View source for Cedilla

__NOTOC__
<div style="border: 1px solid gray; padding: 5px; float: right;">
[[image:visigothz.jpg|center|100px]] 
A Visigothic z.<ref name=visigoth_z>The image of the [http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/scripts/examples/visigoth.htm Visigothic] z was borrowed from Dr  Dianne Tillotson's [http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/writing.htm medieval writing site]. She in turn got it from the [http://www.bl.uk/ British Library].</ref>
</div>

The letter Çç originated in the Visigothic script used in Spain in early medieval times. Contrary to what the modern shape and name ''c-cedilla'' suggests, it is not originally a Cc with a diacritic, but a swash form of the letter Zz.<ref name=visigothic_and_cedilla>[[Wikipedia:Visigothic script|Visigothic script]] and [[Wikipedia:Cedilla|Cedilla]] at Wikipedia.</ref>

[[Image:C-cedilla-origin.gif|left|200px|The origin of Çç]]

A form of Zz like the {{IPA|ʒ}} now used in [[IPA]] for the French sound of Jj, with a downward curved swash replacing the lower horizontal line, was widespread in medieval scripts.  In Spain this form developed a variant with also the ''upper'' horizontal line becoming a curved swash.  In time this form (no. 3 in the image to the left) became differentiated in use, denoting the voiceless coronal affricate {{IPA|/t͡s/}} while form (1) or (2) denoted the corresponding voiced affricate {{IPA|/d͡z/}}.  Perhaps it was the use of this letter form for the same sound as Cc represented before the letters Ee, Ii and Yy that prompted its further development into a form like a Cc with a tail, through increasing the size of the upper curve while decreasing the size of the lower part.

The word ''cedilla'' is originally a diminutive of ''zeda'' or ''ceda'', the Spanish name for the letter Zz, and thus was originally a name for the letter Çç, and not just for the ostensible diacritic.  Alternative forms in older Spanish were ''cerilla'' and ''ceril''.  Incidentally ''cerilla'' means "friction match" in modern Spanish!

== Cedilla in Unicode ==
Note that the cedilla may be confused with [[Ogonek|ogonek]] ˛ or [[Comma_Below|comma below]] ◌̦. In some fonts, the cedilla together with some letters may look identical to the comma. In Romanian, the letters Șș and Țț are actually supposed to have a comma below and not a cedilla, while in most other languages Şş and Ţţ are supposed to have cedillas.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Characters with Cedilla
| style="font-size:180%" | ¸ || style="font-size:180%" | ◌̧ || style="font-size:180%" | Ç || style="font-size:180%" | ç || style="font-size:180%" | Ḉ || style="font-size:180%" | ḉ || style="font-size:180%" | Ḑ || style="font-size:180%" | ḑ || style="font-size:180%" | Ȩ || style="font-size:180%" | ȩ || style="font-size:180%" | Ḝ || style="font-size:180%" | ḝ || style="font-size:180%" | Ģ
|-
| U+00B8 || U+0327 || U+00C7 || U+00E7 || U+1E08 || U+1E09 || U+1E10 || U+1E11 || U+0228 || U+0229 || U+1E1C || U+1E1D || U+0122
|-
| Cedilla || Combining Cedilla || Latin Capital Letter C With Cedilla || Latin Small Letter C With Cedilla || Latin Capital Letter C With Cedilla And Acute || Latin Small Letter C With Cedilla And Acute || Latin Capital Letter D With Cedilla || Latin Small Letter D With Cedilla || Latin Capital Letter E With Cedilla || Latin Small Letter E With Cedilla || Latin Capital Letter E With Cedilla And Breve || Latin Small Letter E With Cedilla And Breve || Latin Capital Letter G With Cedilla
|-
| style="font-size:180%" | ģ || style="font-size:180%" | Ḩ || style="font-size:180%" | ḩ || style="font-size:180%" | Ķ || style="font-size:180%" | ķ || style="font-size:180%" | Ļ || style="font-size:180%" | ļ || style="font-size:180%" | Ņ || style="font-size:180%" | ņ || style="font-size:180%" | Ŗ || style="font-size:180%" | ŗ || style="font-size:180%" | Ş || style="font-size:180%" | ş
|-
| U+0123 || U+1E28 || U+1E29 || U+0136 || U+0137 || U+013B || U+013C || U+0145 || U+0146 || U+0156 || U+0157 || U+015E || U+015F
|-
| Latin Small Letter G With Cedilla || Latin Capital Letter H With Cedilla || Latin Small Letter H With Cedilla || Latin Capital Letter K With Cedilla || Latin Small Letter K With Cedilla || Latin Capital Letter L With Cedilla || Latin Small Letter L With Cedilla || Latin Capital Letter N With Cedilla || Latin Small Letter N With Cedilla || Latin Capital Letter R With Cedilla || Latin Small Letter R With Cedilla || Latin Capital Letter S With Cedilla || Latin Small Letter S With Cedilla
|-
| '''Note:''' The diacritic is placed on top of the letter to avoid the descender of the g. || || || || || || || || || || || '''Note:''' May be confused with Latin Capital Letter S With Comma Below, Ș (U+0218). || '''Note:''' May be confused with Latin Small Letter S With Comma Below, ș (U+0219).
|-
| style="font-size:180%" | Ţ || style="font-size:180%" | ţ
|-
| U+0162 || U+0163
|-
| Latin Capital Letter T With Cedilla || Latin Small Letter T With Cedilla
|-
| '''Note:''' May be confused with Latin Capital Letter T With Comma Below, Ț (U+021A). || '''Note:''' May be confused with Latin Small Letter T With Comma Below, ț (U+021B).
|}

