Aleph - Revision history

Nick: Redirecting to Aleph (letter)

2015-01-20T11:43:42Z

Nick at 12:44, 11 January 2014

2014-01-11T12:44:32Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 12:44, 11 January 2014
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	'''ʾĀlp''' is the first letter of many [[Semitic]] [[abjad]]s ([[alphabet]]s), including [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] '''Aleph''' [[Image:phoenician aleph.svg\|15px\|]], [[Syriac alphabet\|Syriac]] ''''Ālaph''' ܐ, [[Hebrew alphabet\|Hebrew]] '''Aleph''' א, and [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] '''Alif''' ا.		'''ʾĀlp''' is the first letter of many [[Semitic]] [[abjad]]s ([[alphabet]]s), including [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] '''Aleph''' [[Image:phoenician aleph.svg\|15px\|]], [[Syriac alphabet\|Syriac]] ''''Ālaph''' ܐ, [[Hebrew alphabet\|Hebrew]] '''Aleph''' א, and [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] '''Alif''' ا.

-	The Phoenician letter gave rise to the [[Greek language\|Greek]] [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] (Α), being re-interpreted to express not the glottal consonant but the accompanying [[vowel]], and hence the [[Latin]] [[A]] and [[Cyrillic script\|Cyrillic]] [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].

-	The ~~Unicode value for aleph is U+05D0~~ (~~1488 decimal~~).	+	The Phoenician letter gave rise to the [[Greek language\|Greek]] [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] (Α), being re-interpreted to express not the glottal consonant but the accompanying [[vowel]], and hence the [[Latin]] [[A]] and [[Cyrillic script\|Cyrillic]] [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].

-	In phonetics, aleph ~~(ˈɑːlɨf)~~ originally represented the [[glottal stop]] (ʔ), ~~usually~~ [[transliteration\|transliterated]] as ~~'''ʾ''' (~~U+02BE~~) "[[~~ʾ\|modifier letter right half ring~~]]"~~, based on the Greek ''[[spiritus lenis]]'' ʼ~~. For~~ example in the transliteration of the letter name itself, ''ʾāleph''.	+	The aleph is in Unicode at U+05D0 א hebrew letter alef (HTML: א).
		+
		+	In phonetics, aleph ˈ\|ɑː\|l\|ɛ\|f originally represented the [[glottal stop]] (ʔ), often [[transliteration\|transliterated]] as U+02BE ʾ modifier letter right half ring (HTML: ʾ), based on the Greek ''[[spiritus lenis]]'' ʼ, for example, in the transliteration of the letter name itself, ''ʾāleph''.

	==Origin==		==Origin==

Nick at 12:38, 11 January 2014

2014-01-11T12:38:35Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 12:38, 11 January 2014
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-	'''~~ʾĀlep~~''' is ~~the reconstructed name of~~ the first letter of ~~the~~ [[~~Proto-Canaanite alphabet~~]]~~, continued in descended~~ [[~~Semitic alphabets~~]] as [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] '''Aleph''' [[~~image~~:phoenician aleph.svg\|15px\|]], [[Syriac alphabet\|Syriac]] ''''Ālaph''' ܐ, [[Hebrew alphabet\|Hebrew]] '''Aleph''' א, and [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] '''~~ʾAlif~~''' ا.	+	'''ʾĀlp''' is the first letter of many [[Semitic]] [[abjad]]s ([[alphabet]]s), including [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] '''Aleph''' [[Image:phoenician aleph.svg\|15px\|]], [[Syriac alphabet\|Syriac]] ''''Ālaph''' ܐ, [[Hebrew alphabet\|Hebrew]] '''Aleph''' א, and [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] '''Alif''' ا.

	The Phoenician letter gave rise to the [[Greek language\|Greek]] [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] (Α), being re-interpreted to express not the glottal consonant but the accompanying [[vowel]], and hence the [[Latin]] [[A]] and [[Cyrillic script\|Cyrillic]] [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].		The Phoenician letter gave rise to the [[Greek language\|Greek]] [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] (Α), being re-interpreted to express not the glottal consonant but the accompanying [[vowel]], and hence the [[Latin]] [[A]] and [[Cyrillic script\|Cyrillic]] [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].

