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Line 1: {{~~Unreferenced~~improverefs\|date=~~December~~January ~~2007~~2016}} '''Acrophony''' ({{~~IPA~~IPAc-en\|~~əˈkrɒfəni~~ə\|ˈ\|k\|r\|ɒ\|f\|ə\|n\|i\|}}~~, Greek: ''acro''~~; {{lang-grc\|ἄκρος\|akros\|lit=uppermost~~, head~~}} + ~~''phonos''~~{{lang\|grc\|φωνή}} {{lang\|grc-Latn\|phone}} 'sound') is the naming of [[grapheme\|letter]]s of an [[alphabet]]ic writing system so that a letter's name begins with the letter itself. For example, Greek letter names are acrophonic: the names of the letters α, β, γ, δ, are spelled with the respective letters: {{lang\|el\|άλφα}} (''{{lang\|el-Latn\|alpha''}}), {{lang\|el\|βήτα}} (''{{lang\|el-Latn\|beta''}}), {{lang\|el\|γάμμα}} (''{{lang\|el-Latn\|gamma''}}), {{lang\|el\|δέλτα}} (''{{lang\|el-Latn\|delta~~'')~~}}). The paradigm for acrophonic alphabets is the [[Proto-Sinaitic script]] and the succeeding [[Phoenician alphabet]], in which the letter A, representing the sound {{IPAblink\|ʔ}}, is thought to have derived from aan [[Egyptian hieroglyph]] representing an [[ox]], and is called "'ox"', ''{{lang\|egy\|ʾalp''\|script=Latn}}, which starts with the [[glottal stop]] sound the letter represents~~. The [[Latin alphabet]] is descended from the Phoenician, and the stylized head of an ox can still be seen if the letter A is turned upside-down: ∀~~. The second letter of the Phoenician alphabet is ''bet'' (which means "'house"' and looks a bit like a shelter) representing the sound ~~{{IPA~~[[voiced bilabial stop\|[b]}}]], and from ''ālep-bēt'' ~~we have~~came the word "alphabet" - {{snd}}another case where the beginning of a thing gives the name to the whole, which was in fact common practice in the ancient Near East.{{Citation needed\|date=October 2017}} {\| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" The [[Glagolitic]] and [[early Cyrillic alphabet]]s, although not consisting of ideograms, also have letters named acrophonically. The letters representing /a, b, v, g, d, e/ are named ''Az'', ''Buky'', ''Vedi'', ''Glagol'', ''Dobro'', ''Est''. Naming the letters in order, one recites a poem, a [[mnemonic]] which helps students and scholars learn the alphabet: ''Az buky vedi, glagol’ dobro est’'' means "I know letters, [the] word is good" in [[Old Church Slavonic]].▼ \|+ [[Semitic abjad]] letter ''[[bet (letter)\|bet]]'' ! [[Egyptian hieroglyphs\|Hieroglyph]] ! [[Proto-Sinaitic script\|Proto-Sinaitic]] ! [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician]] ! [[Paleo-Hebrew alphabet\|Paleo-Hebrew]] \|- \| align="center" \| <hiero>O1</hiero> \| align="center" \| [[File:Proto-Canaanite - bet.svg\|36px]] \| align="center" \| [[File:Phoenician beth.svg\|20px\|Bet]] \| align="center" \| [[File:Early Aramaic character - Beth.png]] \|} ▲The [[Glagolitic]] and [[early Cyrillic alphabet]]s, although not consisting of ideograms, also have letters named acrophonically. The letters representing /a, b, v, g, d, e/ are named ~~''Az''~~{{lang\|cu-Latn\|az}}, ~~''Buky''~~{{lang\|cu-Latn\|buky}}, ~~''Vedi''~~{{lang\|cu-Latn\|vedi}}, ~~''Glagol''~~{{lang\|cu-Latn\|glagol}}, ~~''Dobro''~~{{lang\|cu-Latn\|dobro}}, ~~''Est''~~{{lang\|cu-Latn\|est}}. Naming the letters in order, one recites a poem, a [[mnemonic]] which helps students and scholars learn the alphabet: ''{{lang\|cu-Latn\|Az buky vedi, glagol’ dobro est’''}} means "'I know letters, [the] word is good"' in [[Old Church Slavonic]]. In [[Irish orthography\|Irish]] and [[Ogham]], letters were formerly named after [[tree]]s, for example A was ''ailm'' ([[white fir]]), B was ''beith'' ([[birch]]) and C was ''coll'' ([[hazel]]). The [[rune]] alphabets used by the Germanic peoples were also named acrophonically; for example, the first three letters, which represented the sounds /f, u, þ/, were named ''fé, ur, þurs'' in Norse (wealth, slag/rain, giant) and ''feoh, ur, þorn'' in Old English (wealth, ox, thorn). Both sets of names probably stemmed from Proto-Germanic ''[[fehu]], [[uruz]], [[thurisaz]]''.