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Pe with middle hook
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| Pe with middle hook | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Usage | |
| Writing system | Cyrillic |
| Type | Alphabetic |
| Sound values | /pʰ/ |
Pe with middle hook (Ҧ ҧ; italics: Ҧ ҧ) is a letter of the Cyrillic script. Its form is derived from the Cyrillic letter Pe (П п) by the addition of a hook to the middle of the right leg.
Pe with middle hook was formerly used in the Abkhaz language, where it represented the aspirated voiceless bilabial plosive /pʰ/, like the pronunciation of ⟨p⟩ in "pack". It was the 36th letter of the alphabet, until it was replaced by ⟨Ԥ⟩.
Computing codes
[edit]| Preview | Ҧ | ҧ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unicode name | CYRILLIC CAPITAL LETTER PE WITH MIDDLE HOOK |
CYRILLIC SMALL LETTER PE WITH MIDDLE HOOK | ||
| Encodings | decimal | hex | dec | hex |
| Unicode | 1190 | U+04A6 | 1191 | U+04A7 |
| UTF-8 | 210 166 | D2 A6 | 210 167 | D2 A7 |
| Numeric character reference | Ҧ |
Ҧ |
ҧ |
ҧ |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- Unicode.org Notes on Abkhaz Archived 2022-02-07 at the Wayback Machine
Italics indicate that the language no longer uses Cyrillic | |||||||||||||||||
| Cyrillic alphabets |
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| Cyrillization of | |||||||||||||||||
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Pe with middle hook
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
History and Development
Derivation from Standard Pe
The letter Ҧ (uppercase) and ҧ (lowercase) is derived from the standard Cyrillic letter Pe (П п), which originates from the Greek letter Pi (Π π), by adding a small hook to the middle of the vertical stroke of the uppercase form and a corresponding modification to the lowercase descender.[6][7] This hook modification first appeared in 19th-century extensions of the Cyrillic script for Caucasian languages, where such alterations to base letters were introduced to denote phonetic distinctions like aspirated consonants not present in standard Slavic Cyrillic.[7][6] Early designs of these extended letters, including the Pe variant, integrated the hook as a functional graphical element to support the complex sound systems of languages in the Caucasus region.[6]Adoption in Abkhaz Orthography
The letter pe with middle hook (Ҧ ҧ), derived from the standard Cyrillic pe (П п) with an added middle hook to distinguish aspirated sounds, was first incorporated into the Abkhaz writing system in 1862 by the Russian linguist Peter von Uslar. Uslar developed a 37-letter Cyrillic-based alphabet tailored to the Bzyp dialect of Abkhaz, marking the initial standardization effort for the language and including modifications like the middle hook to represent its complex consonant inventory.[8][9] In 1909, Abkhaz educator Andria Ch'och'ua expanded the alphabet to 55 letters, formalizing the use of Ҧ ҧ specifically for aspirated consonants within this more comprehensive system, which was published as a textbook in Tbilisi and adopted for educational purposes. This revision built on Uslar's foundation, incorporating additional letters to better accommodate dialectal variations and phonetic nuances across Abkhaz speech communities.[10] The letter's role endured through subsequent Soviet-era orthographic shifts. It was retained in the equivalent form within the 1926 Latin-based alphabet of 76 letters, designed under linguist Nikolay Marr as part of broader indigenization policies. During the Georgian script period from 1938 to 1954, an adapted version persisted to represent the same sound. Upon the return to Cyrillic in 1954, Ҧ ҧ was preserved in the expanded 58-letter alphabet, which became the standard for Abkhaz publications and education thereafter.[9][11][12] A major orthographic reform in 1996 phased out Ҧ ҧ, replacing it with pe with descender (Ԥ ԥ) to streamline the script, enhance compatibility with related Caucasian writing systems, and reflect evolving phonetic preferences in contemporary Abkhaz. This change, part of broader unification efforts for labialized and aspirated consonants, marked the letter's discontinuation in official use while preserving its historical significance in earlier texts.[13][4]Linguistic Usage
Phonetic Value in Abkhaz
