5.0182 Further Queries: Long s; Handwritten final "t" (2/35)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Mon, 24 Jun 91 21:53:43 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 5, No. 0182. Monday, 24 Jun 1991.
(1) Date: Sat, 22 Jun 1991 05:17 +0800 (13 lines)
From: Tze-wan KWAN, Philosophy, CUHK, Hongkong <B071767@CUCSC.BITNET>
Subject: Re: 5.0174 Rs: The Long Tall Medial S
(2) Date: Sun, 23 Jun 1991 13:50 EST (22 lines)
From: Len Bliss <BLISSLB@APPSTATE.BITNET>
Subject: Final "t"
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 1991 05:17 +0800
From: "Tze-wan KWAN, Philosophy, CUHK, Hongkong" <B071767@CUCSC.BITNET>
Subject: Re: 5.0174 Rs: The Long Tall Medial S
A dilettantish question!
Does the differentiation of the S into a long and a round form have
anything to do with the two forms of the "Sigma" in Greek? (s in glossa
is different from the s in physis or in thanatos). The most interesting
thing is that: the first form of "Sigma" occurs only in the middle of a
word whereas the second form only at the end. This principle seems to
hold for older German text as well.
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------30----
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 1991 13:50 EST
From: Len Bliss <BLISSLB@APPSTATE.BITNET>
Subject: Final "t"
The discussion of the long s brings to mind another "archaic" form of
a Roman letter which I have encountered. My mother used to use a form
of a final "t" which was uncrossed and had a curved line rising up from
its base at the end. Mom (may she rest in peace) was born in 1915.
Interestingly, my father, approximately the same age and schooled in the
same school system as my mother, never uses this form. As a third
grader, learning to write cursively, I distinctly recall the final "t"
form appearing on a chart of letters our teacher had hanging above
the blackboard in front of the room. However, we were never taught to
use this form. This chart, as a lot of things in our school, was
probably quite old. I have noticed this form used in 18th and 19th
century manuscripts, but it apparently, went out of style by the early
1950's, at least in the eastern United States. Can anyone out there
shed some light on this subject?
Len Bliss
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC