The sounds /w/ (spelled ⟨V⟩) and /b/ (spelled ⟨B⟩) of Classical Latin developed into a bilabial fricative /β/ between vowels in Early Medieval Latin. Therefore, ⟨V⟩ no longer adequately represented the labial-velar approximant sound /w/ of Germanic phonology.
The Germanic /w/ phoneme was therefore written as ⟨VV⟩ or ⟨uu⟩ (⟨u⟩ and ⟨v⟩ becoming distinct only by the Early Modern period). By the 7th or 8th century, the earliest writers of Old English and Old High German.[3] Gothic (not Latin-based), by contrast, simply used a letter based on the Greek Υ for the same sound. The digraph ⟨VV⟩/⟨uu⟩ was also used in Medieval Latin to represent Germanic names, including Gothic ones like Wamba.
It is from this ⟨uu⟩ digraph that the modern name "double U" derives. The digraph was commonly used in the spelling of Old High German, but only sporadically in Old English, where the /w/ sound was usually represented by the runic ⟨Ƿ⟩ wynn. In early Middle English, following the 11th-century Norman Conquest, ⟨uu⟩ gained popularity and by 1300 it had taken wynn's place in common use.
Scribal realization of the digraph could look like a pair of Vs whose branches crossed in the middle. An obsolete, cursive form found in the nineteenth century in both English and German was in the form of an ⟨n⟩ whose rightmost branch curved around as in a cursive ⟨v⟩.[citation needed]
The shift from the digraph ⟨VV⟩ to the distinct ligature ⟨W⟩ is thus gradual, and is only apparent in abecedaria, explicit listings of all individual letters. It was probably considered a separate letter by the 14th century in both Middle English and Middle German orthography, although it remained an outsider, not really considered part of the Latin alphabet proper, as expressed by Valentin Ickelshamer in the 16th century, who complained that:
“ Poor w is so infamous and unknown that many barely know either its name or its shape, not those who aspire to being Latinists, as they have no need of it, nor do the Germans, not even the schoolmasters, know what to do with it or how to call it; some call it we, [... others] call it uu, [...] the Swabians call it auwawau[4] ”
In Middle High German (and possibly already in late Old High German), the West Germanic phoneme /w/ became realized as [v]; this is why, today, the German ⟨w⟩ represents that sound. There is no phonological distinction between [w] and [v] in contemporary German.
The sounds /w/ (spelled ⟨V⟩) and /b/ (spelled ⟨B⟩) of Classical Latin developed into a bilabial fricative /β/ between vowels in Early Medieval Latin. Therefore, ⟨V⟩ no longer adequately represented the labial-velar approximant sound /w/ of Germanic phonology.
The Germanic /w/ phoneme was therefore written as ⟨VV⟩ or ⟨uu⟩ (⟨u⟩ and ⟨v⟩ becoming distinct only by the Early Modern period). By the 7th or 8th century, the earliest writers of Old English and Old High German.[3] Gothic (not Latin-based), by contrast, simply used a letter based on the Greek Υ for the same sound. The digraph ⟨VV⟩/⟨uu⟩ was also used in Medieval Latin to represent Germanic names, including Gothic ones like Wamba.
It is from this ⟨uu⟩ digraph that the modern name "double U" derives. The digraph was commonly used in the spelling of Old High German, but only sporadically in Old English, where the /w/ sound was usually represented by the runic ⟨Ƿ⟩ wynn. In early Middle English, following the 11th-century Norman Conquest, ⟨uu⟩ gained popularity and by 1300 it had taken wynn's place in common use.
Scribal realization of the digraph could look like a pair of Vs whose branches crossed in the middle. An obsolete, cursive form found in the nineteenth century in both English and German was in the form of an ⟨n⟩ whose rightmost branch curved around as in a cursive ⟨v⟩.[citation needed]
The shift from the digraph ⟨VV⟩ to the distinct ligature ⟨W⟩ is thus gradual, and is only apparent in abecedaria, explicit listings of all individual letters. It was probably considered a separate letter by the 14th century in both Middle English and Middle German orthography, although it remained an outsider, not really considered part of the Latin alphabet proper, as expressed by Valentin Ickelshamer in the 16th century, who complained that:
“ Poor w is so infamous and unknown that many barely know either its name or its shape, not those who aspire to being Latinists, as they have no need of it, nor do the Germans, not even the schoolmasters, know what to do with it or how to call it; some call it we, [... others] call it uu, [...] the Swabians call it auwawau[4] ”
In Middle High German (and possibly already in late Old High German), the West Germanic phoneme /w/ became realized as [v]; this is why, today, the German ⟨w⟩ represents that sound. There is no phonological distinction between [w] and [v] in contemporary German.
The sounds/w/(spelled ⟨V⟩) and/b/(spelled ⟨B⟩) of Classical Latin formed into a bilabial fricative/β/between vowels in Early Medieval Latin. In this way, ⟨V⟩ never again enough spoke to the labial-velar approximant sound/w/of Germanic phonology.
The Germanic/w/phoneme was in this manner composed as ⟨VV⟩ or ⟨uu⟩ (⟨u⟩ and ⟨v⟩ getting to be particular just by the Early Modern time frame). By the seventh or eighth century, the soonest essayists of Old English and Old High German. Gothic (not Latin-based), by differentiate, basically utilized a letter in view of the Greek Υ for a similar sound. The digraph ⟨VV⟩/⟨uu⟩ was likewise utilized as a part of Medieval Latin to speak to Germanic names, including Gothic ones like Wamba.
It is from this ⟨uu⟩ digraph that the advanced name "twofold U" infers. The digraph was ordinarily utilized as a part of the spelling of Old High German, however just sporadically in Old English, where the/w/sound was typically spoken to by the runic ⟨ƿ⟩ wynn. In early Middle English, after the eleventh century Norman Conquest, ⟨uu⟩ picked up notoriety and by 1300 it had wynn's spot in like manner utilize.
Scribal acknowledgment of the digraph could resemble a couple of Vs whose branches crossed in the center. An outdated, cursive frame found in the nineteenth century in both English and German was as a ⟨n⟩ whose furthest right branch bended around as in a cursive ⟨v⟩.[citation needed]
The move from the digraph ⟨VV⟩ to the unmistakable ligature ⟨W⟩ is consequently progressive, and is just clear in abecedaria, express postings of every single individual letter. It was most likely thought about a different letter by the fourteenth century in both Middle English and Middle German orthography, in spite of the fact that it remained a pariah, not by any stretch of the imagination considered piece of the Latin letters in order appropriate, as communicated by Valentin Ickelshamer in the sixteenth century, who whined that:
" Poor w is so scandalous and obscure that numerous scarcely know either its name or its shape, not the individuals who seek to being Latinists, as they have no need of it, nor do the Germans, not in any case the schoolmasters, realize what to do with it or how to call it; some call it we, [... others] call it uu, [...] the Swabians call it auwawau. "
In Middle High German (and perhaps as of now in late Old High German), the West Germanic phoneme/w/ended up acknowledged as [v]; this is the reason, today, the German ⟨w⟩ speaks to that sound. There is no phonological qualification amongst [w] and [v] in contemporary German.
