A
rv. /æ, ɑː, ɒ, ɔː, ə/ etc are of course phonemes that the letter can represent in text, but none of them is ever used as the *name* of the letter, which is what this sentence is about. The name of the letter, as in spelling out the a-b-c, is only ever /eɪ/.
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{{Latin letter info|a}} |
{{Latin letter info|a}} |
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'''A''' ([[Letter case|minuscule]]: '''a''') is the first [[Letter (alphabet)|letter]] and the first [[vowel letter]] of the [[Latin alphabet]],{{Cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Latin-alphabet |title=Latin alphabet |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=3 March 2021 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309055637/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Latin-alphabet |url-status=live }}{{sfn|Simpson|Weiner|1989|p=1}} used in the modern [[English alphabet]], and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''[[English alphabet#Letter names|a]]'' ( |
'''A''' ([[Letter case|minuscule]]: '''a''') is the first [[Letter (alphabet)|letter]] and the first [[vowel letter]] of the [[Latin alphabet]],{{Cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Latin-alphabet |title=Latin alphabet |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=3 March 2021 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309055637/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Latin-alphabet |url-status=live }}{{sfn|Simpson|Weiner|1989|p=1}} used in the modern [[English alphabet]], and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''[[English alphabet#Letter names|a]]'' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|'|eɪ|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-A.wav}} {{respell|AY}}), plural ''aes''.{{refn|group=nb|''Aes'' is the plural of the name of the letter. The plural of the letter itself is rendered ''A''s, A's, ''a''s, or a's.}}{{sfn|Simpson|Weiner|1989|p=1}} |
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It is similar in shape to the [[Ancient Greek]] letter [[alpha]], from which it derives.{{sfn|McCarter|1974|p=54}} The [[uppercase]] version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lowercase version is often written in one of two forms: the double-storey {{gph|a}} and single-storey {{gph|ɑ}}. The latter form is commonly used in handwriting and fonts based on it, especially fonts intended to be read by children, and is also found in [[italic type]]. |
It is similar in shape to the [[Ancient Greek]] letter [[alpha]], from which it derives.{{sfn|McCarter|1974|p=54}} The [[uppercase]] version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lowercase version is often written in one of two forms: the double-storey {{gph|a}} and single-storey {{gph|ɑ}}. The latter form is commonly used in handwriting and fonts based on it, especially fonts intended to be read by children, and is also found in [[italic type]]. |
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