Alpha (letter) - Revision history

Nick at 09:56, 20 March 2024

Nick — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 09:56:01 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 09:56, 20 March 2024
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	''(See Also Strongs number [[1]])''		''(See Also Strongs number [[1]])''

-	Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: ~~Αλφα~~) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].	+	Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Ancient Greek: ἄλφα, álpha, or Greek: άλφα, romanized: álfa) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of one. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].

	==Uses==		==Uses==
	===Greek===		===Greek===
-	In [[Ancient Greek]], alpha was pronounced a ~~when short~~ and ~~aː when~~ long. Where there is ambiguity, long and short alpha may be written with a macron and breve: Ᾱᾱ, Ᾰᾰ.	+	In [[Ancient Greek]], alpha was pronounced [a] and could be either [[Phoneme\|phonemically]] long ([aː]) or short ([a]). Where there is ambiguity, long and short alpha may be written with a [[Macron (diacritic)\|macron]] and [[breve]]: Ᾱᾱ, Ᾰᾰ.
		+
	* ὥρα = ὥρᾱ ''hōrā'' hɔ̌ːraː "a time"		* ὥρα = ὥρᾱ ''hōrā'' hɔ̌ːraː "a time"
	* γλῶσσα = γλῶσσᾰ ''glôssa'' ɡlɔ̂ːssa "tongue"		* γλῶσσα = γλῶσσᾰ ''glôssa'' ɡlɔ̂ːssa "tongue"

Beza 1598 at 14:54, 8 March 2016

Beza 1598 — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 14:54:35 GMT

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	[[Category:Greek letters]]		[[Category:Greek letters]]
	[[Category:Vowel letters]]		[[Category:Vowel letters]]
		+
		+	{{Donate}}

Nick at 22:18, 2 June 2012

Nick — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 22:18:00 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 22:18, 2 June 2012
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	[[Image:alpha.jpg\|thumb\|150px\|Alpha]]		[[Image:alpha.jpg\|thumb\|150px\|Alpha]]
		+	''(See Also Strongs number [[1]])''
		+
	Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].		Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].

Nick at 09:02, 17 December 2011

Nick — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 09:02:47 GMT

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-	[[Image:alpha.~~png~~\|thumb\|150px\|Alpha]]	+	[[Image:alpha.jpg\|thumb\|150px\|Alpha]]
	Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].		Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].

Nick at 09:00, 17 December 2011

Nick — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 09:00:54 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 09:00, 17 December 2011
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		+	[[Image:alpha.png\|thumb\|150px\|Alpha]]
	Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].		Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].

Nick at 04:52, 10 April 2011

Nick — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 04:52:39 GMT

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-	~~{{Template:Greek Alphabet\|right}}~~
	Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].		Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].

Nick at 04:52, 10 April 2011

Nick — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 04:52:30 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 04:52, 10 April 2011
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-	{{Template:Greek Alphabet}}	+	{{Template:Greek Alphabet\|right}}
	Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].		Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].

Nick at 04:52, 10 April 2011

Nick — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 04:52:12 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 04:52, 10 April 2011
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		+	{{Template:Greek Alphabet}}
	Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].		Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].

Nick at 14:41, 31 January 2011

Nick — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:41:30 GMT

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	* 10. Hesiod, in Works and Days (see on Perseus Project), advises the early Greek farmers, "First of all, get a house, then a woman and third, an ox for the plough."		* 10. Hesiod, in Works and Days (see on Perseus Project), advises the early Greek farmers, "First of all, get a house, then a woman and third, an ox for the plough."
	* 11. Meadows, Kenneth (1995). Rune Power: The Secret Knowledge of the Wise Ones. Element Books Ltd. ISBN 1852307064; ISBN 978-1852307066		* 11. Meadows, Kenneth (1995). Rune Power: The Secret Knowledge of the Wise Ones. Element Books Ltd. ISBN 1852307064; ISBN 978-1852307066
		+
		+	{{Greek Lexicon}}

	[[Category:Greek letters]]		[[Category:Greek letters]]
	[[Category:Vowel letters]]		[[Category:Vowel letters]]

Nick at 14:39, 31 January 2011

Nick — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:39:33 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 14:39, 31 January 2011
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	Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].		Alpha (uppercase '''Α''', lowercase '''α'''; Greek: Αλφα) is the first letter of the [[Greek alphabet]]. In the system of [[Greek numerals]] it has a value of 1. It was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet\|Phoenician letter]] [[Aleph (letter)\|Aleph]] [[Image:phoenician aleph.png\|20px\|Aleph]]. Letters that arose from Alpha include the Latin [[A]] and the Cyrillic letter [[A (Cyrillic)\|А]].

