The long s was a variant of the lowercase letter “s” used by scribes and other professionals in European writing from the Middle Ages until the middle of the 19th century. The long s most notably appears in archaic or calligraphic styles, and while it is largely obsolete in modern writing, it still appears in certain contexts as a stylistic choice.
It has a close resemblance to the Latin letter f (at least in printed typefaces), and it was often used interchangeably with the f in italic typesetting.
The point of the long s was mainly aesthetic, and it was often used to make a particular text look more elegant or prestigious. Additionally, the character was occasionally used to distinguish regular (or “short”) s’s from other similar letter combinations, like ſs and ſs, which looked almost identical when written out by hand.
Since the long s was much less common than the regular s in most European countries, it was effectively used to add variety and visual appeal to a text.
Today, the long s remains a fixture of medieval and pre-modern literature, and it is even still used by a handful of contemporary type designers. While it no longer has a practical purpose, it is still valued for its elegant and distinguished appearance, and for its ties to the history of the English language.
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When did we stop using the long s?
The long s, or medial s, was used from the Middle Ages to the 1700s. It was used to denote the plural form of a word or for a possessive s. It was distinguished from a regular lower-case s by its elongated shape, being shaped more like an f.
As printing technologies advanced, typefaces became more uniform and standardised, and the long s became less commonly used. By the end of the 18th century, the long s had largely been replaced by the regular lower-case s, although some type foundries continued to offer it until the mid-19th century.
Furthermore, in some countries and dialects, the long s persists in informal writing, such as in German, where the s is pronounced slightly differently. In English, however, the long s has become obsolete and is no longer in use.
Did Old English replace s with F?
No, Old English did not replace s with F. In fact, the use of F in English dates back to at least the 15th century when handwriting styles began to develop distinct shapes. In Old English, letter “s” was written in a slightly different way than today: ſ.
This is known as the “long s”, and can be seen in early manuscripts such as the Lindisfarne Gospels. While some spelling conventions have changed over time, the letter “s” has always been used in the English language and has not been replaced by “F”.
Why were F’s used instead of s?
The use of an F in place of an s is a method of indicating that a particular person did not achieve a certain standard or task. This is most commonly found in school grades, where an F indicates that the student failed to demonstrate mastery of the subject material.
This has been a useful tool to help educators communicate performance information to parents and other interested parties. The use of an F can also highlight areas of improvement for students and provide important feedback.
In the past, a failing grade was often communicated with a D, but with the development of standards-based grading scales, F has since replaced this option. In addition, the F grade has been found to be a more effective motivator to help students become more motivated and accountable for their learning.
When did the letter s change shape?
The letter s has been in use since the Greek alphabet, which was likely developed around 800 BC, but the shape of the letter didn’t take its modern form until the seventh century during the Carolingian Renaissance.
Prior to this, it had an angular shape, which is still seen in some Gothic fonts today. During this period, the rounded version was created, which can be seen in more modern typefaces such as Times New Roman.
As the letter s evolved, it changed in style with the times, with serifs being added during more modern font styles. This continued until the 19th century, when it was firmly established as the kind of s that we use today.
Why do Americans spell things with Z instead of s?
Americans spell words with a “z” instead of an “s” because American English tends to prefer the more phonetic spelling of words. British English often tends to keep the original spellings of words, which might have come from Latin or French roots, whereas American English sometimes alters the spelling to better reflect the way the word is said or pronounced.
For example, British English often spells “colour” with a “u”, whereas in American English the spelling is usually changed to “color”. Another example is the British English spelling of “organise” versus the American English spelling of “organize”.
The same can be said for words like “specialize” versus “specialise”, “analyze” versus “analyse”, and “realize” versus “realise”.
When was the letter U invented?
The letter U was first invented by the ancient Phoenicians around 1000 BC, as part of their alphabetical writing system. It is believed to have been derived from the Egyptian hieroglyph ‘w’, which was the picture of a hook that was used to symbolize a “thing” or an “object”.
By the time the Phoenicians started writing with it, the symbol had already become an abstract line with a small curve on one side.
In the Greek alphabet, the letter U was known as “upsilon” and had the same sound as it does today. Over the course of time, the letter has evolved and its sound has changed, but its pronunciation and shape have remained the same.
