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In classical Latin, the letter C is pronounced like K. Hardly any words use the latter K; even imports from Greek turned kappa into C. A handful of words, such as "kalendae," held onto their K. In...
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Moshi
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2022-09-28T06:10:19Z (over 1 year ago)
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Moshi
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2022-03-29T09:02:56Z (about 2 years ago)
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#2: Post edited
by
gmcgath
·
2022-01-26T22:58:07Z (about 2 years ago)
- In classical Latin, the letter C is pronounced like K. Hardly any words use the latter K; even imports from Greek turned kappa into C. A handful of words, such as "kalendae," held onto their K.
In general, classical Latin avoided superfluous letters. There was no distinction between I and J, or between U and V, until after the classical period. The letters J, V, and W, are medieval additions to the alphabet.- Given the rarity of its use and the redundancy of its function, one might expect K to be dropped in favor of C, yet it wasn't. What factors kept it alive in the language?
- In classical Latin, the letter C is pronounced like K. Hardly any words use the latter K; even imports from Greek turned kappa into C. A handful of words, such as "kalendae," held onto their K.
- In general, classical Latin avoided superfluous letters. There was no distinction between I and J, or between U and V, until after the classical period. The letters J, V, and W are medieval additions to the alphabet.
- Given the rarity of its use and the redundancy of its function, one might expect K to be dropped in favor of C, yet it wasn't. What factors kept it alive in the language?
#1: Initial revision
by
gmcgath
·
2022-01-26T22:57:41Z (about 2 years ago)
Why did the letter K survive in Latin, though it was rarely used?
In classical Latin, the letter C is pronounced like K. Hardly any words use the latter K; even imports from Greek turned kappa into C. A handful of words, such as "kalendae," held onto their K. In general, classical Latin avoided superfluous letters. There was no distinction between I and J, or between U and V, until after the classical period. The letters J, V, and W, are medieval additions to the alphabet. Given the rarity of its use and the redundancy of its function, one might expect K to be dropped in favor of C, yet it wasn't. What factors kept it alive in the language?