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one-story, double-story, three-story g?
Posted by rhe in
18 Mar 2012 — 2:06am
18 Mar 2012 — 2:06am
What’s the common practice and the logic for naming the different possible shapes of a and g in the English language?
From what I could gather, the common practices seems to be to have two groups: the single-story shapes and the double-story shapes. But until now, I fail to see the formal logic behind that.
If I take the double-story a and turn it upside down, I then get, what is referred to as single-story shape of the g – even though this is exactly the same shape. So what actually are then the “stories” of that character?
Therefore my personal logic would be to name the different possibilities:
single-story a
double-story a
double-story g (because it is basically an upside down double-story a)
and three(!)-story g
But maybe I am missing something …
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18 Mar 2012 — 11:15am
I've always liked “binocular” for two-storied g’s, although “pince-nez” would be a closer simile.
But logic? Forget about it, this is type!
18 Mar 2012 — 11:32am
Indeed, let's not get hung up on topoterminology.
I used to call the binocular "g" bicameral, but then
Kent convinced me that terms is better reserved
for writing systems (as in UC and lc). But I'll never
call it "two-storied"!
hhp
18 Mar 2012 — 5:52pm
I call it a "split-level" g
19 Mar 2012 — 1:06am
What about onefold, twofold, threefold?
19 Mar 2012 — 2:13am
Don’t forget about the four-storey gee!
http://flickr.com/photos/hardwig/2524903281/
19 Mar 2012 — 9:01am
If we had a clear definition what the story of a letter is, then calling a shape a four-story g would be no problem.
19 Mar 2012 — 9:08am
Nick: Binocular / monocular makes sense for the g, but not so much for the a.
21 Mar 2012 — 11:07am
22 Mar 2012 — 5:48am
Ack! That's gotta be end of story!
22 Mar 2012 — 10:47am
Call it the sexy curvy letter!
22 Mar 2012 — 1:41pm
It could be a g.
22 Mar 2012 — 4:45pm
A better question is where did the single story g come from?
24 Mar 2012 — 12:41am
Ralf's original question can be explained away by extending the metaphor. Think of the baseline as ground level. A two-story building has two floors above ground level; you don't count the basement if it has one.
I think I've identified the best clear way to describe the two main types of g without running into exceptions. The verticals of letters such as b, d, p, q are stems. Any g whose tail drops down from the right side is a stemmed g, and others such as the typical binocular g are unstemmed.
27 Mar 2012 — 7:35am
I like "the sexy, curvy letter". If you've practised calligraphy you'll know that that g feels so good when you get it right; and usually, if you don't get it right, you know it's not right soon after you've started the lower curve.
27 Mar 2012 — 8:39am
And when you get a typographic "g" right it feels so good forever! :-)
hhp