Digama

Digamma (uppercase: Ϝ, lowercase: ϝ) is an archaic letter of the Greek alphabet. It originally represented the voiced labiovelar approximant /w/, a sound that later disappeared from most dialects of Greek.

History:

The digamma was derived from the Phoenician letter waw (𐍅). Its original position in the Greek alphabet was between epsilon and zeta, reflecting its original phonetic value and its place of origin. In early Greek alphabets, digamma appeared in various forms, often resembling a double gamma (ΓΓ), hence the name "digamma" (meaning "double gamma").

Use and Evolution:

The digamma was widely used in early Greek inscriptions and literary texts. However, as the sound /w/ disappeared from most Greek dialects, the need for a dedicated letter to represent it diminished. By the Classical period, digamma had fallen out of use in the standard Attic alphabet.

Despite its disappearance from written Attic Greek, the sound /w/ and thus the digamma, persisted in some dialects, notably Aeolic and Arcadian. In these dialects, the digamma continued to be used, although its form might have varied.

Numerical Value:

Although obsolete as a letter by the Classical period, digamma was later revived as a numeral in the Greek numeral system. In this context, it was assigned the numerical value of 6. The numeral form often differs slightly from the letter form, resembling a stigma (Ϛ, ϛ), which developed from a ligature of sigma and tau, and took over the role of the number 6. Modern usage often confuses the two.

Legacy:

The digamma, though no longer used as a letter in modern Greek, remains historically significant for understanding the evolution of the Greek language and alphabet. Its disappearance provides valuable insight into the phonetic changes that shaped the development of different Greek dialects. The numeral use, though technically incorrect, keeps the idea of digamma alive even today, albeit often conflated with stigma.