# Let's rescue the ash: Æ & æ Ash lovers unite! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 21, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208 "2005-02-21T17:40:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/1 "2005-02-21T17:40:50Z")
The ash, or ae ligature, i.e. Æ & æ. What can I say? I love it. I’m an ash-man. It’s elegant. It’s attractive. It’s cool. And alt+0198 or alt+0230 will get you what you need. So what if we’ll have to remember that _ægis_ is pronounced _ee-gis_ rather than _a-gis_? No big whoop. If I weren’t so lazy, I’d start a movement. _::sigh::_ Thank you for your time. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/2 "2005-02-21T17:42:29Z")
The ash rocks, man! The ash and the schwa for LIFE! [/dorky linguistics major] ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/3 "2005-02-21T18:25:37Z")
Well, I’ve always made it a point to spell Encyclopædia Britannica correctly, (one T, two Ns). ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/4 "2005-02-21T18:56:48Z")
Hmmm… How might I go about typing one of these “ae ligatures”? ---
**Author:** ![august9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7993a0/32.png) [@august9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/august9)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/5 "2005-02-21T19:29:00Z")
hey, I didn’t know it was called an ash! That’s interesting 🙂 And by the way, it’s also the 27th letter in the danish alphabet (if you include w) - pronounced ä (as a umlaut). **Kythereia** : what is a schwa? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/6 "2005-02-21T19:29:47Z")
> [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](#): > > Hmmm… How might I go about typing one of these “ae ligatures”? Assuming you are on a PC, hold down the alt key while typing 0198 or 0230 on the numeric keypad. (as mentioned in the OP) ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/7 "2005-02-21T19:50:53Z")
Æ æ There, I feel quite effete now. Where might one find the guide to all of these codes? I get annoyed not being able to put a pretentiously inappropriate umlaut over my heavy metal band name. ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/8 "2005-02-21T19:52:50Z")
YES! YES! A thousand times YES! We also should start using ø ß þ and (especially) Ώ. 'Cause omega is cool. > [@](#): > > what is a schwa? Represented by IPA upside-down “e”, X-SAMPA /@/. The vowel sound in “pun” or “shun” (well, the schwa is similar to them. I think those particular vowel sounds are /3/ or /@/ or something like that.) ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/9 "2005-02-21T20:13:10Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Where might one find the guide to all of these codes? Your computer may or may not have a character map—my folks’ computer doesn’t have it installed. But it is easier to google for a printable character map. For example, I think I have this one next to my desktop at work. I can’t find a schwa on it. BTW, I’ve always seen the pronunciation (sp?) of the schwa as an “indistinct vowel” or something like that. It’s the little “uh” that goes into a lot of syllables. “Cable” may be pronounced “kay-bul,” but instead of a “u” I’d put a schwa if I knew how to do one. Or I could look on [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) to get: “A mid-central neutral vowel, typically occurring in unstressed syllables, as the final vowel of English sofa.” ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/10 "2005-02-21T20:26:15Z")
Happy happy - I always use æ in handwriting and now I know how to do it on a keyboard too. Thanks. Incidentally, I’m pretty sure that everyone else in the U.K. uses it too, so you might want to come and live here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/11 "2005-02-21T20:31:16Z")
Awesome. Yet another writing dæmon banished. I’d love to live in the UK. But it’s just too expensive. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/12 "2005-02-21T20:53:02Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > Incidentally, I’m pretty sure that everyone else in the U.K. uses it too, so you might want to come and live here. 🙂 I’m afraid you are slightly mistaken on that: I _definately_ want to go live in the U.K. Unfortunately, there is no way I could reasonably negotiate the Byzantine immigration laws that govern the flow of people. Bummer. ---
**Author:** ![EmeraldGrue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dc4da7/32.png) [@EmeraldGrue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmeraldGrue)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/13 "2005-02-22T02:36:59Z")
Archæology! Dæmons! Lignum vitæ! _Bædeker!_ (what _is_ a _Bædeker_, anyway?) Hurrah! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/14 "2005-02-22T04:21:07Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Æ æ There, I feel quite effete now. Where might one find the guide to all of these codes? I get annoyed not being able to put a pretentiously inappropriate umlaut over my heavy metal band name. Failing a character map (and assuming you have Firefox), you can download [this](http://abctajpu.mozdev.org/) nifty extension to use whatever character you wish. **ÆŜĮŔØŇ** ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/15 "2005-02-22T06:14:01Z")
> [@EmeraldGrue](#): > > (what _is_ a _Bædeker_, anyway?) “Bædeker” is short for Bædeker Guides, a series of travel guides originally published in the 1850s as tourist instructions aimed at the customers of the newly established railroads through Europe. They described tours and interesting spots to visit while following various rail lines. (Michelin followed in the tradition, changing the conveyance from the railroad to the car and highway in the early 1900s.) During WWII, the Brits referred to many of their air attacks as “Bædekers” because they gave the Bomber Command the grand tour of Europe. ---
**Author:** ![hildea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ebca7d/32.png) [@hildea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hildea)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/16 "2005-02-22T07:58:25Z")
I’m pretty sure my 1930 edition of the Bædecker guide to London spells its title as “Baedecker”. Have to check when I get home. It’s a great guide, with lots of useful tips for the traveller, such as whether English etiquette says that a gentleman should raise his hat for a lady in an elevator or not. (The correct answer is “not”.) And _my_ keyboard has an æ-key. Ædabædda!!! 😃 (= a Norwegian expression of glee) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/17 "2005-02-22T08:21:42Z")
I know, when I was a kid I too fell under the spell of Æ just because it looked so odd. I looked up Æ in the encyclopdedia and found that an Irish poet named George Russell signed his name that way. Which led to James Joyce’s little joke in _Ulysses_ when Stephen borrows a fiver off of Russell and then says: > [@](#): > > **A.E.I.O.U.** One-third of the appeal of the [Mediæval Bæbes](http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/index2.htm) is their music, another third is that they’re cute, sexy females, and the other third is that spelling with the æ. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/18 "2005-02-22T19:12:16Z")
The symbol doesn’t work for me when I do alt + whatever. Woe. Schwa is also a native’s name for Oshawa 😉 But yes, it’s a reduced vowel (think the last vowel in “sofa” or “roses”). ---
**Author:** ![august9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7993a0/32.png) [@august9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/august9)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/19 "2005-02-22T19:26:51Z")
> [@hildea](#): > > And _my_ keyboard has an æ-key. Ædabædda!!! 😃 (= a Norwegian expression of glee) And mine does too!! Hæhæhæ 😛 And by the way, thank guys for explaining “schwa” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/20 "2005-02-22T19:27:34Z")
Just a nit pick: if you want to use “æ”, then shouldn’t you spell its name the Anglo-Saxon way, i.e. “æsh”? (I wouldn’t want to insist on changing the spelling of the consonant, too, to “æsc” – that would be going just a bit too far 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208.md?page=2)