Gloss-incorporation is one type of introducing changes in a text transmitted through copying: A reading that was originally intended as a note or remark in an exemplar would be incorporated into the main text of a copy instead. As there were and are different types of glossae – like marginal and interlinear glosses – gloss-incorporation could happen in various intentional and unintentional ways. These marginal elements may be expository and/or provide commentary on the primary text, in which case the incorporation represents an example of an addition. Alternatively, glosses may provide a correction to a witness in which case the subsequent incorporation of the gloss represents a case of assimilation or horizontal transmission.
Gloss-incorporation is frequently used interchangeably with interpolation. Cf. types of errors.
In other languages
DE: Einfügung von Glossen im Text
FR: incorporation de gloses
IT: incorporazione di glosse