Lesson plan
IJ (digraph)
IJ (minuscule: ij; ), also encountered as Unicode compatibility characters IJ and ij, is a digraph of the letters i and j. Occurring in the Dutch language, it is sometimes considered a ligature, or a letter in itself. In most fonts that have a separate character for ij, the two composing parts are not connected but are separate glyphs, which are sometimes slightly kerned. An ij in written Dutch usually represents the diphthong , similar to the pronunciation of in "pay", and is preserved in such Dutch spellings as the place-name IJsselmeer. In standard Dutch and most Dutch dialects, there are two possible spellings for the diphthong : ij and ei, with no clear usage rules. To distinguish between the two, the ij is referred to as the ("long ij"), the ei as ("short ei") or simply E – I. In certain Dutch dialects (notably West Flemish and Zeelandic) and the Dutch Low Saxon dialects of Low German, a difference in the pronunciation of ei and ij is maintained. Whether it is pronounced identically to ei or not, the pronunciation of ij is often perceived as difficult by people who do not have either sound in their native language. The ij originally represented a 'long i'. It used to be written as ii, as it is in Finnish, Estonian, and notably in West Frisian (where cognates like iis/ijs "ice" can often be found).…
Article summary
IJ (minuscule: ij; ), also encountered as Unicode compatibility characters IJ and ij, is a digraph of the letters i and j. Occurring in the Dutch language, it is sometimes considered a ligature, or a letter in itself. In most fonts that have a separate character for ij, the two composing parts are not connected but are separate glyphs, which are sometimes slightly kerned. An ij in written Dutch usually represents the diphthong , similar to the pronunciation of in "pay", and is preserved in such Dutch spellings as the place-name IJsselmeer. In standard Dutch and most Dutch dialects, there are two possible spellings for the diphthong : ij and ei, with no clear usage rules. To distinguish between the two, the ij is referred to as the ("long ij"), the ei as ("short ei") or simply E – I. In certain Dutch dialects (notably West Flemish and Zeelandic) and the Dutch Low Saxon dialects of Low German, a difference in the pronunciation of ei and ij is maintained. Whether it is pronounced identically to ei or not, the pronunciation of ij is often perceived as difficult by people who do not have either sound in their native language. The ij originally represented a 'long i'. It used to be written as ii, as it is in Finnish, Estonian, and notably in West Frisian (where cognates like iis/ijs "ice" can often be found).…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.