Aleph

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[[Image:Aleph.jpg|300px|thumb|right|[[Aleph]] in Hebrew]]
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{{other uses}}
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{{Phoenician glyph|letname=Alef|previouslink=Aleph|previousletter=      |nextlink=Bet (letter)|nextletter=Bet|arrowleft= |archar=ا|sychar=ܐ|hechar=א|amchar=aleph|gechar=አ|phchar=aleph|grchar=Α|lachar=A|cychar=А|ipa=ʔ|num=1|gem=1}}
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'''{{transl|sem|ʾĀlep}}''' is the reconstructed name of the first letter of the [[Proto-Canaanite alphabet]], continued in descended [[Semitic alphabets]] as [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]] '''{{transl|sem|Aleph}}''' [[File:phoenician aleph.svg|15px|]],  [[Syriac alphabet|Syriac]] '''{{transl|sem|'Ālaph}}''' {{lang|syr|ܐ}}, [[Hebrew alphabet|Hebrew]] '''Aleph'''  {{lang|he|א}}, and [[Arabic alphabet|Arabic]] '''{{transl|ar|DIN|ʾAlif}}''' {{lang|ar|ا}}.
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The Phoenician letter gave rise to the [[Greek language|Greek]] [[Alpha (letter)|Alpha]] (Α), being re-interpreted to express not the glottal consonant but the accompanying [[vowel]], and hence the [[Latin]] [[A]] and [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] [[A (Cyrillic)|А]].
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{{Semitic alphabet}}
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The Unicode value for aleph is U+05D0 (1488 decimal).
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In phonetics, aleph ({{IPA-en|ˈɑːlɨf}}) originally represented the [[glottal stop]] ({{IPAblink|ʔ}}), usually [[transliteration|transliterated]] as '''{{transl|sem|ʾ}}''' (U+02BE) "[[ʾ|modifier letter right half ring]]", based on the Greek ''[[spiritus lenis]]'' {{polytonic|ʼ}}. For example in the transliteration of the letter name itself, ''{{transl|sem|ʾāleph}}''.
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==Origin==
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The name ''aleph''  is derived from the West Semitic word for "[[ox]]", and the shape of the letter derives from a [[Proto-Sinaitic]] glyph based on a [[Egyptian hieroglyphs|hieroglyph]] depicting an ox's head, <div style="display:inline;"> <hiero> F1 </hiero> </div>.
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In Modern Standard Arabic, there is a word {{lang|ar|أليف}} {{IPA|/ʔaliːf/}} which literally means "tamed" or "coy",  derived from the root {{IPA|{{!}}ʔ-l-f{{!}}}} from which the past tense verb  آلَفَ {{IPA|/ʔaːlafa/}} means to "to coy". This has sometimes been connected with the name of ''alif'' in [[folk etymology]].{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}
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In modern Hebrew, the same root t {{IPA|{{!}}ʔ-l-f{{!}}}} (alef-lamed-pe)  gives "me'ulaf",  the passive participle of the verb "le'alef", and means trained (when referring to pets) or tamed (when referring to wild animals); the [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]] rank of [[Aluf]], taken from an [[Edom]]ite title of nobility, is also cognate.{{clarify|date=October 2011}}
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==Arabic==
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Written as <big>{{lang|ar|ا}}</big>, spelled as <big>{{lang|ar|ألف}}</big> and transcribed as ''{{transl|ar|DIN|ʾalif}}'' is the first letter in [[Arabic alphabet|Arabic]] and [[Perso-Arabic alphabet]].
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Together with Hebrew Aleph, Greek [[Alpha (letter)|Alpha]] and Latin [[A]], it is descended from [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]] {{transl|sem|ʾāleph}}, from a reconstructed Proto-Canaanite ''{{transl|sem|ʾalp}}'' "ox".
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Alif is written in one of the following ways depending on its position in the word:
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{{Arabic alphabet shapes|ا}}
