cédille

A cédille is a diacritical mark placed under the letter c. It is most commonly found in French, Portuguese, Catalan, and some other Romance languages. The primary function of the cédille is to indicate that the letter c should be pronounced as a soft 's' sound, rather than the hard 'k' sound it typically makes before a, o, or u. For instance, in French, the word garçon is pronounced with the 'c' sounding like 's', whereas in words like 'café' or 'cœur', the 'c' retains its hard sound.

The origin of the cédille can be traced back to medieval scribal practices, where it was often written as a small z beneath the c. This practice evolved over time into the comma-like symbol we recognize today. The name "cédille" itself comes from the Spanish word 'zeta', referring to the letter z, which was its precursor.

While most prevalent in French, the cédille also appears in other languages. In Portuguese, it is used similarly, ensuring the 's' sound before a, o, and u, as seen in words like 'coração' (heart). Catalan also employs the cédille for the same phonetic purpose, for example, in 'força' (strength). The presence and usage of the cédille are important for correct pronunciation and spelling in these languages, and it is a distinctive feature of their orthography.