You Keep Using That Letter...

[aftereffects is working now~ trailers in progress]

You keep using that letter, but I don't think it means what you think it means.

So, I bet you've seen at least three of these:

Ø used as an O
Ð as a D
Å as an A
ß as a B
ä as an a
ö as an o
ü as a u
þ as a p or b

...and accent marks used for no reason, just for the hell of it.

And it's pretty, but I just thought I'd inform you that the non-English letters above do not equal the English letters.

There are a lot more letters that do not appear in English that are often used stylistically in English text, but these are the only ones I'm familiar with. THE PRONUNCIATIONS THAT I USED MAY NOT BE THE ONLY PRONUNCIATIONS OF THESE LETTERS. The languages I am referring to in which these letters are used are Icelandic, Norwegian, and German. Just as a warning: I am more familiar with Norwegian and Icelandic, and not as much in German.

First:

Ø does not equal O. It's pronounced more like a u/ea like in burn or learn.

Ð/ð is eth. It is not a D/d. In Icelandic, it's pronounced with a th sound. I know, however, that it's different in Faeroese and even silent Nynorsk.

Å (in Nynorsk) is pronounced more like an O like in or.

ß: This one irks me. This is not a B. It is, I believe, an esszet, a German double S. Not a B.

ä = sounds like eh, I guess. Like the e in melon.

ö = The i in girl.

ü = I...don't even know how to explain this one. It's another German one, so a little help? You know how über is pronounced? Like that.

Then there's thorn (þ) which came from the old Norse rune called thurisaz. It's like a th in thing, I think.

I don't care if you use these stylistically. I'm just explaining why it looks weird to use the letters as English letters.

Just don't use accent marks for the hell of it. Please. Accent marks are in words for a reason, and that is to emphasize certain syllables.

Now you know!

---

I think I might do a blog on Nordic culture or Norse mythology when I have the time.

Runes are cool too.

Þat er þá reynt,
er þú að rúnum spyrr
inum reginkunnum,
þeim er gerðu ginnregin
ok fáði fimbulþulr,
þá hefir hann bazt, ef hann þegir.

^That's a modern version of an excerpt of a runic poem explaining the mythological origin of runes.

All right, I'm done.