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Historically, the Perso-Arabic letter was used to render either a long {{IPA|/aː/}}, or a [[glottal stop]] {{IPA|/ʔ/}}. This led to [[orthographical]] confusion, and to introduction of the additional letter ''{{transl|ar|DIN|hamzat qatʿ}}'' <big>{{lang|ar|ﺀ}}</big>. [[Hamza]]h is not considered a full letter in Arabic orthography: in most cases it appears on a carrier, either a ''{{transl|ar|DIN|wāw}}'' (<big>{{lang|ar|ؤ}}</big>), a dotless ''{{transl|ar|DIN|yāʾ}}'' (<big>{{lang|ar|ئ}}</big>, or an alif.  The choice of carrier depends on complicated orthographic rules. Alif <big>{{lang|ar|إ أ}}</big> is generally the carrier where the only adjacent vowel is ''{{transl|ar|DIN|fatḥah}}''. It is the only possible carrier where hamzah is the first phoneme of a word. Where alif acts as a carrier for hamzah, hamzah is added above the alif, or, for initial alif ''{{transl|ar|DIN|kasrah}}'', below it, indicating that the letter so modified does indeed signify a glottal stop, and not a long vowel.
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A second type of hamza, ''{{transl|ar|DIN|hamzat waṣl}}'' ({{lang|ar|همزة وصل}}, occurs only as the initial phoneme of the [[Al-|definite article]] and in some related cases. It differs from ''{{transl|ar|DIN|hamzat qatʿ}}'' in that it is elided after a preceding vowel. Again, alif is always the carrier.
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The ''{{transl|ar|DIN|ʾalif maddah}}'' is, as it were, a double alif, expressing both a glottal stop and a long vowel: {{lang|ar|آ}}  (final {{lang|ar|ـآ}})    {{transl|ar|DIN|ʾā}} {{IPA|/ʔaː/}}, for example in <big>{{lang|ar|آخر}}</big> ''{{transl|ar|DIN|ʾāḫir}}'' {{IPA|/ʔaːxir/}} "last".
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{{Arabic alphabet shapes|آ}}
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{{Anchor|alifmaqsura}}The {{transl|ar|DIN|ʾalif maqṣūrah}} ({{lang|ar|ألف مقصورة}}), or "broken alif;" commonly known in Egypt as ''{{transl|ar|DIN|ʾalif layyinah}}'' ({{lang|ar|ألف لينة}}, {{IPA-arz|ˈʔælef læjˈjenæ|}} "flexible alif"). It looks like a dotless [[yāʾ|{{transl|ar|DIN|yāʾ}}]], <big>{{lang|ar|ى}}</big> (final <big>{{lang|ar|ـى}}</big> &nbsp; not to be confused with [[Persian alphabet|Persian]] ''[[Yodh#Perso-Arabic ye|ye]]''). It may only appear at the end of a word. Although it looks different from a regular Alif, it represents the same sound (long {{IPA|/aː/}}). ''{{transl|ar|DIN|ʾAlif maqsurah}}'' is transliterated as {{transl|ar|DIN|ā}} in [[DIN 31635]], {{transl|ar|ALA|á}} in [[ALA-LC Romanization|ALA-LC]], {{transl|ar|ISO 233-2|à}} in ISO 233-2 and ỳ in [[ISO 233]]. ''ʾAlif maqṣūrah'' can be confused with a yāʾ because they are both normally written finally as <big>ى</big> in Egypt, Sudan and sometimes other places, but anyway its occurrence in Modern Standard Arabic is not very common. In the case when <big>ى</big> represents final /-aː/, it may also be called, especially in Egypt, ألف لينة ''{{transl|ar|ʾalif layyinah}}'' ˈʔælef læjˈjenæ and when it represents final /-iː/, it is called je. In Egypt, it is always short [-æ, -ɑ] if used in [[Egyptian Arabic]] and most commonly short in Modern Standard Arabic, as well.
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==Hebrew==
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Written as <big>{{lang|he|א}}</big>, spelled as <big>אָלֶף</big> and transcribed as Aleph.
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In [[Hebrew language|Modern Israeli Hebrew]], the letter represents either a [[glottal stop]], or has no pronunciation besides that of the [[vowel]] attached to it.  The pronunciation varies among [[Jewish ethnic divisions|Jewish ethnic groups]].
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In [[gematria]], aleph represents the number 1, and when used at the beginning of [[Hebrew calendar|Hebrew years]], it means 1000 (i.e. א'תשנ"ד in [[Arabic numerals|numbers]] would be the [[Calendar date|date]] 1754).
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Aleph, along with [[Ayin]], [[Resh]], [[He (letter)|He]], and [[Heth (letter)|Heth]], cannot receive a [[dagesh]]. (However, there are few very rare examples where the [[Masoretes]] added a dagesh to an Aleph or Resh.)
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In Modern Hebrew the frequency of the usage of alef, out of all the letters, is 4.94%.
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Aleph is sometimes used as a [[mater lectionis]] to denote a vowel, usually /a/. Such use is more common in words of [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] and [[Arabic language|Arabic]] origin, in foreign names and some other borrowed words.
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{|class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
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|-
