In calculus, the integral symbol ∫ is derived from the first letter of the word “summa,” Latin for “sum,” back when it would have started with a medial S. Today, few people use this old-fashioned letter, but the Old English S did survive as a piece of mathematical notation. After all, why should printers keep two different forms of the lowercase letter S around when they could just use one and the words would still be readable? And if you have to choose one symbol for S, it only makes sense to choose the one that isn’t easy to mistake for an F. Why did the old S go away? The answer lies largely in the use of the printing press. By the 1400s, a new set of S usage rules was established: The medial S would be used at the beginning of a lowercase word or in the middle of a word, while the round S would appear either at the end of a word or after a medial S within a word, as in “Congreſs” (which appears in the first line of Article I of the Constitution). But over time, the regular S, technically known as the “round S” or “short S,” started being used as a lowercase letter, too. Until around the 1100s or so, the medial S was the lowercase form of the letter, while the curvy line we use today was the uppercase form.

The history of S is a twisting, turning path. It’s derived from the Roman cursive S, and it survived as the Old English S, then onward through the history of English orthography until the 1800s. This old-fashioned letter has a long history. However, there are some exceptions and following rules should be observed for letters indicating more than one sound. OE etan etan, OE faran faran, OE oxa oksa etc. It’s actually a letter called the medial S, also known as the long S, which was a second form of the lowercase letter S. Rules of Reading in Old English In general, the sound meaning of the majority of OE letters, correspond to the sound meanings of corresponding Latin letters. See more ideas about illuminated letters, illuminated manuscript, letter art. The answer lies in the fact that that’s not an F at all. Explore Ronald taber's board 'Old english font' on Pinterest. DETAILS OF THE NECKLACE 14k solid gold gothic initial- 9.5mm approx. Its a lovely mothers day gift, birthday gift, Christmas gift or bridesmaids gift. Perfect for layering with other necklaces or wear alone. Gothic letter hanging on 14k solid gold chain. Have you ever looked at a picture of a really old document or an inscription on the wall of an old building and thought, “Why are there F’s instead of S’s? Did F stand for S back then?” But no, it’s only some of the S’s that look like F’s, not all of them: You’ll see both letters right next to each other, so it’s not like they didn’t have the letter S back then. 14k solid gold gothic, old english initial necklace.

Old english letter m