I presented the LeggoManzoni case study at AIUCD-2025 (The 14th Annual Conference of the Association of Digital Humanities and Digital Culture) in Verona, Italy. This presentation, co-authored with Beatrice Nava and Ersilia Russo, demonstrated how TEI encoding can serve as a unified structure for multilingual digital editions.

Research Context

The presentation addressed a key challenge in digital scholarly editing: how to create coherent, interoperable multilingual editions that maintain scholarly standards while enabling computational analysis and user interaction.

The LeggoManzoni Project

LeggoManzoni is a comprehensive digital edition project centered on Alessandro Manzoni’s “I Promessi Sposi” (The Betrothed), featuring:

  • Multiple language versions: Italian original and various translations
  • Critical apparatus: Scholarly annotations and commentary
  • Interactive features: Enhanced reading experience with digital tools
  • Educational focus: Resources for teaching Italian literature

TEI Implementation Strategy

Our approach demonstrates how TEI encoding can:

Unify Multiple Texts

  • Parallel structure: Consistent encoding across different language versions
  • Alignment markers: Linking corresponding passages between texts
  • Hierarchical organization: Maintaining textual relationships at multiple levels

Support Multilingual Features

  • Language identification: Proper markup for different languages and dialects
  • Translation relationships: Explicit connections between source and target texts
  • Cultural annotations: Context-sensitive explanatory materials

Enable Computational Analysis

  • Structured data: Machine-readable format for text mining and analysis
  • Standardized markup: Interoperability with digital humanities tools
  • Extensible framework: Capacity for future enhancements and additions

Technical Innovations

The project showcases several advances in TEI practice:

  • Modular design: Reusable components for different texts and languages
  • Validation frameworks: Quality assurance for complex multilingual markup
  • Publishing workflows: From TEI source to multiple output formats

Broader Implications

This work contributes to:

  • Digital edition methodology: Best practices for multilingual projects
  • TEI development: Extending standards for complex use cases
  • Cultural heritage: Preserving and presenting literary works digitally
  • Educational technology: Tools for literature teaching and learning

Publication

The full paper is available with detailed technical specifications and case study analysis, providing a replicable model for similar multilingual digital edition projects.

The LeggoManzoni project exemplifies how rigorous encoding standards can support both scholarly research and public engagement with literary heritage.