View source for Æ

{{Short description|Ligature of the Latin letters A and E}}
{{About|the Latin-script ligature|the Cyrillic letter|Ӕ (Cyrillic)|the sound|Near-open front unrounded vowel||AE (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Ash (character)|Ash (name)}}
{{Redirect-distinguish-text|Æsh|[[Aesh]] (redirects to a different target)}}
{{Infobox grapheme
|name=Æ
|letter=Æ æ
|image=File:Latin ligature AE.svg
|imageclass=skin-invert-image
|imagesize=140px
|imagealt=Æ in Times New Roman
|script=[[Latin script]]
|type=[[Typographic ligature]]
|language=[[Latin language]]
|phonemes=[{{IPAlink|æ}}, {{IPAlink|a}}, {{IPAlink|ɐ}}, {{IPAlink|i}}, {{IPAlink|ɛ}}, {{IPAlink|e}}]
|unicode=U+00C6, U+00E6
|fam1=[[A]][[E]] [[a]][[e]]
|direction=Left-to-right
|sisters=[[Ӕ (Cyrillic)|Ӕ]]}}
[[File:Latin alphabet Ææ.svg|class=skin-invert-image|thumb|Æ in [[Helvetica]] and [[Bodoni]]]]
[[File:Archæology.svg|class=skin-invert-image|thumb|Æ alone and in context]]

'''Æ''' ([[lowercase]]: '''æ''') is a character formed from the letters ''[[a]]'' and ''[[e]]'', originally a [[orthographic ligature|ligature]] representing the [[Latin]] [[diphthong]] ''ae''. It has been promoted to the status of a [[letter (alphabet)|letter]] in some languages, including [[Danish alphabet|Danish]], [[Norwegian alphabet|Norwegian]], [[Icelandic orthography|Icelandic]], and [[Faroese language|Faroese]]. It was also used in both [[Old Swedish]], before being replaced by [[ä]], and [[Old English]], where it was eventually dropped entirely in favour of [[a]]. The modern [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] uses it to represent the [[near-open front unrounded vowel]] (the sound represented by the 'a' in English words such as ''cat''). [[Diacritic]] variants include Ǣ/ǣ, Ǽ/ǽ, Æ̀/æ̀, Æ̂/æ̂ and Æ̃/æ̃.{{efn|More information may be found at their entries on [[Wiktionary]] ([[File:Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg|4x4px|class=noviewer skin-invert-image|link=]] [[wikt:ǣ|ǣ]], [[File:Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg|16x16px|class=noviewer skin-invert-image|link=]] [[wikt:ᴂ|ᴂ]], etc.), and on the appendix page there entitled [[File:Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg|16x16px|class=noviewer skin-invert-image|link=]] [[wikt:Appendix:Variations of "ae"|Variations of ''ae'']].}}

As a letter of the [[Old English Latin alphabet]], it was called {{Lang|ang|æsc}}, "[[ash tree]]",<ref>{{cite book |chapter=æsc |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H99ZAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA11 |page=11 |title=A Handy Anglo-Saxon Dictionary: Based on Groschopp's Grein |editor1-last=Harrison |editor1-first=James A. |editor2-last=Baskervill |editor2-first=W. M. |year=1885 |publisher=A. S. Barnes}}</ref> after the [[Anglo-Saxon runes|Anglo-Saxon futhorc]] rune [[Ansuz (rune)|ᚫ]] which it [[transliteration|transliterated]]; its traditional name in English is still '''ash''', or '''æsh''' ({{langx|ang|æsċ}}) if the ligature is included.

[[File:Air Melanesiae De Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover Mk3 BWU Wheatley-2.jpg|thumb|Vanuatu's domestic airline operated under the name [[Air Melanesiæ]] in the 1970s.]]
[[File:Katholische-hofkirche AE.jpg|thumb|Æ on the [[Katholische Hofkirche]] in [[Dresden]] (at the beginning of "ÆDEM")]]

==Languages==
===English===

[[File:Aelggyva Edwige.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The name ''Ælfgyva'', on the [[Bayeux Tapestry#Unsettled questions|Bayeux Tapestry]]]]

In [[English language|English]], use of the ligature varies between different places and contexts, but it is fairly rare. In modern typography, if technological limitations make the use of ''æ'' difficult (such as in use of [[typewriter]]s, telegraphs, or [[ASCII]]), the [[digraph (orthography)|digraph]] ''[[ae (digraph)|ae]]'' is often used instead.