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!colspan=5|<small>[[Orthography|Orthographic]] variants</small>
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|-
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!colspan=3|<small>Various Print Fonts</small>
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!rowspan=2|<small>[[Cursive Hebrew|Cursive<br />Hebrew]]</small>
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!rowspan=2|<small>[[Rashi Script|Rashi<br />Script]]</small>
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|-
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!|<small>[[Serif]]</small> !! <small>[[Sans-serif]]</small> !! <small>[[Monospaced font|Monospaced]]</small> <!-- !! </small> [[Rounded Roman]]</small> -->
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|-
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|width=20%|<span style="font:29pt 'times new roman', 'David', 'Narkisim';">א</span>
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|width=20%|<span style="font:29pt 'arial',sans-serif;">א</span>
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|width=20%|<span style="font:30pt 'courier new',monospace;">א</span>
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<!-- |width=20%|<span style="font:30pt 'cooper black';">א</span> -->
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|width=20%|[[image:Hebrew letter Alef handwriting.svg|18px]]
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|width=20%|[[image:Hebrew letter Alef Rashi.png|31px]]
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|}
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===Rabbinic Judaism===
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'Aleph is the subject of a [[midrash]] which praises its humility in not demanding to start the Bible. (In [[Hebrew]] the Bible begins with the second letter of the [[alphabet]], [[Bet (letter)|Bet]].) In this folktale, 'Aleph is rewarded by being allowed to start the [[Ten Commandments]]. (In [[Hebrew]], the first word is אָנֹכִי, which starts with an aleph.)
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In the [[Sefer Yetzirah]], the [[letter (alphabet)|letter]] 'Aleph is [[King]] over Breath, Formed Air in the universe, Temperate in the Year, and the [[Chest]] in the soul.
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'Aleph is also the first letter of the [[Hebrew]] word ''emet'', which means ''truth''. In [[Jewish mythology]] it was the letter aleph that was carved into the head of the [[golem]] which ultimately gave it life.
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Aleph also begins the three words that make up God's mystical name in [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]], [[I am who I Am|I Am who I Am]] (in [[Hebrew]], 'Ehyeh 'Asher 'Ehyeh אהיה אשר אהיה}}), and 'aleph is an important part of mystical [[amulet]]s and formulas.
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Aleph in Jewish mysticism represents the oneness of God.  The letter can been seen as being composed of an upper yud, a lower yud, and a vav leaning on a diagonal.  The upper yud represents the hidden and ineffible aspects of God while the lower yud represents God's revelation and presence in the world.  The vav ("hook") connects the two realms.
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Jewish mysticism relates Aleph to the element of air, The Fool (Key 0, value 1) of the major arcana of the tarot deck,<sup>[]</sup> and the Scintillating Intelligence (#11) of the path between Kether and Chokmah in the Tree of the Sephiroth.
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====Hebrew sayings with aleph====
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'''From Aleph to [[Taw|Tav]]''' describes something from beginning to end; the Hebrew equivalent of the English ''From A to Z''.
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'''One who doesn't know how to make an Aleph''' is someone who is illiterate.
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'''No...with a big Aleph!''' (''lo b'aleph rabati'' - לא באלף רבתי) means '''Absolutely not!'''.
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==Syriac Alaph/Olaf==
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{| class="wikitable"
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|-
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!''Alaph''
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|-
