[PW] ?use and disappearance of the thorn in ye olde North America

[John Henderson]

A professor is trying to document the use of the Anglo-Saxon letter  
"thorn," specifically in English North America. He has basic  
information, such as that it had to be replaced by the letter "y"  
when the printing presses imported into England didn't have a  
"thorn," and that with or without the influence of the printing press  
the letter was simplified to resemble a "y" on signs and in  
handwriting, as well. He is trying to get as much documentary  
evidence as he can to establish when, where, and by who it was used  
in the English-speaking areas of North America. For example, he has  
discovered that headstones in Massachusetts and Virginia before 1800  
commonly use the open thorn, but after 1800 it abruptly falls out of  
use. Before he embarks in an exploration of North American archives  
and libraries for old texts and documents, he wondered if someone has  
already made a study of North American writing and publishing  
practice and where and how long it might have survived in manuscripts  
and in the printed word. As a secondary matter, he would also be  
interested in discovering if it can be dated when it started to  
commonly reappear in pseudo-archaic usages, complete with faulty y- 
sound pronunciation.

He has been looking for some time and hasn't found anything. Some  
colleagues of mine in the library have been looking at books on  
American language and typography, but they haven't found anything  
beyond some general discussion and speculation, and little or nothing  
so far that is specific to North America.

John Henderson
Ithaca College Library
jhenderson at ithaca.edu