What was the last letter added to the alphabet?

What was the last letter added to the alphabet?

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The letter “J” has a fascinating history as the last letter added to the English alphabet, marking its arrival in a world already rich with linguistic tradition. While it may sit comfortably in the tenth position of the alphabet today, its journey to recognition was anything but straightforward.

Originally, “J” was not a distinct letter but rather a stylistic variation of the letter “I.” In medieval manuscripts, scribes began to add a flourish or “swash” to the lowercase “i” to denote its consonantal use, particularly at the end of Roman numeral sequences. For example, the number 13 was often written as “XIIJ.” This decorative form helped differentiate between the vowel and consonant sounds that both letters represented.

The formal introduction of “J” as a separate letter occurred in the early 16th century, largely due to the efforts of Gian Giorgio Trissino, an Italian grammarian. In 1524, Trissino published arguments advocating for the distinction between “I” and “J,” suggesting that while “I” would continue to represent vowel sounds, “J” would take on consonantal sounds. This proposal laid the groundwork for the eventual acceptance of “J” into the English alphabet.

Despite its late arrival, “J” quickly became integral to various languages, adapting its pronunciation along the way. In English, it represents the sound found in words like “judge” and “jump.” Interestingly, during Shakespeare’s time, works such as Romeo and Juliet were printed using “I” in place of “J,” showcasing how recent this change was in linguistic history.

Today, “J” is not only a common letter in English but also plays a significant role in many other languages. Its versatility allows it to represent different sounds across cultures, from the soft sound in Spanish to its more pronounced form in German.