In Abkhaz, Pe with middle hook (uppercase Ҧ, lowercase ҧ) represented the aspirated voiceless bilabial plosive /pʰ/, a sound produced with a brief closure at the lips followed by a strong breathy release of air, resembling the initial 'p' in the English word "pin" but with more pronounced aspiration. Abkhaz features an intricate consonant system with multiple series of plosives distinguished by aspiration, ejection, and voicing; here, /pʰ/ contrasted phonemically with the ejective voiceless bilabial plosive /pʼ/ (uppercase П, lowercase п) and the voiced bilabial plosive /b/ (uppercase Б, lowercase б), allowing speakers to differentiate meanings through these articulatory variations alone. Abkhaz lacks a plain unaspirated voiceless /p/ phoneme. The phonemic significance of this aspiration is evident in minimal pairs, such as those involving historical Abkhaz roots like /pʰa/ [e.g., /pʰa/ 'we' vs. /pa/ forms in related contexts], where the presence or absence of the breathy release alters word identity and lexical roots. This letter was superseded in 1996 by Pe with descender (Ԥ ԥ) to standardize the orthography.[4]Role in Historical Abkhaz Texts
The letter pe with middle hook (Ҧ ҧ) first appeared prominently in early 20th-century Abkhaz publications as part of the 1909 alphabet developed by Andria Chochua, which expanded the script to 55 letters to accommodate the language's rich consonantal system. This orthography was employed in folklore collections, such as Dmitry Gulia's 1909 anthology of Abkhaz tales published in Tiflis, where the letter represented the aspirated voiceless bilabial plosive /pʰ/ in narrative texts and oral traditions transcribed from local dialects. Newspapers like "Apsny," launched in 1919, also utilized this form in articles and editorials, facilitating the dissemination of Abkhaz cultural content during a period of emerging national literacy efforts.[4][14] In literary works, pe with middle hook featured in texts following the 1954 adoption of Cyrillic, including those by authors such as Bagrat Shinkuba, whose poetry and prose from the 1950s onward incorporated the letter to denote /pʰ/ in aspirated-initial words common across Abkhaz dialects. For instance, Shinkuba's writings reflecting influences from Bzyp and Abzhywa varieties employed it in depictions of folklore and historical narratives, underscoring its role in preserving dialectal nuances in printed literature. Scholarly publications, like Kh. Bgazhba's 1964 study on the Bzyp dialect and M. Tsikolia's 1969 analysis of Abzhywa, further exemplified its frequency in aspirated contexts, such as in words for natural elements and kinship terms central to traditional storytelling. These uses highlighted the letter's integration into both creative and academic Abkhaz texts during the mid-20th century.[4] Following the 1954 reversion to a Cyrillic-based orthography after a period of Georgian script imposition, pe with middle hook remained in common use through the 1980s in publications adhering to the 1954, 1964, 1968, 1983, and 1987 standards, appearing in archival folklore compilations and dialectal grammars. However, after the 1996 orthographic reform, which standardized certain letters to simplify printing and digital encoding, the form was largely replaced by pe with descender (Ԥ ԥ), leading to retrofitting and reprinting of older texts for consistency. Archival materials, including original editions of Shinkuba's works and early newspapers, continue to preserve the middle hook variant, serving as primary sources for historical linguistic research as of 2025.[4]Typography and Forms
Standard Forms and Variants
The uppercase form of Pe with middle hook is Ҧ, characterized by a vertical stroke on the right side with a centered rightward hook extending from its midpoint. This design derives briefly from the standard Cyrillic letter Pe (П) through the addition of the distinctive hook.[15] The lowercase counterpart is ҧ, which maintains a similar structure to the uppercase but incorporates a curved base akin to the standard lowercase pe (п), with the hook positioned centrally on the stem for consistency in proportional scaling.[15] In italic variants, the forms appear as slanted versions of Ҧ and ҧ, where the hook typically receives a subtle forward slant to improve flow and legibility in connected cursive styles, following general Cyrillic typographic conventions.[16] Typeface variations influence the hook's rendering: serif fonts often depict it with greater thickness and subtle terminal flourishes for emphasis, while sans-serif designs render it as a clean, minimal line to prioritize simplicity and uniformity. Historical printings of Abkhaz texts exhibit inconsistencies in hook positioning, sometimes shifting it slightly higher or lower relative to the stroke's center due to early typesetting limitations.[15]Distinction from Similar Letters