In [[Old English]], ''æ'' represented a sound between ''a'' and ''e'' ({{IPAslink|æ}}), very much like the short ''a'' of ''cat'' in many dialects of Modern English. If long vowels are distinguished from short vowels, the long version {{IPA|/æː/}} is marked with a [[macron (diacritic)|macron]] (''ǣ'') or, less commonly, an [[acute accent|acute]] (''ǽ'').

In the United States, the issue of the ligature is sidestepped in many cases by use of a [[American and British English spelling differences|simplified spelling]] with "e", as happened with [[œ]] as well; thus ''medieval'' is more commonly used than ''mediaeval'' in American English.<ref>[http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/archaeology Merriam-Webster Advanced Learner's Dictionary]. Accessed June 2nd, 2024.</ref> Usage of the ''ae'' diphthong, however, may vary. For example ''medieval'' is now more common than ''mediaeval'' (and the now old-fashioned ''mediæval''), even in the United Kingdom.<ref>The spelling ''medieval'' is given priority in both [http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/medieval Oxford] and [http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/mediaeval Cambridge] Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Accessed June 2nd, 2024.</ref>

===French===

In the modern [[French alphabet]], ''æ'' (called {{Lang|fr|e-dans-l'a}}, 'e in the a') is used to spell Latin and Greek borrowings like ''[[curriculum vitæ]]'', ''[[et cætera]]'', ''[[wikt:ex æquo|ex æquo]]'', ''[[taenia (flatworm)|tænia]]'', and the first name [[Laetitia (given name)|Lætitia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=La ligature æ |url=http://monsu.desiderio.free.fr/curiosites/ligat-ae.html |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=monsu.desiderio.free.fr}}</ref> It is mentioned in the name of [[Serge Gainsbourg]]'s song ''Elaeudanla Téïtéïa'', a reading of the [[French language|French]] spelling of the name Lætitia: "L, A, E dans l'A, T, I, T, I, A."<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.ina.fr/ina-eclaire-actu/video/i04233221/serge-gainsbourg-elaeudanla-teiteia |title=Serge Gainsbourg "Elaeudanla teïtéïa" {{!}} INA |language=fr |access-date=2024-08-16 |via=www.ina.fr}}</ref>

===Latin===

In [[Classical Latin]], the combination ''AE'' denotes the [[diphthong]] {{IPA|la|aj|}}, which had a value similar to the long ''i'' in ''f'''i'''ne'' as pronounced in most dialects of Modern English.<ref>James Morwood (1999). ''Latin Grammar'', Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-860199-9}}, p. 3</ref> Both classical and present practice is to write the letters separately, but the ligature was used in medieval and early modern writings, in part because ''æ'' was reduced to the simple vowel {{IPA|la|ɛ|}} during the [[Roman Empire]]. In some medieval scripts, the ligature was simplified to ''ę'', an ''e'' with [[ogonek]], called the ''[[e caudata]]'' ([[Latin language|Latin]] for "tailed e"). That was further simplified into a plain ''e'', which may have influenced or been influenced by the pronunciation change. However the ligature is still relatively common in [[liturgical book]]s and musical scores.

===Other Germanic languages===

'''Old Norse'''

In [[Old Norse]], ''æ'' represents the long vowel {{IPAslink|ɛː}}. The short version of the same vowel, {{IPA|/ɛ/}}, if it is distinguished from {{IPA|/e/}}, is written as ''ę''.

'''Icelandic'''

In [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]], ''æ'' represents the [[diphthong]] {{IPA|is|ai|}}, which can be long or short.

'''Faroese'''

In most varieties of [[Faroese alphabet|Faroese]], ''æ'' is pronounced as follows:
*{{IPA|fo|ɛa|}} when simultaneously stressed and occurring either word-finally, before a vowel letter, before a single consonant letter, or before the consonant-letter groups ''kl'', ''kr'', ''pl'', ''pr'', ''tr'', ''kj'', ''tj'', ''sj'', and those consisting of ''ð'' and one other consonant letter, except for ''ðr'' when pronounced like ''gr'' (except as below)
*a rather open {{IPA|fo|eː|}} when directly followed by the sound {{IPA|fo|a|}}, as in {{Lang|fo|ræðast}} (silent ''ð'') and {{Lang|fo|frægari}} (silent ''g'')
*{{IPA|fo|a|}} in all other cases

One of its etymological origins is [[Old Norse]] é (the other is Old Norse æ), which is particularly evident in the dialects of [[Suðuroy]], where Æ is {{IPA|fo|eː|}} or {{IPA|fo|ɛ|}}:
*{{Lang|fo|æða}} ([[eider]]): Southern {{IPA|fo|eːa|}}, Northern Faroese {{IPA|fo|ɛava|}}
*{{Lang|fo|ætt}} (family, direction): Southern {{IPA|fo|ɛtː|}}, Northern Faroese {{IPA|fo|atː|}}

'''German and Swedish'''

The equivalent letter in [[German alphabet|German]] and [[Swedish alphabet|Swedish]] is {{Lang|de|ä}}. In German this letter is after 'z' and in Swedish it is the second-to-last letter (between å and ö).