== Cedilla in Natlangs ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Uses of Cedilla
! Usage
! Language
! Letters
! Notes
|-
| Alphabet extension
| [[Wikipedia:Turkish language|Turkish]]
| Çç /t͡ʃ/
| Unaccented Cc stands for /d͡ʒ/.<ref name=turkish>[[Wikipedia:Turkish#Writing_system|Turkish, Writing system]] at Wikipedia.</ref> One could argue that the cedilla denotes voicing, but one could also argue that the letter Çç was chosen in analogy with Şş, another postalveolar consonant (see [[#S-cedilla|below]]).
|-
| rowspan=2 | Disambiguation of letter with several uses
| [[Wikipedia:Catalan_language|Catalan]]
| rowspan=2 | Çç /s/
| Çç is used before Aa, Oo, Uu, or word-finally, and stands for /s/. Cc without cedilla would stand for /k/ in those positions. Intervocalic Çç is pronunced [s], while intervocalic Ss is [z].<ref name=catalan_alphabet>[[Wikipedia:Catalan_alphabet#Ce_trencada_.28c-cedille.29|Catalan alphabet]] at Wikipedia.</ref>
|-
| [[Wikipedia:Portuguese_language|Portuguese]]
| The cedilla shows that the letter is pronounced /s/ instead of /k/.<ref name=portuguese>[[Portuguese_orthography#Letter_names_and_pronunciations|Portuguese orthography]] at Wikipedia.</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2 | [[Wikipedia:Palatal_consonant|Palatal consonant]]
| [[Wikipedia:Latgalian_language|Latgalian]], [[Wikipedia:Latvian_language|Latvian]]
| Ģģ /ɟ/, Ķķ /c/, Ļļ /ʎ/, Ņņ /ɲ/
|
|-
| [[Wikipedia:Livonian_language|Livonian]]
| Ḑḑ /ɟ/, Ļļ /ʎ/, Ņņ /ɲ/, Ţţ /c/
|
|-
| rowspan=1 | [[Wikipedia:Palatalization|Palatalized]] consonant
| [[Wikipedia:Livonian_language|Livonian]]
| Ŗŗ /rʲ/
|
|-
| [[Wikipedia:Postalveolar_consonant|Postalveolar consonant]]
| <span id="S-cedilla">[[Wikipedia:Turkish language|Turkish]]</span>
| Şş /ʃ/
|
|}

== See Also ==
* [[Natlang_Uses_of_Diacritics_in_the_Latin_Alphabet|Natlang Uses of Diacritics in the Latin Alphabet]]
* [[Comma_Below|Comma Below]]
* [[Ogonek|Ogonek]] 

== References ==
<references/>
<br>
[[Category:Natscripts]]