-	In ~~both~~ [[Ancient ~~Greek\|Classical~~ Greek]] and ~~[[Modern Greek]]~~, alpha ~~represents the [[Open front unrounded vowel]]~~, ~~/a/~~.	+	==Uses==
		+	===Greek===
		+	In [[Ancient Greek]], alpha was pronounced a when short and aː when long. Where there is ambiguity, long and short alpha may be written with a macron and breve: Ᾱᾱ, Ᾰᾰ.
		+	* ὥρα = ὥρᾱ ''hōrā'' hɔ̌ːraː "a time"
		+	* γλῶσσα = γλῶσσᾰ ''glôssa'' ɡlɔ̂ːssa "tongue"

-	~~The lower case today represents an~~ [[~~open back unrounded vowel~~]] in [[~~phonetics~~]].	+	In [[Modern Greek]], [[vowel length]] has been lost, and all instances of alpha represent the short a.

-	[[~~Plutarch~~]] ~~in ''~~[[~~Moralia~~]]'',~~<sup>~~[1]~~</sup> presents a discussion on why~~ the ~~letter alpha stands first~~ in ~~the alphabet~~. ~~Ammonius asks Plutarch what he~~, ~~being a~~ [[~~Boeotia~~]]n, ~~thinks of~~ [[~~Cadmus~~]], ~~the~~ [[~~Phoenicia~~]]~~n who reputedly settled in [[Thebes~~ (~~Greece)\|Thebes]] and introduced the alphabet to Greece~~, ~~placing~~ ''~~alpha~~'' ~~first because it is the Phoenician name for~~ [[ox]] ~~-- which, unlike~~ [[~~Hesiod~~]]<sup>[2]</sup>, ~~the Phoenicians considered not the second or third~~, ~~but the first of all necessities.~~	+	====Shift to long e====
-	"~~''Nothing at all''~~" ~~Plutarch replied. He then added that he would rather be assisted by Lamprias~~, ~~his own grandfather~~, ~~than by [[Dionysus]]' grandfather, i.e. Cadmus. For Lamprias had said that the first articulate sound made is~~ "~~alpha~~"~~, because it is very plain and simple~~ — ~~the air coming off the mouth does not require any motion of the tongue — and therefore this is the first sound that children make.~~	+	In the [[Attic Greek\|Attic]]-[[Ionic Greek\|Ionic]] dialect of Ancient Greek, long alpha aː fronted to ɛː ([[eta]]). In Ionic, the shift took place in all positions. In Attic, the shift did not take place after [[epsilon]], [[iota]], and [[rho]] (ε, ι, ρ; ''e, i, r''). In [[Doric Greek\|Doric]] and [[Aeolic Greek\|Aeolic]], long alpha is preserved in all positions.<sup>[1]</sup>
		+	*Doric, Aeolic, Attic χώρᾱ — Ionic χώρη "country"
		+	*:chṓrā — chṓrē
		+	*Doric, Aeolic φᾱ́μᾱ — Attic, Ionic φήμη "report"
		+	*:phā́mā — phḗmē

-	~~The~~ [[~~Homer~~]]~~ic word~~ ''~~"alphesiboios"~~''~~<sup>~~[3]~~</sup> (~~''~~ἀλφεσίβοιος~~''~~<sup>~~[4]~~</sup>~~) ~~is associated with both the root "alph-"~~ and ~~"ox". It~~ is ~~derived from "alphanō" (ἀλφάνω<sup>~~[5]~~</sup>) meaning ''to yield, earn~~'' ~~and "bous" (βοῦς) meaning ''ox'', hence ''alphesiboios'' means ''bringing in'' or ''acquiring oxen~~''.	+	====Privative a====
		+	[[Privative a]] is the [[Ancient Greek]] prefix ἀ- or ἀν- ''a-, an-'', added to words to negate them. It originates from the [[Proto-Indo-European language\|Proto-Indo-European]] *''n̥-'' ([[syllabic consonant\|syllabic]] nasal) and is [[cognate]] with English ''un-''.

