# Let's rescue the ash: Æ & æ  Ash lovers unite!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208>\
**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:** 5\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/21 "2005-02-22T22:04:25Z")

</div>

In English, is the ash a distinct character, then? Combat my ignorance!

Also, **Kythereia** – to do the funky char maps, you want to turn Num Lock on and use the number pad to do it. Some vague ghost of memory says there’s a good reason for not making it possible to do this with the regular number row, but it isn’t coming clear. _shakes magic crystal ball_

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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 23, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/22 "2005-02-23T01:04:55Z")

</div>

> [@Kythereia](#):
>
> The symbol doesn’t work for me when I do alt + whatever. Woe.

Hold down ALT. While holding it down, type 0 1 9 8 on the numeric keypad. Release the ALT key.

Nothing?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/23 "2005-02-23T02:45:13Z")

</div>

Okay, now we need to work on _Thorn_ and _Edh_. Or maybe Wen.

(Just think, someday we may get back to Proto-Indo-European pharyngeal consonants! :D)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Torgo\_ate\_my\_hamster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71c47a/32.png) [@Torgo\_ate\_my\_hamster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo_ate_my_hamster)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/24 "2005-02-23T13:02:40Z")

</div>

> [@Kythereia](#):
>
> The ash rocks, man! The ash and the schwa for LIFE! [/dorky linguistics major]

Strong or weak schwa?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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 23, 2005, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208/25 "2005-02-23T13:35:24Z")

</div>

> [@lizardling](#):
>
> In English, is the ash a distinct character, then? Combat my ignorance!

Yes and no. From what I’ve read (OED & Webster’s Unabridged), it was a character that had more than one distinct pronounciation. The _a_ and the _e_ wee split off at different times and the character has been rendered nearly archaic. I get the impression that by being the ae ligature, it was created from the a and the e at some earlier date, but that’s just a WAG on my part. Right now I’m just going on my sketchy memory. IIRC, Wikipedia has an entry under “ligature” or “ae ligature” or “ash,” but I can’t recall what search term I used.

It does remain in some words, such as encyclopædia (sp?), as mentioned above.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-rescue-the-ash-ae-ae-ash-lovers-unite/291208.md?page=1)