Nick at 12:34, 11 January 2014

2014-01-11T12:34:52Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 12:34, 11 January 2014
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	Alif is written in one of the following ways depending on its position in the word: ا		Alif is written in one of the following ways depending on its position in the word: ا

-	Historically, the Perso-Arabic letter was used to render either a long ~~{{IPA\|~~/aː/}}, or a [[glottal stop]] ~~{{IPA\|~~/ʔ/}}. This led to [[orthographical]] confusion, and to introduction of the additional letter ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|hamzat qatʿ}}'' <big>~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ﺀ}}</big>. [[Hamza]]h is not considered a full letter in Arabic orthography: in most cases it appears on a carrier, either a ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~wāw}}'' (<big>~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ؤ}}</big>), a dotless ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~yāʾ}}'' (<big>~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ئ}}</big>, or an alif. The choice of carrier depends on complicated orthographic rules. Alif <big>~~{{lang\|ar\|~~إ أ}}</big> is generally the carrier where the only adjacent vowel is ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~fatḥah}}''. It is the only possible carrier where hamzah is the first phoneme of a word. Where alif acts as a carrier for hamzah, hamzah is added above the alif, or, for initial alif ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~kasrah}}'', below it, indicating that the letter so modified does indeed signify a glottal stop, and not a long vowel.	+	Historically, the Perso-Arabic letter was used to render either a long /aː/, or a [[glottal stop]] /ʔ/. This led to [[orthographical]] confusion, and to introduction of the additional letter ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|hamzat qatʿ}}'' <big>ﺀ</big>. [[Hamza]]h is not considered a full letter in Arabic orthography: in most cases it appears on a carrier, either a ''wāw'' (<big>ؤ</big>), a dotless ''yāʾ'' (<big>ئ</big>, or an alif. The choice of carrier depends on complicated orthographic rules. Alif <big>إ أ</big> is generally the carrier where the only adjacent vowel is ''fatḥah''. It is the only possible carrier where hamzah is the first phoneme of a word. Where alif acts as a carrier for hamzah, hamzah is added above the alif, or, for initial alif ''kasrah'', below it, indicating that the letter so modified does indeed signify a glottal stop, and not a long vowel.

-	A second type of hamza, ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~hamzat waṣl}}'' (~~{{lang\|ar\|~~همزة وصل}}, occurs only as the initial phoneme of the [[Al-\|definite article]] and in some related cases. It differs from ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~hamzat qatʿ}}'' in that it is elided after a preceding vowel. Again, alif is always the carrier.	+	A second type of hamza, ''hamzat waṣl'' (همزة وصل, occurs only as the initial phoneme of the [[Al-\|definite article]] and in some related cases. It differs from ''hamzat qatʿ'' in that it is elided after a preceding vowel. Again, alif is always the carrier.

-	The ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~ʾalif maddah}}'' is, as it were, a double alif, expressing both a glottal stop and a long vowel: ~~{{lang\|ar\|~~آ}} (final ~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ـآ}}) ~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~ʾā~~}} {{IPA\|~~/ʔaː/}}, for example in <big>~~{{lang\|ar\|~~آخر}}</big> ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~ʾāḫir}}'' ~~{{IPA\|~~/ʔaːxir/}} "last".	+	The ''ʾalif maddah'' is, as it were, a double alif, expressing both a glottal stop and a long vowel: آ (final ـآ)ʾā /ʔaː/, for example in <big>آخر</big> ''ʾāḫir'' /ʔaːxir/ "last".

