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[[image:visigothz.jpg|center|100px]]  
[[image:visigothz.jpg|center|100px]]  
A Visigothic '''z'''.{{ref|visigothz}}
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>
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===The origin of ç ===
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>


The letter '''ç''' originated in the [[Wikipedia:Visigothic script|Visigothic script]] used in Spain in early medieval times.  Contrary to what the modern shape and name ''c-[[Wikipedia:cedilla|cedilla]]'' suggest it is not in origin a '''c''' with a [[Wikipedia:diacritic|diacritic]], but a swash form of the letter '''z'''.
[[Image:C-cedilla-origin.gif|left|200px|The origin of Çç]]


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


A form of '''z''' like the '''{{IPA|ʒ}}''' now used in [[IPA]] for the French sound of '''j''', 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) became differentiated in use, denoting the voiceless coronal affricate {{IPA|/ts/}} while form (1) or (2) denoted the corresponding voiced affricate {{IPA|/dz/}}.  Perhaps it was the use of this letter form for the same sound as '''c''' represented before the letters '''e, i''' and '''y''' that prompted its further development into a form like a '''c''' 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!


== The name "cedilla" ==
== 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.


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


== Sources ==
== 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]]).
|-
| [[Wikipedia:Alveolo-palatal_consonant|Alveopalatal consonant]]
| [[Wikipedia:Kazakh_language|Kazakh]] (2019 alphabet and [[Wikipedia:Kazinform|Kazinform]]'s romanization)
| Çç /tɕ/, Şş /ɕ/
| These phonemes are also sometimes transcribed as /tʃ, ʃ/. /tɕ/ occurs mostly in Russian loan words and not in native words. Unaccented Cc and Ss stand for /ts/ (not native) and /s/.<ref name=kazakh>[[Wikipedia:Kazakh_alphabets|Kazakh alphabets]] and [[Wikipedia:Kazakh_language#Phonology|Kazakh language, Phonology]] at Wikipedia.</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2 | Disambiguation in transliteration
| [[Wikipedia:Dari|Darī]] (BGN/PCGN 2007 romanization)
| rowspan=2 | Ḩḩ /h/, Şş /s/, Ţţ /t/, Z̧z̧ /z/
| rowspan=2 | Darī and Pashto use several Arabic characters that are pronounced the same. In the BGN/PCGN 2007 romanization Hh and Ḩḩ are both used for /h/; Ss, S̄s̄, Şş are all used for /s/; Tt and Ţţ are both used for /t/; and Zz, Z̄z̄, Ẕẕ, Z̧z̧ are all used for /z/.<ref name=afghan_transliteration>[https://geonames.nga.mil/gns/html/Romanization/Afghan_Romanization_System_Approved_from_27th_BGN_PCGN_Conference.pdf BGN/PCGN National Romanization System for Afghanistan] (PDF). See also [[Wikipedia:Dari#Phonology|Dari]] or [[Wikipedia:Pashto_phonology|Pashto phonology]] at Wikipedia.</ref> Note that Z̧z̧ are not precomposed characters.
|-
| [[Wikipedia:Pashto|Pashto]] (BGN/PCGN 2007 romanization)
|-
| 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>[[Wikipedia: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/
|
|-
| rowspan=3 | [[Wikipedia:Postalveolar_consonant|Postalveolar consonant]]
| [[Wikipedia:Albanian_language|Albanian]] (Istanbul alphabet)
| Çç /tʃ/, Z̧ z̧ /ʒ/
| Unaccented Cc and Zz stood for /ts/ and /z/ respectively. There was also an X̦x̦. It is unclear if the diacritic under it is supposed to be a cedilla. Currently this letter is presented in [[Comma_Below|Comma Below]]. The Istanbul alphabet is no longer in use.<ref name=albanian>[[Wikipedia:Albanian_alphabet#Congress_of_Manastir|Albanian alphabet, Congress of Manastir]] at Wikipedia.</ref>
|-
| [[Wikipedia:Albanian_language|Albanian]] (Manastir (current) alphabet)
| Çç /tʃ/
| Unaccented Cc stands for /ts/.
|-
| <span id="S-cedilla">[[Wikipedia:Turkish language|Turkish]]</span>
| Şş /ʃ/
|
|}