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| [[image:Syriac Eastern alap.svg|50px]] ''Madnḫaya'' Alaph
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|-
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| [[image:Syriac Serta alap.svg|50px]] ''Serṭo'' Alaph
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|-
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| [[image:Syriac Estrangela alap.svg|50px]] ''Esṭrangela'' Alaph
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|}
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[[File:Syriac letter shapes Alaph.PNG|600px]]
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In the [[Syriac alphabet]], the first letter is ܐ — ܐܵܠܲܦ — Alaph (in eastern dialects) or Olaf (in western dialects). It is used in word-initial position to mark a word beginning with a vowel — although some words beginning with ''i'' or ''u'' do not need its help, and sometimes an initial Alaph/Olaf is [[elision|elided]]. For example, when the Syriac [[grammatical person|first-person]] [[grammatical number|singular]] [[pronoun]] ܐܵܢܵܐ is in [[clitic|enclitic]] positions, it is pronounced ''no/na'' (again west/east) rather than the full form ''eno/ana''. The letter occurs very regularly at the end of words, where it represents the long final vowels ''o/a'' or ''e''. In the middle of the word, the letter represents either a [[glottal stop]] between vowels (but West Syriac pronunciation often makes this a [[palatal approximant]]), a long ''i/e'' (less commonly ''o/a'') or is silent.
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===Numeral===
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As a numeral it Alaph/Olaf stands for the number one. With a dot below, it is the number 1,000, with a line above it, Alaph/Olaf will represent 1,000,000. with a line below it is 10,000 and with two dots below it is 10,000,000.
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==Ancient Egyptian==
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See Also [[Transliteration of Ancient Egyptian]]
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The Egyptian "vulture" [[hieroglyph]] ([[Gardiner's sign list|Gardiner]] [[List of hieroglyphs/G|G]]1), by convention pronounced {{IPA|[a]}}) is also referred to as ''alef'', on grounds that it has traditionally been taken to represent a glottal stop, although some recent suggestions<sup>[]</sup> tend towards an {{IPAblink|ɹ}} sound instead.
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The phoneme is commonly transliterated by a symbol composed of two half-rings, in [[Unicode]] (as of version 5.1, in the [[Latin Extended D]] range) encoded at  U+A722 Ꜣ <small>LATIN CAPITAL LETTER EGYPTOLOGICAL ALEF</small> and U+A723 ꜣ <small>LATIN SMALL LETTER EGYPTOLOGICAL ALEF</small>. A fallback representation is the numeral ''3'', or the Middle English character  ''ȝ'' [[Yogh#In Egyptology|Yogh]]; neither are to be preferred to the genuine Egyptological characters.
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==Other uses==
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===Mathematics===
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In [[set theory]], the Hebrew aleph glyph is used as the symbol to denote the [[aleph number]]s, which represent the [[cardinality]] of infinite sets. This notation was introduced by mathematician [[Georg Cantor]].
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==See also==
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* [[ʾ]]
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* [[Al-]]
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* [[Yodh#Arabic yāʼ|Arabic {{unicode|yāʼ}}]]
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* [[Hamza]]
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* [[Aleph number]]
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==References==
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{{Reflist}}
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{{Arabic language}}
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{{Hebrew language}}
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[[Category:Phoenician alphabet]]
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[[Category:Hebrew alphabet]]
==See Also==
==See Also==
* ''Aleph'' is also the shorthand designation for [[Codex Sinaiticus]], a 4th-century manuscript of the Bible
* ''Aleph'' is also the shorthand designation for [[Codex Sinaiticus]], a 4th-century manuscript of the Bible

