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On 11/4/06, John W. Kennedy <jwkenne / attglobal.net> wrote:
>
> F. Senault wrote:
> > Le 27 octobre 2006 04:33, John W. Kennedy a ñÄrit :
> >
> >> F. Senault wrote:
> >>> Le 26 octobre 2006 02:04, Rick DeNatale a ñÄrit :
> >>>
> >>>> I've heard that accents were dropped on capital letters because
> >>>> accented capitals weren't commonly available on typewriters.
> >>> That was my understanding too.
> >> No, it goes back at least to the 18th century, to my certain knowledge,
> >> long before typewriters were invented. The typefaces just weren't
> >> designed with the extra room on top, and no one seems to have thought
> of
> >> (or rejected on aesthetic grounds) shrinking the letters a bit to fit
> >> the accent in.
> >
> > Colour me very surprised.  I'd add that I could find more references to
> > my hypothesis than yours on the web, but not being a specialist, I'll
> > just stay dubitative.
> >
> > Now, we're still way off topic for this, so, if you have some pointers
> > to add or wish to continue the conversation, my email address is valid
> > (if heavily protected against spam).
>
> I've spent a considerable amount of time in the last couple of years
> working with the first edition of the 1798 play, "Andr a Tragedy in
> Five Acts". 'Nuff said.


That predates Ada!!!

--
> John W. Kennedy
> "The blind rulers of Logres
> Nourished the land on a fallacy of rational virtue."
>    -- Charles Williams.  "Taliessin through Logres: Prelude"
>
>


-- 
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress
depends on the unreasonable man.

- George Bernard Shaw

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