Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!rutgers!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!tektronix!teklds!zeus!tekla!dant
From: dant@tekla.TEK.COM (Dan Tilque;1893;92-789;LP=A;60HC)
Newsgroups: comp.std.internat,sci.lang
Subject: English digraphs, diacritiacl marks
Message-ID: <2237@zeus.TEK.COM>
Date: Wed, 19-Aug-87 00:35:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: zeus.2237
Posted: Wed Aug 19 00:35:57 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Aug-87 07:21:51 EDT
References: <8708171253.AA21033@ephemeral.ai.toronto.edu>
Sender: news@zeus.TEK.COM
Reply-To: dant@tekla.UUCP (Dan Tilque)
Organization: First National Security Trust Bar and Grill
Lines: 22
Xref: mnetor comp.std.internat:124 sci.lang:1170

Jean-Francois Lamy writes:
>
>Just by curiosity, a quick scan of my brain seems to indicate that English
>would be the only European language not to use diacritical marks, digraphs,
>or extra letters. (? - I mean something like the dutch "ij").

English contains many digraphs, it's just that none of them are pronounced
the same in all words.  (Example: ng in singer and finger.)  BTW, I thought
that the Dutch "ij" would be classified as a dipthong, but then I don't
know Dutch so maybe I'm wrong.

As for diacritical marks, a diaeresis (umlaut) used to be used when the
the prefix on a word ended in the same vowel that the root started with.
Examples: preempt and cooperation.  The diaeresis was placed over the
second vowel.  The use of diaeresis never was universal and was largely
discontinued well before computers although some dictionaries still include
the form.  Some older works will also have them (my copy of Sherlock Holmes
has them).

---
Dan Tilque
dant@tekla.tek.com  or dant@tekla.UUCP