In the normalized spelling of [[Middle High German]], {{Lang|gmh|æ}} represents a long vowel {{IPA|[ɛː]}}. The actual spelling in the manuscripts varies, however.

'''Danish and Norwegian'''

[[File:Denmark-gender.png|thumb|upright=0.9|West of the red line through Jutland, classic [[Danish dialects]] use {{Lang|da|æ}} as the [[definite article]]. Additionally the northernmost and southernmost of that area use {{Lang|da|Æ}} as the first person singular pronoun I. The two words are different vowels.{{fact|date=August 2024}}]]

In [[Danish alphabet|Danish]] and [[Norwegian alphabet|Norwegian]], ''æ'' is a separate letter of the alphabet and represents a [[monophthong]]. It follows ''[[z]]'' and precedes ''[[ø]]'' and ''[[å]]''. In Norwegian there are four ways of pronouncing the letter:
*{{IPA|/æː/}} as in {{Lang|no|æ}} (the name of the letter), {{Lang|no|bær}}, {{Lang|no|[[Ole Gunnar Solskjær|Solskjær]]}}, {{Lang|no|læring}}, {{Lang|no|æra}}, {{Lang|no|[[Ænes]]}}, {{Lang|no|ærlig}}, {{Lang|no|tærne}}, {{Lang|no|[[Kværner]]}}, {{Lang|no|[[Bjørn Dæhlie|Dæhlie]]}}, {{Lang|no|særs}}, {{Lang|no|ærfugl}}, {{Lang|no|lært}}, {{Lang|no|trær}} ("trees")
*{{IPA|/æ/}} as in {{Lang|no|færre}}, {{Lang|no|æsj}}, {{Lang|no|nærmere}}, {{Lang|no|[[Færder Lighthouse|Færder]]}}, {{Lang|no|Skjærvø}}, {{Lang|no|ærverdig}}, {{Lang|da|vært}}, {{Lang|da|lærd}}, {{Lang|da|Bræin}} (where {{Lang|da|æi}} is pronounced as a diphthong {{IPA|/æi/}})
*{{IPA|/eː/}} as in {{Lang|no|Sæther}}, {{Lang|no|Næser}}, {{Lang|no|Sæbø}}, {{Lang|no|gælisk}}, {{Lang|no|spælsau}}, {{Lang|no|bevæpne}}, {{Lang|no|sæd}}, {{Lang|no|æser}}, {{Lang|no|[[Hotel Cæsar|Cæsar]]}}, {{Lang|no|væte}}, {{Lang|no|trær}} ("thread(s)" [verb])
*{{IPA|/e/}} as in {{Lang|no|Sæth}}, {{Lang|no|[[Naess|Næss]]}}, {{Lang|no|Brænne}}, {{Lang|no|[[Kjell Bækkelund|Bækkelund]]}}, {{Lang|no|[[Knut Vollebæk|Vollebæk]]}}, {{Lang|no|væske}}, {{Lang|no|trædd}}

In many northern, western and southwestern Norwegian dialects such as [[Trøndersk]] and in the western Danish dialects of {{Lang|da|[[Thy (district)|Thy]]|italic=no}} and [[Southern Jutland]], the word "I" (Standard Danish: {{Lang|da|jeg}}, [[Bokmål]] Norwegian: {{Lang|no|jeg}}, [[Nynorsk]] Norwegian: {{Lang|no|eg}}) is pronounced {{IPA|/æː/}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Albert |first=Daniel |date=2022-06-24 |title=Trøndersk: The Dialects of Middle Norway |url=https://www.lifeinnorway.net/trondersk-dialect/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Life in Norway |language=en-US}}</ref> Thus, when this word is written as it is pronounced in these dialects (rather than the standard), it is often spelled with the letter "æ".

In western and southern [[Jutlandic dialect|Jutish]] dialects of Danish, {{Lang|da|æ}} is also the [[proclitic]] [[definite article]]: {{Lang|da|æ hus}} (the house), as opposed to [[Danish language#Dialects|Standard Danish]] and all other Nordic varieties which have en[[clitic]] definite articles (Danish, Swedish, Norwegian: {{Lang|da|huset}}; Icelandic, Faroese: {{Lang|is|húsið}} [the house]).

