in 
The notation of A is quite clear – despite a slight difference in length, both marks are definitely accents. We may only wonder whether the difference is meaningful and if not, whether the accents were meant to be long or short ones. In the editors' opinion, the musical and graphical reasons point to the differentiation of those accents.
The version of GE is almost certainly inaccurate – the marks stretch from note to note, which was one of the rules characteristic for that publishing firm.
Our reading of A finds additional confirmation in the version of FE, fairly meticulously proofread by Chopin. The French edition is much closer to A than GE.
In EE the marks were rightly interpreted as accents, but their shapes were made the same and their originally different length was considered an inaccuracy of notation.
Compare the passage in the sources »
category imprint: Differences between sources
issues: Inaccuracies in GE
notation: Articulation, Accents, Hairpins
