Should Ћ be used for "the"?

Paul Mathis, an Australian entrepreneur, proposes that the symbol Ћ become a logogram for the word ‘the’, in similar fashion to use of the ampersands as “and”, and commonplace use of @ to mean “at”. [The Age] READ THE REST

If it’s not on the keyboard, it won’t fly.

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Type “TH” – you save one character :confused:

OTOH, get it added to unicode…

Ooh, I, for one, am just thrilled to have the opportunity to add a trademarked character to my already trademark-pocked language!

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Why not just use Þ (thorn) or Ð (eth)?

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I also would suggest using þ for all occurrences of th instead. More efficient and historically correct.

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This was my first thought also when I read the article. The thorn is historically part of the English language and it is already in Unicode. I seem to recall that the reason English speaking folks stopped using the thorn was that it wasn’t in sets of type imported from continental Europe.

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Aren’t entrepreneurs usually people with good ideas, historically?

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I like the idea of þ, but its shape makes me think of blowing raspberries. The hybrid t/h pleases me, so I wish the guy luck.

þ is option-t on the Mac U.S. Extended keyboard. But to my eye it looks too much like a p or b…

It was starting to get unfashionable before, I think, but otherwise, yes. Every nation should have one strange letter - you can pry ß from my dead, cold hands!

However, I don’t think this will fly. As far as I can tell, most English speaking folks seem to think that “thou” is a fancy form of „you“, confuse ſ with f and mispronounce “ye”. So… not looking good for reintroducing a dead letter.

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Along with the sarcasm mark?

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I’ve been using something very similar to that (which, in high school I thought I was clever enough to create myself) for over a decade now. I’m all for it.

Looks too much like the symbol for the reduced Planck constant (ħ) for my liking. When I saw the headline I read it as “should h-bar be used for ‘the’?” and got confused XD.

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But “Pinky & Ћ Brain” just doesn’t flow as well, IMHO.

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Actually, it makes a nice sarcasm tag… : þ

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In fact Old English used a crossed thorn as an abbreviation for þæt “that”. http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/resources/IOE/mss.html#mss_abbrev

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Reminds me of Bill the Cat, :þ “Thpthth!”

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Nice Ћry, but wheЋr it will work or not, we’ll have to wait & Ћe)

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Also, Middle English already had a thorn + e character sometimes described as as an “abbreviation for ‘the’”: image

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