-	~~According to Plutarch's natural order of attribution of the~~ [[~~vowel~~]]~~s to~~ the ~~[[planet]]s~~, ~~alpha was connected with the [[Moon]]~~. ~~Oxen were also associated with the Moon in both early [[Mesopotamian mythology\|Sumerian]] and [[Ancient Egypt\|Egyptian]] religious symbolism, possibly due to the crescent shape of their horns~~.	+	====Copulative a====
		+	[[Copulative a]] is the Greek prefix ἁ- or ἀ- ''ha-, a-''. It comes from Proto-Indo-European *''sm̥''.

-	Alpha, both as a symbol and term, is used to refer to or describe a variety of things, including the first or most significant occurrence of something. The New Testament has God declaring himself to be the "[[~~Alpha and Omega (Christianity)\|Alpha and Omega~~]], the ~~beginning and~~ the ~~end, the first and the last." (~~[[~~Book of Revelation\|Revelation~~]] ~~22:13, KJV, and see also 1:8)~~.	+	===International Phonetic Alphabet===
		+	In the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]], a letter based on the lower case of alpha represents the [[open back unrounded vowel]].

		+	===Upper case===
	The uppercase letter alpha is not generally used as a symbol because it tends to be rendered identically to the uppercase [[A\|Latin A]].		The uppercase letter alpha is not generally used as a symbol because it tends to be rendered identically to the uppercase [[A\|Latin A]].

-	==~~Common uses~~==	+	===Math and science===
-	~~See Also [[Alpha]]~~	+

-	~~The letter alpha represents various concepts in~~ [[~~physics]] and [[chemistry]], including [[alpha radiation]], [[alpha particle]]s and [[alpha carbon]].~~ Alpha ~~also stands for [[thermal expansion coefficient]] of a [[Chemical compound\|compound]] in [[physical chemistry]]. It is also commonly used in [[mathematics]] in [[algebra\|algebraic solutions~~]] ~~representing quantities such as angles.~~	+	''See also [[Alpha (disambiguation)]]''

-	==~~Linguistic correlates~~==	+	The letter alpha represents various concepts in [[physics]] and [[chemistry]], including [[alpha radiation]], [[angular acceleration]], [[alpha particle]]s and [[alpha carbon]]. Alpha also stands for [[thermal expansion coefficient]] of a [[Chemical compound\|compound]] in [[physical chemistry]]. It is also commonly used in [[mathematics]] in [[algebra\|algebraic solutions]] representing quantities such as angles. Furthermore, in mathematics, the letter alpha is used to denote the area underneath a normal curve in statistics when finding figures such as the null and alternative hypotheses. In zoology, is used to name the dominant individual in a wolf or dog pack.
-	In the [[Runic alphabet]] of the [[Elder Futhark]] in received [[shamanic]] oral lore traditions from Scandinavia, the alphabet is a cycle rather than a linear progression and [[Ur (rune)\|Ur]] commences the cycle that [[Fe (rune)\|Fe]] closes, both are [[cattle]]~~, which~~ is a correlate to ~~the Christian [[~~Alpha and Omega ~~(Christianity)\|Alpha and Omega]]~~.<sup>[6]</sup>	+
		+	==History and symbolism==
		+	===Etymology===
		+	Alpha was derived from ''aleph'', which in [[Phoenician language\|Phoenician]] means "[[ox]]".<sup>[2]</sup>
		+
		+	According to [[Etymologicum Magnum]], alpha was derived from ''álphō'' (άλφω) "to invent": thus alpha is the "first invented letter".<sup>[3]</sup> The closest attested words are ''alphánō'' (αλφάνω) I yield, produce"<sup>[4]</sup> and the noun derived from it, ''alphē'' (αλφή) "produce, gain".<sup>[5]</sup>
		+
		+	===Homer===
		+	The [[Homer]]ic word ''alphesíboios''<sup>[6]</sup><sup>[7]</sup> is associated with both the root ''alph-'' and "ox". It is derived from ''alphánō''<sup>[4]</sup> "to yield", "earn" and ''boûs'' "ox",<sup>[8]</sup> hence ''alphesíboios'' means "bringing in" or "acquiring oxen".
		+
		+	===Plutarch===
		+	[[Plutarch]] in ''[[Moralia]]'',<sup>[9]</sup> presents a discussion on why the letter alpha stands first in the alphabet. Ammonius asks Plutarch what he, being a [[Boeotia]]n, thinks of [[Cadmus]], the [[Phoenicia]]n who reputedly settled in [[Thebes (Greece)\|Thebes]] and introduced the alphabet to Greece, placing ''alpha'' first because it is the Phoenician name for [[ox]] — which, unlike [[Hesiod]],<sup>[10]</sup> the Phoenicians considered not the second or third, but the first of all necessities.
		+
		+	"Nothing at all" Plutarch replied. He then added that he would rather be assisted by [[Lamprias]], his own grandfather, than by [[Dionysus]]' grandfather, i.e. Cadmus. For Lamprias had said that the first articulate sound made is "alpha", because it is very plain and simple — the air coming off the mouth does not require any motion of the tongue — and therefore this is the first sound that children make.
		+
		+	According to Plutarch's natural order of attribution of the [[vowel]]s to the [[planet]]s, alpha was connected with the [[Moon]]. Oxen were also associated with the Moon in both early [[Mesopotamian mythology\|Sumerian]] and [[Ancient Egypt\|Egyptian]] religious symbolism, possibly due to the crescent shape of their horns.
		+
		+	===Alpha and Omega===
		+	Alpha, both as a symbol and term, is used to refer to or describe a variety of things, including the first or most significant occurrence of something. The New Testament has God declaring himself to be the "[[Alpha and Omega]], the beginning and the end, the first and the last." ([[Revelation 22:13]], KJV, and see also [[Revelation 1:8\|1:8]]).
		+
		+	====Runes====
		+	In the [[Runic alphabet]] of the [[Elder Futhark]] in received [[shamanic]] oral lore traditions from Scandinavia, the alphabet is a cycle rather than a linear progression and [[Ur (rune)\|Ur]] commences the cycle that [[Fe (rune)\|Fe]] closes and both are [[cattle]]. This is a correlate to Alpha and Omega.<sup>[11]</sup>

