I mean, why pick the beta, it's not even pronounced as an s.
Go for the sigma, especially the capital sigma, that would be way cooler!
2006-06-27 03:38:37 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Most typographers believe that the origin of the German esszet or scharfes s actually lies within the use of ligatures. They believe that in the times where the long s was used, when two s's ended a sentance, they clashed and typographers developed the ligature: ⌠+s=ß. It actually isn't beta, most fonts show this character with a slight line on the stem. [see picture in the link below for a better description.] The ligature fell into disuse when the long s was abandoned. See link below for loads of information.
2006-06-27 03:53:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 2⤋
It is not a Greek beta at all but an "SZ", sometimes referred to as a "sharp S". It is distinguished from the regular S in that it is aspirated, whereas the normal S is not. A hundred years ago, long before the reformed spelling, the round (normal) S was only used in the middle of a sentence, whereas the end S appeared at the end and looked like this little "f", except there was no little line through it and the bend pointed the other way. (Unfortunately I can't show you the letter - not on my keyboard ;-) ).
The reason why it looks like a Greek beta lies in the preferred font of the time. the end S combined with the Z (in order to make up aspirated sound /s/ together looked like a Greek beta.
Phew, wish I could illustrate it here, but unfortunately not possibly.
2006-06-28 04:34:13 · answer #2 · answered by hystoriker 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is it because the word for "twice" in Greek (bis) starts with beta? The ringel-S is a symbol to two S letters in a row?
2006-06-28 17:29:22 · answer #3 · answered by bubbacornflakes 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's an S-Z. It is a combination of the old German letters S and Z. Just like Homer Simpson thought the Japanese laundry mascot was him, it turned out to be a combination of a lightbulb and fish....
2006-06-27 03:47:12 · answer #4 · answered by lili4ndevil 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what I would like to know is, why did both German and English drop the thorn? (Þ)
it's still in use in some nordic languages (like Icelandic - so far as I know), but no longer in the germanic languages...
2006-06-27 21:02:10 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
mabe the letter doesn't come from the greeks
by the way they don't use it anymore anyway
the just say ss now
2006-06-27 03:43:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
thats the way the ball bounces -_-
2006-06-27 03:39:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