The letter Ҧ ҧ (Pe with middle hook) differs from the Pe with descender Ԥ ԥ primarily in the position of its modification: the hook on Ҧ ҧ is attached medially to the vertical stem of the base Pe (П п), whereas the descender on Ԥ ԥ extends downward from the bottom of the stem, often curving or straightening below the baseline.[17] This visual distinction ensures that Ҧ ҧ maintains a non-descending form, keeping the entire glyph aligned with the x-height of surrounding letters without dipping below the line.[4] In Abkhaz orthography, both letters have been employed to represent the aspirated voiceless bilabial plosive /pʰ/, but Ҧ ҧ served as the historical variant introduced in 1912 and used until the orthographic reforms of the late 1990s, such as the 1996 reform and subsequent updates in 1998 and 2002, while Ԥ ԥ became the preferred modern form.[4] This evolution reflects a broader trend in Abkhaz orthographies from middle hook and descender forms in early 20th-century systems to a standardized preference for descender modifications by the late 20th century for improved distinguishability in print and digital rendering, though the middle hook's medial placement avoids potential overlap with the curved leg of Er (Р р) or other stem-extending plosives in mixed Cyrillic contexts.[17] Ҧ ҧ should not be confused with the Pe with descender Ԥ ԥ in contemporary Caucasian language scripts, where the latter's bottomward extension can resemble tail-like modifiers in Georgian-derived or related alphabets, whereas the middle hook's central, non-protruding design preserves a more compact profile derived directly from standard Pe.[4]Computing Representation
Unicode and Encoding
The uppercase form of Pe with middle hook, denoted as Ҧ, is assigned the Unicode code point U+04A6 (CYRILLIC CAPITAL LETTER PE WITH MIDDLE HOOK) within the Cyrillic block (U+0400–U+04FF), and was introduced in Unicode version 1.1 in June 1993.[16][18] Its general category is Lu (Letter, Uppercase), with a bidirectional class of L (Left-to-Right).[19] The lowercase form, denoted as ҧ, corresponds to U+04A7 (CYRILLIC SMALL LETTER PE WITH MIDDLE HOOK), also in the Cyrillic block and added in Unicode 1.1.[16][20] It has the general category Ll (Letter, Lowercase) and the same bidirectional class L.[21] In UTF-8 encoding, U+04A6 is represented by the byte sequence D2 A6, while U+04A7 uses D2 A7.[18][20] For HTML representation, the entities are Ҧ for the uppercase and ҧ for the lowercase.[18][20] As of Unicode 17.0 (2024), the characters remain encoded for legacy support, though proposed as obsolete for use in identifiers per UTS #39 (2025).[1][22]Input Methods and Display
Inputting the Pe with middle hook (Ҧ ҧ) in digital environments relies on standard Unicode input techniques, as no major operating system provides a dedicated Abkhaz keyboard layout by default. On Windows, with the EnableHexNumpad registry key enabled under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Input Method, users can enter the capital form Ҧ using Alt + 04A6 and the lowercase ҧ using Alt + 04A7 on the numeric keypad. On macOS, access is via the built-in Character Viewer for direct selection of U+04A6 and U+04A7, or custom keyboard layouts. For Linux systems, Ctrl+Shift+U followed by the hexadecimal code 04A6 (or 04A7) allows direct Unicode insertion; custom XCompose configurations may be needed for compose key sequences. Display of Ҧ and ҧ is well-supported in contemporary fonts that cover the extended Cyrillic range, including Noto Sans Cyrillic and DejaVu Sans, ensuring proper rendering across web browsers and applications.[23] However, on legacy systems or fonts lacking full Cyrillic support, the character may fallback to the standard Pe (П п), potentially distorting its distinctive hooked appearance. For stylistic variations like italics, CSS properties such asfont-style: italic applied to elements containing Ҧ will render the slanted form correctly in supporting fonts, without requiring special ligatures or substitutions. In pre-Unicode Abkhaz software environments, the letter was accommodated through custom codepage extensions for Caucasian languages, allowing mapping to specific byte values in regional text processing tools.