4 ms·
"&" wasn't ever in the alphabet in the same capacity as the letters that represent sounds. It was there as a keyword signifying the end of the list. Then its na
by mcdonje 3y ago
"&" wasn't ever in the alphabet in the same capacity as the letters that represent sounds. It was there as a keyword signifying the end of the list. Then its name was expanded to clarify that it was not a normal letter but a keyword. Then that expanded name was misinterpreted by people who never needed the list termination signifier to begin with.
Lesson? KISS. They should've implemented it with brackets.
- dagmx 3y agoReally they should have had a null. Create extra havoc with C strings if null had the need to be a common char
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- naikrovek 3y ago> It was there as a keyword signifying the end of the list. as opposed to simply not continuing the list, or using the word "end" somewhere? this doesn't make sense, to me. I find it difficult to believe this.
- mcdonje 3y agoI made an assumption based on how I understood the article. After reading your comment, I searched around for more info. Unfortunately, I can't find anything definitive. There are a lot of articles about when and why it was removed (alphabet song based on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star), but not much about why it was added. The common speculation seems to be that they put it in there simply because it's a symbol. I think about the alphabet as representing a class of characters that represents sounds, which biased my interpretation of the story. However, others could have thought of it as a list of symbols to know in order to read (besides punctuation).
- Brian_K_White 3y agoIt's supported by the several references to old teaching materials people have posted.
- saalweachter 3y agoWhat, you don't use & in your everyday spelling of words? &, b&, c&le, d&y, gr&, p&a, r&om, v&al, w&er...