Today I learned that the French circumflex accent denotes an “s” that became silent and then invisible.
ancêtre "ancestor"
hôpital "hospital"
hôtel "hostel"
forêt "forest"
rôtir "to roast"
côte "coast"
pâté "paste"
août "August"
Thanks @lingthusiasm podcât!
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Not always?
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Basic overview here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumflex_in_French …
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Replying to @o_guest @NeuroPolarbear and
Example from above link: "In words derived from Ancient Greek, the circumflex over o often indicates the presence of the Greek letter omega (ω) when the word is pronounced with the sound /o/: diplôme (δίπλωμα), cône (κῶνος)."
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Replying to @o_guest @NeuroPolarbear and
Also... Hilarious: "Some circumflexes appear for no known reason. It is thought to give words an air of prestige, like a crown (thus trône, prône, suprême and voûte)."
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Replying to @o_guest @NeuroPolarbear and
My favorite is "rôle", which is 100% just a fancy way of writing "role."
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