-	~~{{Arabic alphabet shapes\|~~آ}}	+	آ

-	~~{{Anchor\|alifmaqsura}}~~The ~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~ʾalif maqṣūrah}} (~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ألف مقصورة}}), or "broken alif;" commonly known in Egypt as ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~ʾalif layyinah}}'' (~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ألف لينة}}, ~~{{IPA-arz\|~~ˈʔælef læjˈjenæ~~\|}}~~ "flexible alif"). It looks like a dotless [[yāʾ~~\|{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|yāʾ}}~~]], <big>~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ى}}</big> (final <big>~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ـى}}</big>   not to be confused with [[Persian alphabet\|Persian]] ''[[Yodh#Perso-Arabic ye\|ye]]''). It may only appear at the end of a word. Although it looks different from a regular Alif, it represents the same sound (long ~~{{IPA\|~~/aː/}}). ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~ʾAlif maqsurah}}'' is transliterated as ~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~ā}} in [[DIN 31635]], ~~{{transl\|ar\|ALA\|~~á}} in [[ALA-LC Romanization\|ALA-LC]], ~~{{transl\|ar\|ISO 233-2\|~~à}} in ISO 233-2 and ỳ in [[ISO 233]]. ''ʾAlif maqṣūrah'' can be confused with a yāʾ because they are both normally written finally as <big>ى</big> in Egypt, Sudan and sometimes other places, but anyway its occurrence in Modern Standard Arabic is not very common. In the case when <big>ى</big> represents final /-aː/, it may also be called, especially in Egypt, ألف لينة ''{{transl\|ar\|ʾalif layyinah}}'' ˈʔælef læjˈjenæ and when it represents final /-iː/, it is called je. In Egypt, it is always short [-æ, -ɑ] if used in [[Egyptian Arabic]] and most commonly short in Modern Standard Arabic, as well.	+	The ʾalif maqṣūrah (ألف مقصورة), or "broken alif;" commonly known in Egypt as ''ʾalif layyinah'' (ألف لينة, ˈʔælef læjˈjenæ "flexible alif"). It looks like a dotless [[yāʾ]], <big>ى</big> (final <big>ـى</big>   not to be confused with [[Persian alphabet\|Persian]] ''[[Yodh#Perso-Arabic ye\|ye]]''). It may only appear at the end of a word. Although it looks different from a regular Alif, it represents the same sound (long /aː/). ''ʾAlif maqsurah'' is transliterated as ā in [[DIN 31635]], á in [[ALA-LC Romanization\|ALA-LC]], à in ISO 233-2 and ỳ in [[ISO 233]]. ''ʾAlif maqṣūrah'' can be confused with a yāʾ because they are both normally written finally as <big>ى</big> in Egypt, Sudan and sometimes other places, but anyway its occurrence in Modern Standard Arabic is not very common. In the case when <big>ى</big> represents final /-aː/, it may also be called, especially in Egypt, ألف لينة ''{{transl\|ar\|ʾalif layyinah}}'' ˈʔælef læjˈjenæ and when it represents final /-iː/, it is called je. In Egypt, it is always short [-æ, -ɑ] if used in [[Egyptian Arabic]] and most commonly short in Modern Standard Arabic, as well.

	==Hebrew==		==Hebrew==

-	Written as <big>~~{{lang\|he\|~~א}}</big>, spelled as <big>אָלֶף</big> and transcribed as Aleph.	+	Written as <big>א</big>, spelled as <big>אָלֶף</big> and transcribed as Aleph.

	In [[Hebrew language\|Modern Israeli Hebrew]], the letter represents either a [[glottal stop]], or has no pronunciation besides that of the [[vowel]] attached to it. The pronunciation varies among [[Jewish ethnic divisions\|Jewish ethnic groups]].		In [[Hebrew language\|Modern Israeli Hebrew]], the letter represents either a [[glottal stop]], or has no pronunciation besides that of the [[vowel]] attached to it. The pronunciation varies among [[Jewish ethnic divisions\|Jewish ethnic groups]].
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	'Aleph is also the first letter of the [[Hebrew]] word ''emet'', which means ''truth''. In [[Jewish mythology]] it was the letter aleph that was carved into the head of the [[golem]] which ultimately gave it life.		'Aleph is also the first letter of the [[Hebrew]] word ''emet'', which means ''truth''. In [[Jewish mythology]] it was the letter aleph that was carved into the head of the [[golem]] which ultimately gave it life.

-	Aleph also begins the three words that make up God's mystical name in [[Book of Exodus\|Exodus]], [[I am who I Am\|I Am who I Am]] (in [[Hebrew]], 'Ehyeh 'Asher 'Ehyeh אהיה אשר אהיה}}), and 'aleph is an important part of mystical [[amulet]]s and formulas.	+	Aleph also begins the three words that make up God's mystical name in [[Book of Exodus\|Exodus]], [[I am who I Am\|I Am who I Am]] (in [[Hebrew]], 'Ehyeh 'Asher 'Ehyeh אהיה אשר אהיה), and 'aleph is an important part of mystical [[amulet]]s and formulas.

