| ## Text Encoding Initiative
### The XML Version of the TEI Guidelines # <unclear>

`<unclear>` | contains a word, phrase, or passage which cannot be transcribed with certainty because it is illegible or inaudible in the source.
Attributes | (In addition to global attributes and those inherited from edit)
`reason` | indicates why the material is hard to transcribe.
| Datatype: CDATA
| Values: any phrase describing the difficulty, e.g. ‘faded', ‘ambient noise', ‘passing truck', ‘ill formed', ‘eccentric ductus'.
| Default: #IMPLIED
| Example:
`resp` | indicates the individual responsible for the transcription of the word, phrase, or passage contained with the `<unclear>` element.
| Datatype: CDATA
| Values: must be one of the identifiers declared in the document header, associated with a person asserted as responsible for some aspect of the text's creation, transcription, editing, or encoding (see chapter 17 Certainty and Responsibility).
| Default: %INHERITED;
| Example:
`cert` | (certainty) signifies the degree of certainty ascribed to the transcription of the text contained within the `<unclear>` element.
| Datatype: CDATA
| Default: #IMPLIED
| Example:
`hand` | Where the difficulty in transcription arises from action (partial deletion, etc.) assignable to an identifiable hand, signifies the hand responsible for the action.
| Datatype: IDREF
| Values: must be one of the hand identifiers declared in the document header (see section 18.2.1 Document Hands).
| Default: %INHERITED;
| Example:
`agent` | Where the difficulty in transcription arises from an identifiable cause, signifies the causative agent.
| Datatype: CDATA
| Values: any prose description of the agent.
| Default: #IMPLIED
| Example:

Example

Note

The same element is used for all cases of uncertainty in the transcription of element content, whether for written or spoken material. For other aspects of certainty, uncertainty, and reliability of tagging and transcription, see chapter 17 Certainty and Responsibility.

The `<damage>`, `<gap>`, `<del>`, `<unclear>` and `<supplied>` elements may be closely allied in use. See section 18.2.4 Use of the Gap, Del, Damage, Unclear and Supplied Tags in Combination for discussion of which element is appropriate for which circumstance.

Module Declared in file teicore2; Core tag sets: enabled when any TEI base is enabled
Class edit
Data Description May contain character data and phrase-level elements.
May contain #PCDATA abbr add addSpan address alt altGrp anchor app bibl biblFull biblStruct c caesura camera caption castList cb certainty cit cl corr damage date dateRange dateStruct del delSpan distinct emph expan fLib figure foreign formula fs fsLib fvLib fw gap geogName gloss handShift hi index interp interpGrp join joinGrp label lang lb link linkGrp list listBibl m measure mentioned milestone move name note num oRef oVar orgName orig pRef pVar pb persName phr placeName ptr q quote ref reg respons restore rs s seg sic soCalled sound space span spanGrp stage supplied table tech term text time timeRange timeStruct timeline title unclear view w witDetail xptr xref
May occur within ab abbr activity actor add addName addrLine admin affiliation author authority bibl biblScope birth bloc byline camera caption case castItem catDesc cell channel cl classCode closer colloc constitution corr country creation damage date dateRange def del derivation descrip dictScrap distance distinct distributor docAuthor docDate docEdition docImprint domain edition editor education emph entryFree etym expan extent factuality figDesc firstLang foreName foreign form funder fw gen genName gloss gram gramGrp head headItem headLabel hi hyph imprimatur interaction item itype l label lang langKnown language lbl lem locale measure meeting mentioned mood name nameLink note num number occasion occupation opener orgDivn orgName orgTitle orgType orig orth otherForm p per persName phr placeName pos preparedness principal pron pubPlace publisher purpose q quote rdg re ref reg region rendition residence resp restore role roleDesc roleName rs s salute seg sense settlement sic signed soCalled socecStatus sound speaker sponsor stage street stress subc supplied surname syll symbol tagUsage tech term time timeRange title titlePart tns tr trailer trans u unclear usg view wit witDetail witness writing xr xref
Declaration

    <!ELEMENT unclear %om.RO;  %paraContent;>
    <!ATTLIST unclear
          %a.global;
          reason CDATA #IMPLIED
          resp CDATA %INHERITED;
          cert CDATA #IMPLIED
          hand IDREF %INHERITED;
          agent CDATA #IMPLIED>

See further 18.2.3 Damage, Illegibility, and Supplied Text; 6.5.3 Additions, Deletions, and Omissions

Up: 35 Elements