1. The first letter in the 
English alphabet, as also 
generally in the other al- 
phabets which, like the 
English, come ultimately 
from the Phenieian. Our 
letters are the same as 
those used by the Ro- 
mans; the Roman or Latin 
alphabet is one of several 
Italian alphabets derived from the Greek ; and 
the Greek alphabet is, with a few adaptations 
and additions, formed from the Phenieian. 
As to the origin of the Phenieian alphabet, 
opinions are by no means agreed ; but the 
view now most widely current is that put 
forth and supported a few years ago by the 
French scholar De Roug6 : namely, that the 
Pheniciau characters are derived from early 
Egyptian hieratic characters, or abbreviated 
forms of written hieroglyphs. Under each 
letter will be given in this work the Phe- 
nieian character from which it comes, along 
with an early form or two of the Greek and 
Latin derived characters (especially intended 
to show the change of direction of the let- 
ter consequent upon the change of direction 
of writing, since the Phenieian was always 
written from right to left); and to these will 
be added the hieratic and hieroglyphic char- 
acters from which the Pheuician is held to 
originate, according to De Rough's theory. It 
is to be noticed that our ordinary capitals are 
the original forms of our letters ; the lower- 
case, Italic, and written letters are all derived 
from the capitals. Our A corresponds to the 
Phenieian letter called aleph; and this name, 
signifying " ox," is also the original of the 
Greek name of the same letter, alpha. The 
comparative scheme for A is as follows : 
k ^ A A 
Egyptian. Pheni- Early 
Hieroglyphic. Hieratic. cian. Greek and Latin. 
The Pheniciau aleph was not a proper vowel- 
sign, but rather a quasi-consonantal one, to 
which an initial vowel-sound, of whatever 
kind, attached itself ; since the fundamental 
plan of that alphabet assumed that every syl- 
lable should begin with a consonant. But the 
Greeks, in adapting the borrowed alphabet to 
their own use, made the sign represent a single 
vowel-sound : that, namely, which we usually 
call the " Italian " or " Continental " a (a), as 
heai'd in far, father. This was its value 
in the Latin also, and in the various alphabets 
founded on the Latin, including that of our 
own ancestors, the speakers and writers of 
earliest English or Anglo-Saxon; and it is 
mainly retained to the present time in the 
languages of continental Europe. In conse- 
quence, however, of the gradual and per- 
vading change of utterance of English words, 
without corresponding change in the mode 
of writing thorn, it has come to have in our 
use a variety of values. The sound of a in 
far is the purest and most fundamental of 
vowel-sounds, being that which is naturally 
sent forth by the human, organs of utterance 
when the mouth and throat are widely opened, 
and the tone from the larynx suffered to come 
out with least modifying interference by the 
parts of the mouth. On the other hand, in 
the production of the i-sound of machine or 
pique and the -sound of rule (or double o of 
pool), the organs are brought quite nearly 
together: in the case of i, the flat of the tongue 
and the roof of the mouth; in the case of 
K, the rounded lips. Hence these vowels ap- 
proach a consonantal character, and pass witli 
little or no alteration into y and w respec- 
tively. Then e and o (as in they and note) are 
intermediate respectively between a (a) and i 
and a (a) and u; and the sounds in fat and. fall 
are still less removed in either direction from a 
(a). The pure or original sound of a (far) is 
more prevalent in earlier stages of language, 
and is constantly being weakened or closened 
into the other vowel-sounds, which are to a great 
extent derived from it; and this process has 
gone on in English on a larger scale than in 
almost any other known language. Hence the 
a-sound (as in far) is very rare with us (less 
than half of one per cent, of our whole utter- 
ance, or not a tenth part as frequent as the 
sound of i in pit or as that of u in but) ; 
its short sound has been so generally flattened 
into that in fat, and its long sound into that 
in fate, that we now call these sounds respec- 
tively "short a" and "long a"; and, on the 
other hand, it has in many words been broad- 
ened or rounded into the sound heard in all 
and fall. Thus the most usual sounds of Eng- 
lish written a are now, in the order of their 
frequency, those in fat, fate, fall, far; there are 
also a few cases like the a in what and was (after 
a w-sound, nearly a corresponding short to the 
a of all), many (a "short c"), and others yet 
more sporadic. In syllables of least stress 
and distinctness, too, as in the first and third 
syllables of abundant and abundance, it is uni- 
Tersally uttered with the ' ' short u " sound of 
but. The " long a " of fate is not strictly one 
sound, but ends with a vanishing sound of 
"longe": i. e., it is a slide from the e-sound 
of they down to the -sound of pique. From 
this vanish the a of fare and bare and their 
like is free, while it has also an opener 
sound, and is even, in the mouths of many 
speakers, indistinguishable in quality from the 
"short a" of fat; hence the o-sound of fare is 
in the respellings of this work written with a, 
to distinguish it from the sound in fate. There 
is also a class of words, like ask, fast, ant, in 
which some pronounce the vowel simply as 
" short a," while some give it the full open 
sound of a in far, and yet others make it 
something intermediate between the two : such 
an a is represented in this work by a. A occurs 
as final only in a very few proper English 
words ; and it is never doubled in such words. 