	Aleph in Jewish mysticism represents the oneness of God. The letter can been seen as being composed of an upper yud, a lower yud, and a vav leaning on a diagonal. The upper yud represents the hidden and ineffible aspects of God while the lower yud represents God's revelation and presence in the world. The vav ("hook") connects the two realms.		Aleph in Jewish mysticism represents the oneness of God. The letter can been seen as being composed of an upper yud, a lower yud, and a vav leaning on a diagonal. The upper yud represents the hidden and ineffible aspects of God while the lower yud represents God's revelation and presence in the world. The vav ("hook") connects the two realms.
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	==References==		==References==
-	~~{{Reflist}}~~
-	~~{{Arabic language}}~~
-	~~{{Hebrew language}}~~

	[[Category:Phoenician alphabet]]		[[Category:Phoenician alphabet]]

Nick at 12:26, 11 January 2014

2014-01-11T12:26:20Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 12:26, 11 January 2014
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-	{{Phoenician glyph\|letname=Alef\|previouslink=Aleph\|previousletter=      \|nextlink=Bet (letter)\|nextletter=Bet\|arrowleft= \|archar=ا\|sychar=ܐ\|hechar=א\|amchar=aleph\|gechar=አ\|phchar=aleph\|grchar=Α\|lachar=A\|cychar=А\|ipa=ʔ\|num=1\|gem=1}}	+	'''ʾĀlep''' is the reconstructed name of the first letter of the [[Proto-Canaanite alphabet]], continued in descended [[Semitic alphabets]] as [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] '''Aleph''' [[image:phoenician aleph.svg\|15px\|]], [[Syriac alphabet\|Syriac]] ''''Ālaph''' ܐ, [[Hebrew alphabet\|Hebrew]] '''Aleph''' א, and [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] '''ʾAlif''' ا.
-		+
-	'''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~ʾĀlep}}''' is the reconstructed name of the first letter of the [[Proto-Canaanite alphabet]], continued in descended [[Semitic alphabets]] as [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] '''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~Aleph}}''' [[~~File~~:phoenician aleph.svg\|15px\|]], [[Syriac alphabet\|Syriac]] '''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~'Ālaph}}''' ~~{{lang\|syr\|~~ܐ}}, [[Hebrew alphabet\|Hebrew]] '''Aleph''' ~~{{lang\|he\|~~א}}, and [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] '''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~ʾAlif}}''' ~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ا}}.	+

	The Phoenician letter gave rise to the [[Greek language\|Greek]] [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] (Α), being re-interpreted to express not the glottal consonant but the accompanying [[vowel]], and hence the [[Latin]] [[A]] and [[Cyrillic script\|Cyrillic]] [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].		The Phoenician letter gave rise to the [[Greek language\|Greek]] [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] (Α), being re-interpreted to express not the glottal consonant but the accompanying [[vowel]], and hence the [[Latin]] [[A]] and [[Cyrillic script\|Cyrillic]] [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].
-	~~{{Semitic alphabet}}~~

	The Unicode value for aleph is U+05D0 (1488 decimal).		The Unicode value for aleph is U+05D0 (1488 decimal).

-	In phonetics, aleph (~~{{IPA-en\|~~ˈɑːlɨf}}) originally represented the [[glottal stop]] (~~{{IPAblink\|~~ʔ}}), usually [[transliteration\|transliterated]] as '''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~ʾ}}''' (U+02BE) "[[ʾ\|modifier letter right half ring]]", based on the Greek ''[[spiritus lenis]]'' ~~{{polytonic\|~~ʼ}}. For example in the transliteration of the letter name itself, ''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~ʾāleph}}''.	+	In phonetics, aleph (ˈɑːlɨf) originally represented the [[glottal stop]] (ʔ), usually [[transliteration\|transliterated]] as '''ʾ''' (U+02BE) "[[ʾ\|modifier letter right half ring]]", based on the Greek ''[[spiritus lenis]]'' ʼ. For example in the transliteration of the letter name itself, ''ʾāleph''.