Revision as of 05:43, 14 January 2012

Template:Other uses Template:Phoenician glyph

Template:Transl is the reconstructed name of the first letter of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, continued in descended Semitic alphabets as Phoenician Template:Transl 15px|, Syriac Template:Transl ܐ{{#if:| 

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}}, Hebrew Aleph א{{#if:| 

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}}, and Arabic Template:Transl ا{{#if:| 

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}}.

The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Alpha (Α), being re-interpreted to express not the glottal consonant but the accompanying vowel, and hence the Latin A and Cyrillic А. Template:Semitic alphabet

The Unicode value for aleph is U+05D0 (1488 decimal).

In phonetics, aleph (Template:IPA-en) originally represented the glottal stop (Template:IPAblink), usually transliterated as Template:Transl (U+02BE) "modifier letter right half ring", based on the Greek spiritus lenis . For example in the transliteration of the letter name itself, Template:Transl.

Contents

Origin

The name aleph is derived from the West Semitic word for "ox", and the shape of the letter derives from a Proto-Sinaitic glyph based on a hieroglyph depicting an ox's head,
<hiero> F1 </hiero>
.

In Modern Standard Arabic, there is a word أليف{{#if:| 

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}} /ʔaliːf/ which literally means "tamed" or "coy", derived from the root |ʔ-l-f| from which the past tense verb آلَفَ /ʔaːlafa/ means to "to coy". This has sometimes been connected with the name of alif in folk etymology.Template:Citation needed In modern Hebrew, the same root t |ʔ-l-f| (alef-lamed-pe) gives "me'ulaf", the passive participle of the verb "le'alef", and means trained (when referring to pets) or tamed (when referring to wild animals); the IDF rank of Aluf, taken from an Edomite title of nobility, is also cognate.Template:Clarify

Arabic

Written as ا{{#if:| 

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}}, spelled as ألف{{#if:| 

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}} and transcribed as Template:Transl is the first letter in Arabic and Perso-Arabic alphabet.

Together with Hebrew Aleph, Greek Alpha and Latin A, it is descended from Phoenician Template:Transl, from a reconstructed Proto-Canaanite Template:Transl "ox".

Alif is written in one of the following ways depending on its position in the word: Template:Arabic alphabet shapes

Historically, the Perso-Arabic letter was used to render either a long /aː/, or a glottal stop /ʔ/. This led to orthographical confusion, and to introduction of the additional letter Template:Transl ﺀ{{#if:| 

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}}. Hamzah is not considered a full letter in Arabic orthography: in most cases it appears on a carrier, either a Template:Transl (ؤ{{#if:| 

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}}), a dotless Template:Transl (ئ{{#if:| 

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}}, or an alif. The choice of carrier depends on complicated orthographic rules. Alif إ أ{{#if:| 

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}} is generally the carrier where the only adjacent vowel is Template:Transl. It is the only possible carrier where hamzah is the first phoneme of a word. Where alif acts as a carrier for hamzah, hamzah is added above the alif, or, for initial alif Template:Transl, below it, indicating that the letter so modified does indeed signify a glottal stop, and not a long vowel.

A second type of hamza, Template:Transl (همزة وصل{{#if:| 

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}}, occurs only as the initial phoneme of the definite article and in some related cases. It differs from Template:Transl in that it is elided after a preceding vowel. Again, alif is always the carrier.

The Template:Transl is, as it were, a double alif, expressing both a glottal stop and a long vowel: آ{{#if:| 

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}} (final ـآ{{#if:| 

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}}) Template:Transl /ʔaː/, for example in آخر{{#if:| 

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}} Template:Transl /ʔaːxir/ "last".

Template:Arabic alphabet shapes

Template:AnchorThe Template:Transl (ألف مقصورة{{#if:| 

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}}), or "broken alif;" commonly known in Egypt as Template:Transl (ألف لينة{{#if:| 

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}}, Template:IPA-arz "flexible alif"). It looks like a dotless [[yāʾ|Template:Transl]], ى{{#if:| 

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}} (final ـى{{#if:| 

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}}   not to be confused with Persian ye). It may only appear at the end of a word. Although it looks different from a regular Alif, it represents the same sound (long /aː/). Template:Transl is transliterated as Template:Transl in DIN 31635, Template:Transl in ALA-LC, Template:Transl in ISO 233-2 and ỳ in ISO 233. ʾAlif maqṣūrah can be confused with a yāʾ because they are both normally written finally as ى in Egypt, Sudan and sometimes other places, but anyway its occurrence in Modern Standard Arabic is not very common. In the case when ى represents final /-aː/, it may also be called, especially in Egypt, ألف لينة Template:Transl ˈʔælef læjˈjenæ and when it represents final /-iː/, it is called je. In Egypt, it is always short [-æ, -ɑ] if used in Egyptian Arabic and most commonly short in Modern Standard Arabic, as well.

Hebrew

Written as א{{#if:| 

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}}, spelled as אָלֶף and transcribed as Aleph.

In Modern Israeli Hebrew, the letter represents either a glottal stop, or has no pronunciation besides that of the vowel attached to it. The pronunciation varies among Jewish ethnic groups.

In gematria, aleph represents the number 1, and when used at the beginning of Hebrew years, it means 1000 (i.e. א'תשנ"ד in numbers would be the date 1754).

Aleph, along with Ayin, Resh, He, and Heth, cannot receive a dagesh. (However, there are few very rare examples where the Masoretes added a dagesh to an Aleph or Resh.)

In Modern Hebrew the frequency of the usage of alef, out of all the letters, is 4.94%.

Aleph is sometimes used as a mater lectionis to denote a vowel, usually /a/. Such use is more common in words of Aramaic and Arabic origin, in foreign names and some other borrowed words.

