Re: "i" (was: INTERSYSTEMAL CONLANG)
| From: | Jan van Steenbergen <ijzeren_jan@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Tuesday, July 2, 2002, 5:21 |
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--- John Cowan wrote:
> > since then i don't really understand why in english "i" has to be
> > capitalized, setting it apart from the other pronouns.
>
> Because in old handwriting a lower-case "i" was just an up-down stroke,
> and it too easily disappeared into the preceding or following words
> otherwise. Note that the closely related languages, as well as OE
> with "ic", do not have a single-letter word "i" and do not capitalize
> the first person pronoun.
That sounds plausible enough, but it still doesn't explain to me why I/i have
never seen it happening in other languages with single-letter words, including
"i" (in most Slavonic language the equivalent of "and").
Jan
=====
"Originality is the art of concealing your source." - Franklin P. Jones
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