	==Origin==		==Origin==
	The name ''aleph'' is derived from the West Semitic word for "[[ox]]", and the shape of the letter derives from a [[Proto-Sinaitic]] glyph based on a [[Egyptian hieroglyphs\|hieroglyph]] depicting an ox's head, <div style="display:inline;"> <hiero> F1 </hiero> </div>.		The name ''aleph'' is derived from the West Semitic word for "[[ox]]", and the shape of the letter derives from a [[Proto-Sinaitic]] glyph based on a [[Egyptian hieroglyphs\|hieroglyph]] depicting an ox's head, <div style="display:inline;"> <hiero> F1 </hiero> </div>.

-	In Modern Standard Arabic, there is a word ~~{{lang\|ar\|~~أليف~~}} {{IPA\|~~/ʔaliːf/}} which literally means "tamed" or "coy", derived from the root ~~{{IPA\|{{~~!}}ʔ-l-f{{!~~}}}}~~ from which the past tense verb آلَفَ ~~{{IPA\|~~/ʔaːlafa/}} means to "to coy". This has sometimes been connected with the name of ''alif'' in [[folk etymology]].~~{{citation needed\|date=October 2011}}~~	+	In Modern Standard Arabic, there is a word أليف /ʔaliːf/ which literally means "tamed" or "coy", derived from the root !ʔ-l-f! from which the past tense verb آلَفَ /ʔaːlafa/ means to "to coy". This has sometimes been connected with the name of ''alif'' in [[folk etymology]].
-	In modern Hebrew, the same root t ~~{{IPA\|{{~~!}}ʔ-l-f{{!~~}}}}~~ (alef-lamed-pe) gives "me'ulaf", the passive participle of the verb "le'alef", and means trained (when referring to pets) or tamed (when referring to wild animals); the [[Israel Defense Forces\|IDF]] rank of [[Aluf]], taken from an [[Edom]]ite title of nobility, is also cognate.~~{{clarify\|date=October 2011}}~~	+	In modern Hebrew, the same root t !ʔ-l-f! (alef-lamed-pe) gives "me'ulaf", the passive participle of the verb "le'alef", and means trained (when referring to pets) or tamed (when referring to wild animals); the [[Israel Defense Forces\|IDF]] rank of [[Aluf]], taken from an [[Edom]]ite title of nobility, is also cognate.

	==Arabic==		==Arabic==

-	Written as <big>~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ا}}</big>, spelled as <big>~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ألف}}</big> and transcribed as ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~ʾalif}}'' is the first letter in [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] and [[Perso-Arabic alphabet]].	+	Written as <big>ا</big>, spelled as <big>ألف</big> and transcribed as ''ʾalif'' is the first letter in [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] and [[Perso-Arabic alphabet]].

-	Together with Hebrew Aleph, Greek [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] and Latin [[A]], it is descended from [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] ~~{{transl\|sem\|~~ʾāleph}}, from a reconstructed Proto-Canaanite ''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~ʾalp}}'' "ox".	+	Together with Hebrew Aleph, Greek [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] and Latin [[A]], it is descended from [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] ʾāleph, from a reconstructed Proto-Canaanite ''ʾalp'' "ox".

-	Alif is written in one of the following ways depending on its position in the word:	+	Alif is written in one of the following ways depending on its position in the word: ا
-	~~{{Arabic alphabet shapes\|~~ا}}	+

