Re: CONLANG Digest - 4 Jul 2001 to 5 Jul 2001 (#2001-187)

D Tse wrote:

 >As for the period and question mark,
 >
 >>I don't know how they came about.
 >>
 >
 >I remember reading in a textbook in sixth grade that the question mark
 >
                                       ^^^^^^^^^^^

So you're originally an American? Or are you just trying to be helpful?

 >resulted from the letters q and o from the word _quaestio_ being placed
 >above each other.
 >
I've heard somewhere, but I can't remember *exactly* where (possible
David Crystal's Encyclopaedia of the Englsh Language), that the squiggle
was trying to show that the tone of voice rose, and then printers
'neatened' it, and I think also that the dot was just the full stop, but
that last bit could be something I made up

Tristan