▼ ▲In [[Irish orthography\|Irish]] and [[Ogham]], letters were formerly named after [[tree]]s, for example A was ''{{lang\|sga\|ailm''}} ('[[white fir]]'), B was ''{{lang\|sga\|beith''}} ('[[birch]]') and C was ''{{lang\|sga\|coll''}} ('[[hazel]]'). The [[rune]] alphabets used by the Germanic peoples were also named acrophonically; for example, the first three letters, which represented the sounds /f, u, þθ/, were named ''{{lang\|non\|fé}}, {{lang\|non\|ur}}, {{lang\|non\|þurs''}} in [[Old Norse\|Norse]] ('wealth', 'slag/rain', 'giant') and ''{{lang\|ang\|feoh}}, {{lang\|ang\|ur}}, {{lang\|ang\|þorn''}} in [[Old English]] ('wealth', 'ox', 'thorn'). Both sets of names probably stemmed from [[Proto-Germanic ''language\|Proto-Germanic]] {{lang\|gem-x-proto\|[[fehu]]}}, {{lang\|gem-x-proto\|[[ur (rune)\|uruz]]}}, {{lang\|gem-x-proto\|[[thurisaz]]''}}. [[Rudyard Kipling]] gives a fictional description of the process in one of his ''[[Just So Stories]]'', "How the Alphabet was Made."▼ The [[Thai alphabet]] is learned acrophonically, each letter being represented pictorially in school-books ({{lang\|th\|ก ไก่}} {{lang\|th-Latn\|ko kai}} 'chicken'; {{lang\|th\|ข ไข่}} {{lang\|th-Latn\|kho khai}} 'egg', {{lang\|th\|ค ควาย}} {{lang\|th-Latn\|kho khwai}} 'buffalo'; {{lang\|th\|ฆ ระฆัง}} {{lang\|th-Latn\|kho rakhang}} 'bell'; {{lang\|th\|ง งู}} {{lang\|th-Latn\|ngo ngu}} 'snake', etc.). Modern [[radiotelephony]] and aviation uses [[spelling alphabet]]s (the best-known of which is the [[NATO Phonetic Alphabet]], which begins with ''Alpha'', ''Bravo'', ''Charlie'', ''Delta''...) in which the letters of the English alphabet are arbitrarily assigned words and names in an acrophonic manner to avoid misunderstanding.▼ ▲[[Rudyard Kipling]] gives a fictional description of the process in one of his ''[[Just So Stories]]'', "How the Alphabet was Made.".<ref>Just So Stories, Rudyard Kipling</ref> Most notes of the [[solfege]] scale (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti) derive their names from the first [[syllable]] of the lines of ''[[Ut queant laxis]]'', a [[Latin]] hymn.▼ ▲Modern [[radiotelephony]] and aviation uses [[spelling alphabet]]s (the best-known of which is the [[NATO Phonetic Alphabet]], which begins with ''~~Alpha~~Alfa'', ''Bravo'', ''Charlie'', ''Delta''...) in which the letters of the English alphabet are arbitrarily assigned words and names in an acrophonic manner to avoid misunderstanding. ~~==External links==~~ * ''[http://www.boop.org/jan/justso/alpha.htm How the Alphabet was Made]'', Kipling's story, online at Boop.org ▲Most notes of the [[solfege]] scale{{snd}}namely ~~(do,~~ ''re'', ''mi'', ''fa'', so''sol'', ~~la, ti)~~and ''la''{{snd}}derive their names from the first [[syllable]] of the lines of ''{{lang\|la\|[[Ut queant laxis]]''}}, a [[Latin]] hymn. [[Category:Writing systems]]▼ ==See also== ~~[[de:Akrophonie]]~~ [[Alphabet effect]] ~~[[es:Acrofonía]]~~ [[History of the alphabet]] ~~[[eo:Akrofonio]]~~ *[[Logogram]] ~~[[he:אקרופוניה]]~~ ~~[[nl:Acrofonie]]~~ ==References== ~~[[ru:Акрофония]]~~ ~~[[zh:截頭表音法]]~~ {{Reflist}} ▲[[Category:~~Writing systems~~Onomastics]] [[Category:Alphabets]]