	Historically, the Perso-Arabic letter was used to render either a long {{IPA\|/aː/}}, or a [[glottal stop]] {{IPA\|/ʔ/}}. This led to [[orthographical]] confusion, and to introduction of the additional letter ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|hamzat qatʿ}}'' <big>{{lang\|ar\|ﺀ}}</big>. [[Hamza]]h is not considered a full letter in Arabic orthography: in most cases it appears on a carrier, either a ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|wāw}}'' (<big>{{lang\|ar\|ؤ}}</big>), a dotless ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|yāʾ}}'' (<big>{{lang\|ar\|ئ}}</big>, or an alif. The choice of carrier depends on complicated orthographic rules. Alif <big>{{lang\|ar\|إ أ}}</big> is generally the carrier where the only adjacent vowel is ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|fatḥah}}''. It is the only possible carrier where hamzah is the first phoneme of a word. Where alif acts as a carrier for hamzah, hamzah is added above the alif, or, for initial alif ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|kasrah}}'', below it, indicating that the letter so modified does indeed signify a glottal stop, and not a long vowel.		Historically, the Perso-Arabic letter was used to render either a long {{IPA\|/aː/}}, or a [[glottal stop]] {{IPA\|/ʔ/}}. This led to [[orthographical]] confusion, and to introduction of the additional letter ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|hamzat qatʿ}}'' <big>{{lang\|ar\|ﺀ}}</big>. [[Hamza]]h is not considered a full letter in Arabic orthography: in most cases it appears on a carrier, either a ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|wāw}}'' (<big>{{lang\|ar\|ؤ}}</big>), a dotless ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|yāʾ}}'' (<big>{{lang\|ar\|ئ}}</big>, or an alif. The choice of carrier depends on complicated orthographic rules. Alif <big>{{lang\|ar\|إ أ}}</big> is generally the carrier where the only adjacent vowel is ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|fatḥah}}''. It is the only possible carrier where hamzah is the first phoneme of a word. Where alif acts as a carrier for hamzah, hamzah is added above the alif, or, for initial alif ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|kasrah}}'', below it, indicating that the letter so modified does indeed signify a glottal stop, and not a long vowel.

Nick at 05:43, 14 January 2012

2012-01-14T05:43:24Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 05:43, 14 January 2012
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-	~~{{other uses}}~~
	{{Phoenician glyph\|letname=Alef\|previouslink=Aleph\|previousletter=      \|nextlink=Bet (letter)\|nextletter=Bet\|arrowleft= \|archar=ا\|sychar=ܐ\|hechar=א\|amchar=aleph\|gechar=አ\|phchar=aleph\|grchar=Α\|lachar=A\|cychar=А\|ipa=ʔ\|num=1\|gem=1}}		{{Phoenician glyph\|letname=Alef\|previouslink=Aleph\|previousletter=      \|nextlink=Bet (letter)\|nextletter=Bet\|arrowleft= \|archar=ا\|sychar=ܐ\|hechar=א\|amchar=aleph\|gechar=አ\|phchar=aleph\|grchar=Α\|lachar=A\|cychar=А\|ipa=ʔ\|num=1\|gem=1}}

Nick at 05:43, 14 January 2012

2012-01-14T05:43:07Z

Show changes

Nick at 19:49, 22 February 2011

2011-02-22T19:49:18Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 19:49, 22 February 2011
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	==See Also==		==See Also==

-	* Aleph is also the shorthand designation for [[Codex Sinaiticus]], a 4th-century manuscript of the Bible	+	* ''Aleph'' is also the shorthand designation for [[Codex Sinaiticus]], a 4th-century manuscript of the Bible

Nick at 19:49, 22 February 2011

2011-02-22T19:49:06Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 19:49, 22 February 2011
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	[[Image:Aleph.jpg\|300px\|thumb\|right\|[[Aleph]] in Hebrew]]		[[Image:Aleph.jpg\|300px\|thumb\|right\|[[Aleph]] in Hebrew]]
		+
		+	==See Also==
		+
		+	* Aleph is also the shorthand designation for [[Codex Sinaiticus]], a 4th-century manuscript of the Bible

Nick: Protected "Aleph" [edit=autoconfirmed:move=autoconfirmed]

2009-09-05T14:17:13Z

Protected "Aleph" [edit=autoconfirmed:move=autoconfirmed]

