Re: Umlauts (was Re: Elves and Ill Bethisad)

John Cowan wrote:
>
> Ray Brown scripsit:
>
> > But the problem with calling the double-dot symbol diaeresis is that:
> > (a) it is not always used to denote diaeresis (the Germans, e.g. use
> > it to denote i-umlaut);
>
> Nevertheless, the standards community has adopted "diaeresis" as the
general
> name, so we are stuck with it.  They also call the hacek "caron", and no
one
> knows why.
I was once talking about fonts with a Polish man, and
I referred to the hook at the bottom of a and e (nasalization,
I believe) with the term "ogonek" ("tail," I believe). He
found this quite humorous. I asked what he would call it,
and he replied that he was not aware that the hook itself
had a name.

--Ph. D.

Replies