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From: rte@elmo.lz.att.com (Ralph T. Edwards)
Subject: Re: Origin of the letters AE,Y,W,J
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Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 15:18:41 GMT
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In article <smryanD9CBE8.Mxr@netcom.com>, smryan@netcom.com (Ahmed) wrote:

> Y came from
> upsilon but I don't know how or why.

This was recently discussed in another thread.  Y is used in later Latin
borrowings from Greek (Earlier borrowings used U).  It is surmised that Y
(which derives from capital Upsilon) was used to represent upsilon after
upsilon came to be pronounced as a high front round vowel in Greek (like
french u) rather than a high back round vowel.  Latin U was drived from
small upsilon.

-- 
R.T.Edwards rte@elmo.att.com 908 576-3031