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


== External links ==
== References ==
 
<references/>
*[[Wikipedia:Cedilla|Cedilla]] at Wikipedia.
<br>
*[[Wikipedia:Visigothic script|Visigothic script]] at Wikipedia.
[[Category:Natscripts]]
*[http://www.nd.edu/~medvllib/apocalypse/beatscript.html An image showing Visigothic script] from the [http://www.library.nd.edu/medieval_library/index.shtml Library of the Medieval Institute] at University of Notre Dame.  Unfortunately without any example of '''z''' which of course was uncommon in Latin text.

Latest revision as of 06:50, 13 July 2021

Visigothz.jpg

A Visigothic z.[1]

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.[2]

The origin of Çç

A form of Zz like the 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 /t͡s/ while form (1) or (2) denoted the corresponding voiced affricate /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 ˛ or 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.

Characters with Cedilla
¸ ◌̧ Ç ç Ḉ ḉ Ḑ ḑ Ȩ ȩ Ḝ ḝ 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
ģ Ḩ ḩ Ķ ķ Ļ ļ Ņ ņ Ŗ ŗ Ş 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).
Ţ 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

Uses of Cedilla
Usage Language Letters Notes
Alphabet extension Turkish Çç /t͡ʃ/ Unaccented Cc stands for /d͡ʒ/.[3] 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 below).
Alveopalatal consonant Kazakh (2019 alphabet and Kazinform's romanization) Çç /tɕ/, Şş /ɕ/ These phonemes are also sometimes transcribed as /tʃ, ʃ/. /tɕ/ occurs mostly in Russian loan words and not in native words. Unaccented Cc and Ss stand for /ts/ (not native) and /s/.[4]
Disambiguation in transliteration Darī (BGN/PCGN 2007 romanization) Ḩḩ /h/, Şş /s/, Ţţ /t/, Z̧z̧ /z/ Darī and Pashto use several Arabic characters that are pronounced the same. In the BGN/PCGN 2007 romanization Hh and Ḩḩ are both used for /h/; Ss, S̄s̄, Şş are all used for /s/; Tt and Ţţ are both used for /t/; and Zz, Z̄z̄, Ẕẕ, Z̧z̧ are all used for /z/.[5] Note that Z̧z̧ are not precomposed characters.
Pashto (BGN/PCGN 2007 romanization)
Disambiguation of letter with several uses Catalan 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].[6]
Portuguese The cedilla shows that the letter is pronounced /s/ instead of /k/.[7]
Palatal consonant Latgalian, Latvian Ģģ /ɟ/, Ķķ /c/, Ļļ /ʎ/, Ņņ /ɲ/
Livonian Ḑḑ /ɟ/, Ļļ /ʎ/, Ņņ /ɲ/, Ţţ /c/
Palatalized consonant Livonian Ŗŗ /rʲ/
Postalveolar consonant Albanian (Istanbul alphabet) Çç /tʃ/, Z̧ z̧ /ʒ/ Unaccented Cc and Zz stood for /ts/ and /z/ respectively. There was also an X̦x̦. It is unclear if the diacritic under it is supposed to be a cedilla. Currently this letter is presented in Comma Below. The Istanbul alphabet is no longer in use.[8]
Albanian (Manastir (current) alphabet) Çç /tʃ/ Unaccented Cc stands for /ts/.
Turkish Şş /ʃ/

See Also

References

  1. ↑ The image of the Visigothic z was borrowed from Dr Dianne Tillotson's medieval writing site. She in turn got it from the British Library.
  2. ↑ Visigothic script and Cedilla at Wikipedia.
  3. ↑ Turkish, Writing system at Wikipedia.
  4. ↑ Kazakh alphabets and Kazakh language, Phonology at Wikipedia.
  5. ↑ BGN/PCGN National Romanization System for Afghanistan (PDF). See also Dari or Pashto phonology at Wikipedia.
  6. ↑ Catalan alphabet at Wikipedia.
  7. ↑ Portuguese orthography at Wikipedia.
  8. ↑ Albanian alphabet, Congress of Manastir at Wikipedia.


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