See the cedilla?
We have a note here from Jane Mallison, who gives us some interesting information about the origin of the word "cedilla"—the name of that little tail (usually under the letter C in English) that tells us to pronounce the letter it's attached to as "s"—as in façade.
The name of the mark comes from Spanish "zedilla," or "little z." Cedillas are rarely if ever used in modern Spanish, but are still used in French, Portuguese, Turkish, and other languages—including English, of course.
Jane has taught English for more than twenty years, and is a member of the College Board SAT Committee. Two of her books on vocabulary building (250 words every high school freshman/graduate needs to know), co-written with David Hatcher, just came off the press. They're published by Sourcebooks, Inc.
The name of the mark comes from Spanish "zedilla," or "little z." Cedillas are rarely if ever used in modern Spanish, but are still used in French, Portuguese, Turkish, and other languages—including English, of course.
Jane has taught English for more than twenty years, and is a member of the College Board SAT Committee. Two of her books on vocabulary building (250 words every high school freshman/graduate needs to know), co-written with David Hatcher, just came off the press. They're published by Sourcebooks, Inc.
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