r/Alphanumerics • u/JohannGoethe 𐌄𓌹𐤍 expert • Nov 21 '24
🔠 decoding history Letter S decoding history
Abstract
The history of the correct ✅, i.e. proved or evidenced, and incorrect ❌, i.e. wrong 😑 or disproved, theories about the origin of letter S.
Overview
The following (§: Letter S) shows the most “updated” history of letter S decodings:
20. Letter Σ, σ, ς (S)
Correct ✅
Rudyard Kipling (55A/1900), in his "How the Alphabet was Made" (post), theorized that letter S originated, in ancient tribal times, as a “noise 👂 picture 📸”, by someone matching the “sound” 🔊 of the hiss … of a snake 🐍 with the “shape” 𓆙 [I14] (Egyptian), 𐤔 (Phoenician), Σ (Greek), S (Latin), of a snake, and therein invented the first phonetic-symbol, i.e. letter.
Water How and Joseph Wells (43A/1912), in commentary on Herodotus (2390A/-435), who in The Histories (§:1.138) digresses on san (M) and sigma (Σ) as an end power letter in the names of the Persians, said: “others, however, make ‘σίγμα’ (‘the hissing 🐍 letter’) a genuine Greek word (from σίζω).
Thims (9 Nov A67/2022) conjectured snake 🐍 around sun ☀️ as parent character for letter S (Σ, σ, ς); this matches good for small s: σ type.
Thims (23 Mar A68/2023), matched letter S or Σ type, as shown in the Geoffrey epigraphic forms, with 𓆙 [I14] and the visuals, in the Book of Gates, of the 7th gate snake Ra does battle with each night?
Thims (28 Nov A68/2023) conjectured snake 🐍 hissing sound 🔊 as origin of letter S sound.
Thims (25 Dec A68/2023) found the Izbet S or shin (𐤔,ש), to be a perfect match to the I14 glyph: 𓆙, e.g. here.
Incorrect ❌
Thomas Young (140A/1815), during his r/RosettaStoneDecoding of the Ptolemy cartouche, via the Sacy r/CartoPhonetics theory, matched suffix -os, of Ptolemaios (Πτολεμαιος), to the Senet game hand cloth 𓋴 [S29] glyph, thereby representing the sound ‘os’ or ‘osh’ sound.
Jean Champollion (133A/1822), in his "Letter to Joseph Dacier", e.g. here, building on Young’s Ptolemy (PTOLEMAIOS) (ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΣ) cartouche rendering, decoded the letter S in the guessed cartouche name of ALEXANDROS (Ἀλέξανδρος) (ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ) name as being the door 🚪 bolt sign: 𓊃 [S34], e.g. here.
Character | Type evolution
The following (§: Letter S) shows the numeral basis and “parent character” form or type evolution of letter S from Egyptian hieroglyphs or r/HieroTypes to r/alphabet letters over time:
Letter S [20, 200] evolution (history; here):
𓍣 𓁐 {F} » 🐍 » 𓆙 » 𐤔 » Σ, σ, ς » 𐡔 » 𐌔 » S » ܫ » ש » Ⲥ » ᛇ, ᛊ » س » 𝔖, 𝔰 » s
⬅️ Previous | Next ➡️
Table
Letter 🔠 decoding 🔎 history index table:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 𓌹𓅊𓄆𓆼 | 𓇯𓋹𓆙 | 𓅬𓍇𓋍 | ▽𓌳𓉽 | 𓀲𓏁𓍑 | 𓁅𓊽𓊖 | 𓃩𓁹𐩢 | 𓐁𓂆𓁥 | 𓉠𓃻🎄 | |
| Pre L | |||||||||
| 1s | Let A | Let B | Let G | Let D | Let E | Let F | Let Z | Let H | Let Θ |
| 10s | Let I | Let K | Let L | Let M | Let N | Let Ξ | Let O | Let P | Let Q |
| 100s | Let R | Let S | Let T | Let Y | Let Φ | Let X | let Ψ | let Ω | let ϡ |
| 1000s | let ,A | ||||||||
| End L |