ix Numbers and Nouns
- Due Feb 20, 2022 at 11:59pm
- Points 1
- Questions 1
- Available Feb 10, 2022 at 12am - Apr 25, 2022 at 11:59pm
- Time Limit None
Instructions
The next primary source that we are going to look at is a documentary source. (In medieval historiography 'documentary source' refers to text that is an economic record or legal document, as opposed to narrative texts.) Documentary sources have many advantages for historians. Even if they contain some errors or even if the arrangements recorded in them were swiftly overturned, they still tend to represent legal or economic decisions that were definitely made at one point in time. However, humans generally prefer to consume information in narrative form, and lists of nouns and numbers-- or legal terminology-- can bamboozle at first glance. To warm-up before we look at the primary source, let's consider a modern documentary source-- a receipt from a grocery store.
If you use a screen reader, here is a written-out receipt:
Aldi
Alafaya Trail Store
Steam peas: 79 cents
Steam peas: 79 cents
Yellow Squash: $1.69
Zucchini: $1.69
10 lbs potatoes: $3.89
Angel hair: $1.69
Fair Trade Coffee: $3.99
Sharp Cheddar: $1.65
Bananas-- 2.86 lbs: $1.17