J

J is a letter of the Latin alphabet and many modern alphabets.

It is also used in the Italian language, currently mainly for loanwords from other languages. 'J' was often used by the Romans instead of 'i', sometimes to indicate the sound of a long 'i'. In the Middle Ages, the elongated form of 'I' ('J') had ornamental purposes and was often used as the initial letter of a word or in numerical sequences. In Italian, it was once used to represent the semi-consonantal 'i' (i.e., preceding a vowel, as in 'jeri' or 'gajo') or for the '-ii' ending of plurals (as in 'principj', plural of 'principio'). In the case of loanwords from other languages, the letter is pronounced in different ways depending on the phonetic value it has in the original language.

Template:Portal Letters

Template:Portal alphabet