===Ossetian===

[[File:Oseta latina skribo.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Ossetian language|Ossetian]] Latin script; part of a page from a book published in 1935]]

[[Ossetian language|Ossetian]] – which previously and later used a [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic alphabet]] with an identical-looking letter ([[Ӕ|Ӕ and ӕ]]) – was written using the Latin script from 1923 to 1938, and included this character. It is pronounced as a [[near-open central vowel]] {{angbr IPA|ɐ}}.

===South American languages===

The letter ''Æ'' is used in the official orthography of the [[Kawésqar language|Kawésqar]] language, spoken in [[Chile]] and also in that of the Fuegian language [[Yaghan language|Yaghan]].

==International Phonetic Alphabet==
The symbol {{IPA|[æ]}} is also used in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] (IPA) to denote a [[near-open front unrounded vowel]] such as in the word ''cat'' in many dialects of Modern English, which is the sound that was most likely represented by the Old English letter. In the IPA it is always in [[lowercase]]. {{unichar|10783|MODIFIER LETTER SMALL AE}} is a [[International Phonetic Alphabet#Superscript IPA|superscript IPA letter]].<ref name="L220252">{{Cite web|title=L2/20-252R: Unicode request for IPA modifier-letters (a), pulmonic|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2020/20252r-mod-ipa-a.pdf|date=2020-11-08|first1=Kirk|last1=Miller|first2=Michael|last2=Ashby}}</ref>

'''Uralic Phonetic Alphabet'''

The [[Uralic Phonetic Alphabet]] (UPA) uses four additional æ-related symbols, see Unicode table below.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02141-n2419-uralic-phonetic.pdf|title=L2/02-141: Uralic Phonetic Alphabet characters for the UCS|date=2002-03-20|first1=Michael|last1=Everson|authorlink1=Michael Everson|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

==Unicode==
{{Columnslist|colwidth=28em|
*{{unichar|00C6|LATIN CAPITAL LETTER AE}}
*{{unichar|00E6|LATIN SMALL LETTER AE}}
*{{unichar|01E2|LATIN CAPITAL LETTER AE WITH MACRON}}
*{{unichar|01E3|LATIN SMALL LETTER AE WITH MACRON}}
*{{unichar|01FC|LATIN CAPITAL LETTER AE WITH ACUTE}}
*{{unichar|01FD|LATIN SMALL LETTER AE WITH ACUTE}}
*{{unichar|1D01|LATIN LETTER SMALL CAPITAL AE}} (UPA)
*{{unichar|1D02|LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED AE}} (UPA)
*{{unichar|1D2D|MODIFIER LETTER CAPITAL AE}} (UPA)
*{{unichar|1D46|MODIFIER LETTER SMALL TURNED AE}} (UPA)
*{{unichar|1DD4|COMBINING LATIN SMALL LETTER AE|cwith=◌}}
*{{unichar|10783|MODIFIER LETTER SMALL AE}} (IPA)
}}

==See also==
{{columnslist|colwidth=28em|
*[[AE (Cyrillic)]]
*[[Ae (digraph)]]
*[[Å]]
*[[Ä]]
*[[E caudata|Ę]]
*[[Ø]]
*[[Ö]]
*[[Œ]]
*[[Near-open front unrounded vowel]] (represented by æ in the IPA)
*[[Ə]]
*[[Ansuz rune]]
*[[List of English words that may be spelled with a ligature]]
*[[Anavae]]
*[[Aespa]]
}}

==Footnotes==
===Notes===
{{Notelist}}

===References===
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [[Robert Bringhurst]] (2002). ''[[The Elements of Typographic Style]]''. Vancouver: Hartley & Marks. {{ISBN|0-88179-205-5}}. p. 271.

== External links ==
* {{Wiktionary inline|Æ}}
* {{Wiktionary inline|Category:English terms spelled with Æ}}
* {{Commonscatinline}}

{{Latin script|Æ}}
{{Danish language}}
{{Norwegian language forms}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ae}}
[[Category:Danish language|E]]
[[Category:Faroese language|E]]
[[Category:Icelandic language|E]]
[[Category:Latin-script letters]]
[[Category:Latin-script ligatures]]
[[Category:Norwegian language|E]]
[[Category:Old English]]
[[Category:Ossetian language|E]]
[[Category:Phonetic transcription symbols]]
[[Category:Vowel letters]]