←Older revision

Revision as of 14:17, 5 September 2009

←Older revision		Revision as of 12:26, 11 January 2014
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-	{{Phoenician glyph\|letname=Alef\|previouslink=Aleph\|previousletter=      \|nextlink=Bet (letter)\|nextletter=Bet\|arrowleft= \|archar=ا\|sychar=ܐ\|hechar=א\|amchar=aleph\|gechar=አ\|phchar=aleph\|grchar=Α\|lachar=A\|cychar=А\|ipa=ʔ\|num=1\|gem=1}}	+	'''ʾĀlep''' is the reconstructed name of the first letter of the [[Proto-Canaanite alphabet]], continued in descended [[Semitic alphabets]] as [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] '''Aleph''' [[image:phoenician aleph.svg\|15px\|]], [[Syriac alphabet\|Syriac]] ''''Ālaph''' ܐ, [[Hebrew alphabet\|Hebrew]] '''Aleph''' א, and [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] '''ʾAlif''' ا.
-		+
-	'''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~ʾĀlep}}''' is the reconstructed name of the first letter of the [[Proto-Canaanite alphabet]], continued in descended [[Semitic alphabets]] as [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] '''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~Aleph}}''' [[~~File~~:phoenician aleph.svg\|15px\|]], [[Syriac alphabet\|Syriac]] '''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~'Ālaph}}''' ~~{{lang\|syr\|~~ܐ}}, [[Hebrew alphabet\|Hebrew]] '''Aleph''' ~~{{lang\|he\|~~א}}, and [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] '''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~ʾAlif}}''' ~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ا}}.	+

	The Phoenician letter gave rise to the [[Greek language\|Greek]] [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] (Α), being re-interpreted to express not the glottal consonant but the accompanying [[vowel]], and hence the [[Latin]] [[A]] and [[Cyrillic script\|Cyrillic]] [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].		The Phoenician letter gave rise to the [[Greek language\|Greek]] [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] (Α), being re-interpreted to express not the glottal consonant but the accompanying [[vowel]], and hence the [[Latin]] [[A]] and [[Cyrillic script\|Cyrillic]] [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].
-	~~{{Semitic alphabet}}~~

	The Unicode value for aleph is U+05D0 (1488 decimal).		The Unicode value for aleph is U+05D0 (1488 decimal).

-	In phonetics, aleph (~~{{IPA-en\|~~ˈɑːlɨf}}) originally represented the [[glottal stop]] (~~{{IPAblink\|~~ʔ}}), usually [[transliteration\|transliterated]] as '''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~ʾ}}''' (U+02BE) "[[ʾ\|modifier letter right half ring]]", based on the Greek ''[[spiritus lenis]]'' ~~{{polytonic\|~~ʼ}}. For example in the transliteration of the letter name itself, ''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~ʾāleph}}''.	+	In phonetics, aleph (ˈɑːlɨf) originally represented the [[glottal stop]] (ʔ), usually [[transliteration\|transliterated]] as '''ʾ''' (U+02BE) "[[ʾ\|modifier letter right half ring]]", based on the Greek ''[[spiritus lenis]]'' ʼ. For example in the transliteration of the letter name itself, ''ʾāleph''.

	==Origin==		==Origin==
	The name ''aleph'' is derived from the West Semitic word for "[[ox]]", and the shape of the letter derives from a [[Proto-Sinaitic]] glyph based on a [[Egyptian hieroglyphs\|hieroglyph]] depicting an ox's head, <div style="display:inline;"> <hiero> F1 </hiero> </div>.		The name ''aleph'' is derived from the West Semitic word for "[[ox]]", and the shape of the letter derives from a [[Proto-Sinaitic]] glyph based on a [[Egyptian hieroglyphs\|hieroglyph]] depicting an ox's head, <div style="display:inline;"> <hiero> F1 </hiero> </div>.

-	In Modern Standard Arabic, there is a word ~~{{lang\|ar\|~~أليف~~}} {{IPA\|~~/ʔaliːf/}} which literally means "tamed" or "coy", derived from the root ~~{{IPA\|{{~~!}}ʔ-l-f{{!~~}}}}~~ from which the past tense verb آلَفَ ~~{{IPA\|~~/ʔaːlafa/}} means to "to coy". This has sometimes been connected with the name of ''alif'' in [[folk etymology]].~~{{citation needed\|date=October 2011}}~~	+	In Modern Standard Arabic, there is a word أليف /ʔaliːf/ which literally means "tamed" or "coy", derived from the root !ʔ-l-f! from which the past tense verb آلَفَ /ʔaːlafa/ means to "to coy". This has sometimes been connected with the name of ''alif'' in [[folk etymology]].
-	In modern Hebrew, the same root t ~~{{IPA\|{{~~!}}ʔ-l-f{{!~~}}}}~~ (alef-lamed-pe) gives "me'ulaf", the passive participle of the verb "le'alef", and means trained (when referring to pets) or tamed (when referring to wild animals); the [[Israel Defense Forces\|IDF]] rank of [[Aluf]], taken from an [[Edom]]ite title of nobility, is also cognate.~~{{clarify\|date=October 2011}}~~	+	In modern Hebrew, the same root t !ʔ-l-f! (alef-lamed-pe) gives "me'ulaf", the passive participle of the verb "le'alef", and means trained (when referring to pets) or tamed (when referring to wild animals); the [[Israel Defense Forces\|IDF]] rank of [[Aluf]], taken from an [[Edom]]ite title of nobility, is also cognate.