Orthographic variants
Various Print Fonts Cursive
Hebrew 		Rashi
Script
Serif Sans-serif Monospaced
א א א Image:Hebrew letter Alef handwriting.svg

Rabbinic Judaism

'Aleph is the subject of a midrash which praises its humility in not demanding to start the Bible. (In Hebrew the Bible begins with the second letter of the alphabet, Bet.) In this folktale, 'Aleph is rewarded by being allowed to start the Ten Commandments. (In Hebrew, the first word is אָנֹכִי, which starts with an aleph.)

In the Sefer Yetzirah, the letter 'Aleph is King over Breath, Formed Air in the universe, Temperate in the Year, and the Chest in the soul.

'Aleph is also the first letter of the Hebrew word emet, which means truth. In Jewish mythology it was the letter aleph that was carved into the head of the golem which ultimately gave it life.

Aleph also begins the three words that make up God's mystical name in Exodus, I Am who I Am (in Hebrew, 'Ehyeh 'Asher 'Ehyeh אהיה אשר אהיה}}), and 'aleph is an important part of mystical amulets and formulas.

Aleph in Jewish mysticism represents the oneness of God. The letter can been seen as being composed of an upper yud, a lower yud, and a vav leaning on a diagonal. The upper yud represents the hidden and ineffible aspects of God while the lower yud represents God's revelation and presence in the world. The vav ("hook") connects the two realms.

Jewish mysticism relates Aleph to the element of air, The Fool (Key 0, value 1) of the major arcana of the tarot deck,[] and the Scintillating Intelligence (#11) of the path between Kether and Chokmah in the Tree of the Sephiroth.

Hebrew sayings with aleph

From Aleph to Tav describes something from beginning to end; the Hebrew equivalent of the English From A to Z.

One who doesn't know how to make an Aleph is someone who is illiterate.

No...with a big Aleph! (lo b'aleph rabati - לא באלף רבתי) means Absolutely not!.

Syriac Alaph/Olaf

Alaph
Image:Syriac Eastern alap.svg Madnḫaya Alaph
Image:Syriac Serta alap.svg Serṭo Alaph
Image:Syriac Estrangela alap.svg Esṭrangela Alaph

600px

In the Syriac alphabet, the first letter is ܐ — ܐܵܠܲܦ — Alaph (in eastern dialects) or Olaf (in western dialects). It is used in word-initial position to mark a word beginning with a vowel — although some words beginning with i or u do not need its help, and sometimes an initial Alaph/Olaf is elided. For example, when the Syriac first-person singular pronoun ܐܵܢܵܐ is in enclitic positions, it is pronounced no/na (again west/east) rather than the full form eno/ana. The letter occurs very regularly at the end of words, where it represents the long final vowels o/a or e. In the middle of the word, the letter represents either a glottal stop between vowels (but West Syriac pronunciation often makes this a palatal approximant), a long i/e (less commonly o/a) or is silent.

Numeral

As a numeral it Alaph/Olaf stands for the number one. With a dot below, it is the number 1,000, with a line above it, Alaph/Olaf will represent 1,000,000. with a line below it is 10,000 and with two dots below it is 10,000,000.

Ancient Egyptian

See Also Transliteration of Ancient Egyptian

The Egyptian "vulture" hieroglyph (Gardiner G1), by convention pronounced [a]) is also referred to as alef, on grounds that it has traditionally been taken to represent a glottal stop, although some recent suggestions[] tend towards an Template:IPAblink sound instead.

The phoneme is commonly transliterated by a symbol composed of two half-rings, in Unicode (as of version 5.1, in the Latin Extended D range) encoded at U+A722 Ꜣ LATIN CAPITAL LETTER EGYPTOLOGICAL ALEF and U+A723 ꜣ LATIN SMALL LETTER EGYPTOLOGICAL ALEF. A fallback representation is the numeral 3, or the Middle English character ȝ Yogh; neither are to be preferred to the genuine Egyptological characters.

Other uses

Mathematics

In set theory, the Hebrew aleph glyph is used as the symbol to denote the aleph numbers, which represent the cardinality of infinite sets. This notation was introduced by mathematician Georg Cantor.

See also

References

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See Also

  • Aleph is also the shorthand designation for Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th-century manuscript of the Bible
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