The development of the letter U follows a similar trajectory to that of the other vowels, which were also first introduced around 1000 BC. Unlike some of the other Latin-based characters, the letter U has remained largely unchanged over the past few thousand years and continues to be used in modern day language.
What 2 letters were removed from the alphabet?
The two letters in the English alphabet that have been removed are J and U. The letter J was removed when the alphabet changed to its current form in the 16th century. The letter U was dropped in the 18th century when English spellings were standardized to their present day form.
Both letters were still used in some regional dialects and by some printers until at least the 19th century, but they have since been replaced by other letters in the English alphabet.
When did s Replace Z?
The letter “s” began to replace the letter “z” during the Middle English period. This period is sometimes known as “Early New English” and it spanned from roughly 1150 to 1400. This was a time when the English language was changing and undergoing a lot of development.
During this period, spellings also started to become more standardized, and the transition from using “z” to “s” was part of that process. The main reason for this shift was that people found the “z” sound a bit hard to pronounce, while the earlier “s” was much easier to speak.
Additionally, this change was also influenced by Old French and Latin, both of which used the letter “s” more commonly than “z”. In modern English, the letter “s” is still used in place of the letter “z”, and it is now considered the most widely used substitute by far.
Is s the 21st letter of the alphabet?
No, s is the 19th letter of the alphabet. The alphabet consists of 26 letters, with a being the first letter and z being the last. Therefore, s is the 19th letter and is located between r and t.
When did the cursive alphabet change?
The cursive alphabet has been in use since the 16th century, but significant changes and modernizations began to take place in the late 18th and 19th centuries. The American Revolution saw a surge in the use of cursive, as the numerous documents created required faster, more efficient writing.
As the decades passed, more and more of the old-fashioned ‘copperplate’ style of calligraphy began to disappear, and a cursive alphabet with fewer, more streamlined letters began to take its place. By the early 20th century, almost all cursive writing had adopted a more uniform look, with notable exceptions appearing in certain countries.
Meanwhile, learning to write in cursive and reaching a certain level of proficiency in it remained an integral part of school curriculums for many years to come, until the advent of the digital age and the subsequent decline of handwriting skills, which began in the 1980s.
What is long s in Old English?
Long s is a former variant of the modern lowercase letter ‘s’ which was found in various Latin alphabets. It was usually used to write the unvoiced alveolar fricative sound represented by ‘s’ in modern English, especially at the beginning of a word before a vowel, like in the word ‘swallow’.
Long s also represented ‘ss’ in the middle of words, and it was sometimes used at the end of a word like in the word ‘press’. Long s is one of the earliest forms of lowercase letter ‘s’ which was found in Old English text dating back to Anglo-Saxon era.
It’s generally written in the same size, and usually looks like a regular ‘f’ rather than a ‘s’. It was widely used in the English language until the advent of printing press when it was gradually replaced by round s.
Which letter is never silent in English?
The letter “T” is almost never silent in English. It is the most used letter in English and usually pronounced with a sound (“tuh”). You will rarely come across a case where it is pronounced without the sound, such as when it is used in the middle of a word or is connected to another letter (e.
g. “castle”). In other cases, it is usually emphasized with a strong sound (“tee”). Examples of this include words like “taken” and “extract”. There are also a few rare cases in which the letter might be pronounced without the sound, such as words like “debt” or “tent”.
However, overall, the letter “T” is never silent in English.
What was the last letter the was added to the alphabet use lowercase?
The last letter added to the alphabet was “j”, which was added as an additional vowel in the 16th century. It has been used in many languages, such as Spanish, French, Dutch, and English. In English, it is a fairly uncommon letter, but can still be seen in words like “jade”, “jargon”, “jukebox”, and “juxtapose”.
Why use F instead of s in old texts?
The use of F instead of s in old texts is generally attributed to a change in the spelling standards during the mid to late 17th century. At this time, printmaking was becoming more popular and capital letters, or uppercase letters, began to replace lowercase letters, which were seen as being of a lesser quality.
As such, s was replaced with F as it was not only easier to produce but also less costly as it used less ink. This is why in many old books, you will find words ending with a long vertical line — this is to signify the letters F (or ff) instead of s.
Many publishers used this form of abbreviation until the early 1800s. In addition, these types of abbreviations were also prevalent in handwriting, where simplifying the written form enabled a faster writing speed.