	==Arabic==		==Arabic==

-	Written as <big>~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ا}}</big>, spelled as <big>~~{{lang\|ar\|~~ألف}}</big> and transcribed as ''~~{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|~~ʾalif}}'' is the first letter in [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] and [[Perso-Arabic alphabet]].	+	Written as <big>ا</big>, spelled as <big>ألف</big> and transcribed as ''ʾalif'' is the first letter in [[Arabic alphabet\|Arabic]] and [[Perso-Arabic alphabet]].

-	Together with Hebrew Aleph, Greek [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] and Latin [[A]], it is descended from [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] ~~{{transl\|sem\|~~ʾāleph}}, from a reconstructed Proto-Canaanite ''~~{{transl\|sem\|~~ʾalp}}'' "ox".	+	Together with Hebrew Aleph, Greek [[Alpha (letter)\|Alpha]] and Latin [[A]], it is descended from [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] ʾāleph, from a reconstructed Proto-Canaanite ''ʾalp'' "ox".

-	Alif is written in one of the following ways depending on its position in the word:	+	Alif is written in one of the following ways depending on its position in the word: ا
-	~~{{Arabic alphabet shapes\|~~ا}}	+

	Historically, the Perso-Arabic letter was used to render either a long {{IPA\|/aː/}}, or a [[glottal stop]] {{IPA\|/ʔ/}}. This led to [[orthographical]] confusion, and to introduction of the additional letter ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|hamzat qatʿ}}'' <big>{{lang\|ar\|ﺀ}}</big>. [[Hamza]]h is not considered a full letter in Arabic orthography: in most cases it appears on a carrier, either a ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|wāw}}'' (<big>{{lang\|ar\|ؤ}}</big>), a dotless ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|yāʾ}}'' (<big>{{lang\|ar\|ئ}}</big>, or an alif. The choice of carrier depends on complicated orthographic rules. Alif <big>{{lang\|ar\|إ أ}}</big> is generally the carrier where the only adjacent vowel is ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|fatḥah}}''. It is the only possible carrier where hamzah is the first phoneme of a word. Where alif acts as a carrier for hamzah, hamzah is added above the alif, or, for initial alif ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|kasrah}}'', below it, indicating that the letter so modified does indeed signify a glottal stop, and not a long vowel.		Historically, the Perso-Arabic letter was used to render either a long {{IPA\|/aː/}}, or a [[glottal stop]] {{IPA\|/ʔ/}}. This led to [[orthographical]] confusion, and to introduction of the additional letter ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|hamzat qatʿ}}'' <big>{{lang\|ar\|ﺀ}}</big>. [[Hamza]]h is not considered a full letter in Arabic orthography: in most cases it appears on a carrier, either a ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|wāw}}'' (<big>{{lang\|ar\|ؤ}}</big>), a dotless ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|yāʾ}}'' (<big>{{lang\|ar\|ئ}}</big>, or an alif. The choice of carrier depends on complicated orthographic rules. Alif <big>{{lang\|ar\|إ أ}}</big> is generally the carrier where the only adjacent vowel is ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|fatḥah}}''. It is the only possible carrier where hamzah is the first phoneme of a word. Where alif acts as a carrier for hamzah, hamzah is added above the alif, or, for initial alif ''{{transl\|ar\|DIN\|kasrah}}'', below it, indicating that the letter so modified does indeed signify a glottal stop, and not a long vowel.