2. As a symbol, a denotes the first of an actual 
or possible series. Specifically (a) In nmnii: 
the name of the sixth note of the natural 
diatonic scale of C, or the first note of the 
relative minor scale ; the la of Italian, French, 
and Spanish musicians. It is the note sounded by 
the open second string of the violin, and to it as given by 
a fixed-toned instrument (as the oboe or organ) all the 
instruments of an orchestra are tuned, (ft) In the 
mnemonic words of logic, the universal affirma- 
tive proposition, as, all men are mortal, simi 
larly, f stands for the particular affirmative, as, some 
men are mortal ; E for the universal negative, as, no men 
are mortal ; for the particular negative, as, some 
men are not mortal. The use of these symbols dates 
from the thirteenth century ; they appear to be arbitrary 
applications of the vowels a, 0, V, o, but are usually 
supposed to have been taken from the Latin Afflrmo, 
I affirm, and nEgO, I deny. But some authorities main- 
tain that their use in Greek is much older, (c) In 
math.: In algebra, a, b, c. etc., the first letters 
of the alphabet, stand for known quantities, 
while x, y, z, the last letters, stand for un- 
known quantities; in geometry, A, B, C, etc., 
are used to name points, lines, and figures. 
(d) In abstract reasoning, suppositions, etc., 
A, S, C, etc., denote each a particular person 
or thing in relation to the others of a scries or 
group, (e) In writing and pr in ting, a, b, c, etc., 
are used instead of or in addition to the Arabic 
figures in marking paragraphs or other divi- 
sions, or in making references. (/) In naut. 
lang., Al, A2, etc., are symbols used in the 
Record of American and Foreign Shipping, 
and in Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign 
Shipping, to denote the relative rating of mer- 
chant vessels. In the former, the character assigned to 
vessels by the surveyors is expressed by the numbers 
from 1 to 3, Al standing for the highest and A3 for the 
lowest grade. The numbers U, 1J, 2, 2J express interme- 
diate degrees of seaworthiness. Vessels classed as Al or 
A1J are regarded as fit for the carriage of. all kinds of 
cargoes on all kinds of voyages for a specified term of 
years ; those classed as Alj or A2, for all cargoes on 
Atlantic voyages, and in exceptional cases on long voy- 
ages, and for such cargoes as oil, sugar, molasses, etc., 
on any voyage ; those classed as A2J or A3, for coasting 
voyages only, with wood or coal. In Lloyd's Register, the 
letters A, A (in red), M, and E are used to denote various 
degrees of excellence in the hulls of ships, the figure 1 
l>eing added to express excellence of equipment, such as 
masts and rigging in sailing-ships, or boilers and engines 
in steamers. The broad A in the British Lloyd's indicates 
a ship built of iron. In the American Register, the an- 
nexed figures do not refer to the equipment. Hence, in 
commerce, Al is used to denote the highest mercantile 
credit; and colloquially Al, or in the United States A 
No. 1, is an adjective of commendation, like Jirat-clase, 
Jiritt-rate: as, an Al speaker. 
"He must be a first-rater," said Sam. "A I," replied 
Mr. Roker. Dickeiix, Pickwick Papers. 
An A number one cook, and no mistake. 
Mrs. Stmct, Dred. 
3. As an abbreviation, a stands, according to 
context, for acre, acting, adjective, answer, arc 
(in the metric system), argent (in her.), anal 
(anal fin, in ichth.), anechinoplacid (in echi- 
noderms), etc. ; in com., for approved, for ac- 
cepted, and for Latin ad (commonly written ), 
" at " or " to " : as, 500 shares L. I. preferred < 
&H; 25 30 cents per yard. 4. Attrib., hav- 
ing the form of the capital A, as a tent. 
The common or A tent, for the use of enlisted men. 
Wilhdm, Mil. Diet. 
a 2 (a or a), indef. art. [< ME. a (before con- 
sonants), earlier an, orig. with long vowel, 
< AS. an, one, an: see an 1 .] The form of an 
used before consonants and words beginning 
with a consonant-sound: as, a man, a woman, 
a year, a union, a eulogy, a oneness, a hope. 
An, however, was formerly often used before 
the sounds of h and initial long u and eu. 
even in accented syllables (as, an hospital, an 
union), and is still retained by some before 
those sounds in unaccented syllables (as, an 
historian, aw united whole, an euphonious 
sound). The forma first appeared about the beginning 
of the thirteenth century. It is placed before noun* of the 
singular number, and also before plural nouns when/Mr or 
n\nt Him/His interposed, (Fi'iowas oriuinalh' singular*! 
'well as plant, and the article was singular (ME. a) or 
plural (ME. !/.) t<> igm with it. In the phrase a yreat 
///,///. the artiel.' lgiw> with iiiiiiiii. which is properly a 
noon (AS. nmfev: see maiiyi, .); the following plural 
