The Hirstory of 'Z': I'm Just Zayin'

The hirstory of the letter 'Z' is a hirstory of war and conquest! 'Z' began as the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet; the Hebrews called it "za," pronounced it "zag," and drew it as a fancy kind of dagger. The Phoenicians drew it similarly, but called it "zayin" translating literally to dagger or weapon. Next the Phoenician "zayin" became the Greek "zeta"except it looked like an 'I.' The Romans also adopted the symbol into their alphabet, then subsequently kicked it out because they didn't really put it to use, and opened it's position in the Roman alphabet to the 'G.' 'Z' might have been lost forever, if not for the incorporation of a few stray Greek words into the Roman language after they conquered Greece. However, 'Z' was kind of a second-class symbol since it wasn't part of the traditional language, and thus it was kicked to the end of the line. The letter transformed from 'I' to 'Z' when calligraphers and scribes got lazy with their strokes.

'Ze' or 'zie' is also a gender-neutral pronoun used predominately by transgendered persons and their allies (along with 'hir'), as English has no gender neutral pronouns to describe a single person at this point in time, the use of the 'Z' sound to voice a gender neutrality which does not exist currently in the language is to me a fabulous way for the people to make the language theirs. Or to use words as a weapon, one might say, to change the cultural perspective on the gender binary, or something else important and frequently under-scrutinized. Thus, an animation of this letter could tell a story about language, words, and symbols in regard to the cultural values inherent in language systems, and the ability to affect the overarching conversation (culture) through the alteration and subversion of previously existing symbols/words/phrases or the creation of new ones.

What interests me about this letter the most is that the original symbol, 'I,' meant "weapon." I = weapon. The self as a weapon, imagination and creative power as a transformative force, and reclaiming language and shaping it so that it suits our needs, desires and potential expressions versus trying to fit ourselves into pre-existing words/phrases and the ideas/perspectives inherent in them and thus limiting what we can do/think/create/express. To better help you understand my idea concerning this aspect of language, and my philosophy/approach to writing generally, I offer this quote from the much beloved Kathy Acker: "Literature is that which denounces and slashes apart the repressing machine at the level of the signified."

I also think it pertinent to inform that many fascinating nouns begin with the letter 'z.' Here is a list of the ones I especially like:

ZORA NEALE HURSTON
ZULU NATION
ZEITGEIST

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z

http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/scripts/letters/historyz.htm

http://www.learner.org/courses/worldhistory/audio_glossary_Z.html

http://www.fonts.com/AboutFonts/Articles/Letterseries/LetterZ.htm

Question for all you peoples: HOW MIGHT I MAKE WORDS IN MY ACTUAL POST HYPERLINK TO THESE SOURCES INSTEAD OF THIS UGLY LAUNDRY LIST OF LINKS? Thanks in advance, world.

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