THE MONKEY STRUDEL
From the Book CENTAUR LETTERS (part one)
author: Rastko Ćirić

Even the sign @, which is now obligatory part of every Internet address, is ligature as well.

Sign of this shape was created long before the computers, probably in the 6th or 7th century. It was made out of the middle-ages abbreviation “ad”, meaning in Latin “towards, to, up to”. During that time, the “uncial” letter type was in use. Uncial “d” was curved and had a long upper elongation. In time the two letters were gradually joined, the “tail” of the letter d elongated more and more, until it completely surrounded the letter a, forming the character we use today. The meaning of this sign in the Internet addresses today is “on”: computer user ON a certain computer or server.

Before the Internet, this sign was used in official papers meaning “each”, for example: “4 apples @ $.35 = $1.40” (four apples, 0,35 dollars each, 1.40 dollars in total). Although it was not used widely, yet it appeared on the type machine keyboards and it was included as one of the special characters in the ASCII set which became a standard for computer keyboards. In July 1972 Ray Tomlinson, the main programmer of the ARPANET, the precedent of the Internet, had searched for a sign to divide a user's name from the name of a machine used. That had to be a sign that would have never been found in any name. Out of all keyboard characters, Tomlinson has chosen @, perhaps because it was less used until that time, not dreaming that he had created the symbol of an entire field of communication. Today this sign is used in all business papers, business cards, advertisements, newspaper and magazine addresses, and the whole world is using it.

In Serbia it was nicknamed MONKEY or MONKEY A, while more sophisticated people use the English term AT. The term “monkey” was probably taken over from English, after the Internet's appearing. Why monkey? Probably because the English word APE starts with the letter A, which provoked that association.

IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES @ IS CALLED IN DIFFERENT WAYS:

England: Commercial at
France: SNAIL or SMALL SNAIL (petit escargot), AROBAS (arobas: look for the meaning under “ Latin America ”)
Sweden: TRUNK A (snabel-a, the official name), HOSE A (alfaslang), CURLED A (krullalfa), MONKEY’S EAR (apöra), ELEPHANT’S EAR (elefantöra), CARAWAY ROLL (kanelbulle)
Norway: ARAWAY ROLL (kanel-bolle)
Finland: CAT’S TAIL (mian)
Russia: DOGGY (Sobacka)
Italy: SNAIL, SMALL SNAIL (chiocciola, chiocciolina)
Czech Republic: ANCHOVIES (zavínác)
Holland: LITTLE APE'S TAIL (apestaart, api)
Germany: HANGED MONKEY (Klammeraffe)
Denmark: »A« WITH A TRUNK (snabel)
Israel: STRUDEL (Shtrudel)
Hungary: BUG (kukac)
Romania: MONKEY'S TAIL (coada de maimuta)
Latin America: ARROBA (Spanish wine measure)
China, Taiwan: SMALL MOUSE (mali miš) (sjao lao šu)
Greece: LITTLE DUCK (papi)
Korea: SNAIL (dalfengi)

WHAT ARE LIGATURES?
CENTAUR LETTERS (part one)

END OR ET
CENTAUR LETTERS (part two)

MONOGRAMS AND MARKS
CENTAUR LETTERS (part four)