	==References==		==References==
-	* 1. Symposiacs, Book IX, questions II & ~~IIIOn~~-line text at Adelaide library	+
-	* 2. ~~In his~~ Works and Days ~~Hesiod advised~~ the early Greek farmers, "First of all, get a house, then a woman and third, an ox for the plough"	+	* 1. Herbert Weir Smyth. Greek grammar for colleges. paragraph 30 and note.
-	~~Hesiod, Works and Days at the Perseus Project.~~	+	* 2. alpha on the Online Etymology Dictionary
-	* ~~3. Iliad, XVIII, 593,~~	+	* 3. άλφα: τό στοιχείον, παρά τό άλφω τό ευρίσκω: πρώτον γάρ τών άλλων στοιχείων ευρέθη:Alpha: the letter, from alpho "I invent": for it was invented first before the other letters
-	* 4. Entry ἀλφεσίβοιος at [[A Greek-English Lexicon\|Liddell & Scott]]	+	* 4. Entry ἀλφάνω in Liddell and Scott
-	* 5. Entry ἀλφάνω at [[A Greek-English Lexicon\|Liddell & Scott]]	+	* 5. ἀλφή in Liddell and Scott
-	* 6. Meadows, Kenneth (1995). Rune Power: The Secret Knowledge of the Wise Ones. Element Books Ltd. ISBN 1852307064; ISBN 978-1852307066	+	* 6. Iliad, XVIII, 593
		+	* 7. Entry ἀλφεσίβοιος. Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon at Perseus Project
		+	* 8. Entry βοῦς in Liddell and Scott
		+	* 9. Symposiacs, Book IX, questions II & III On-line text at Adelaide library
		+	* 10. Hesiod, in Works and Days (see on Perseus Project), advises the early Greek farmers, "First of all, get a house, then a woman and third, an ox for the plough."
		+	* 11. Meadows, Kenneth (1995). Rune Power: The Secret Knowledge of the Wise Ones. Element Books Ltd. ISBN 1852307064; ISBN 978-1852307066

	[[Category:Greek letters]]		[[Category:Greek letters]]
	[[Category:Vowel letters]]		[[Category:Vowel letters]]