G - Typographic Forms

Typographic Forms

The modern lower case ⟨g⟩ has two typographic variants: the single-story (sometimes opentail) ⟨⟩ and the double-story (sometimes looptail) ⟨⟩. The single-story version derives from the majuscule (upper-case) form by raising the serif that distinguishes it from ⟨c⟩ to the top of the loop, thus closing the loop, and extending the vertical stroke downward and to the left. The double-story form developed similarly, except that some ornate forms then extended the tail back to the right, and to the left again, forming a closed bowl or loop. The initial extension to the right was absorbed into the upper closed bowl. The double-story version became popular when printing switched to "Roman type" because the tail was effectively shorter, making it possible to put more lines on a page. In the double-story version, a small stroke in the upper-right, often terminating in an orb shape, is called an "ear".

Generally, the two are complementary, but occasionally the difference has been exploited to provide contrast. The 1949 Principles of the International Phonetic Association recommends using for advanced voiced velar plosives (denoted by Latin small letter script G) and for regular ones where the two are contrasted, but this suggestion was never accepted by phoneticians in general, and today ⟨⟩ is the symbol used in the International Phonetic Alphabet, with ⟨⟩ acknowledged as an acceptable variant, and is more often used in printed materials.