A message on the topic of what the sign of a doggy means. What is the name of the @ sign in email - in different languages in other countries
When was this sign first used and what does it mean?
The history of the symbol "dog" @
According to the researcher, this symbol appeared long before the Internet in the distant Middle Ages. The clergy who created the manuscripts used it to denote "direction", "approximation", "belonging", since in English this icon denotes the preposition "at", which can be translated into Russian as, "k", "v", "on".Much earlier in 15 century, historians found out that the "@" sign had a different meaning. It was used to designate a measure of volume - an amphora, which was equal to 12,5 kg.
This symbol was again remembered in 1971 year, thanks to a man named Ray Tomlinson. When sending an email, it was suggested to separate the username from the hostname, essentially meaning the same "at" preposition. Since that time, this sign"@" essentially becomes the designation for the entire Internet and is used with great success on the World Wide Web today.
Why is the "@" symbol called "dog"?
It was called that at the beginning of the formation of the Russian part of the Internet, apparently it seemed to someone that the "@" symbol was somewhat reminiscent of a dog. In other countries, people's fantasy worked differently, it is called: "cinnamon bun", "cat", "elephant ", "snail", "monkey".Many do not understand at all what the person was guided by when calling the symbol "@" - "dog". It looks like a snail, it even looks like an elephant, but it doesn’t “pull” at all like a dog. The maximum that this image looks like is like a small cat comfortably curled up in a ball.
American programmers in their circles call this symbol "dog shit", which in Russian means "dog poop". Most likely it was this expression that was the starting point of the Russian designation of the symbol "@". The word "turd" was not used and was discarded because it was clearly indecent. Therefore, the word "dog" remained.
The dog icon familiar to every web user has been around for much longer than email. But it wasn't until the advent of the Internet that the rounded squiggle became widely known: 2 billion times a day @ takes its place between the sender's name and the server's domain name. Who and how guessed to put the dog icon in the mail address? And why a dog?
A long time ago, when (oh, horror!) There was no e-mail, no computers, not even electricity, all books were filled out by hand. No, then the dog badge was not written in the address, but it performed a completely noble function: it saved the time of clerks who painstakingly worked in the semi-darkness, half-bent position and holding the paper on their knees. Why in such an uncomfortable position remains a mystery. But if you imagine several hours in this position, and work with pen and ink, it becomes clear how much easier all kinds of ligatures made the work.
The dog icon is read in English as “At”, which is translated into Russian as “on, in, on”. This sign denoted belonging to something, was used in exchange accounts, and today more often indicate a specific place or event. In the Middle Ages, instead of "At", they used the preposition "Ad" - to, at, on, at, before. And the letter "d" was decorated with a long ponytail thrown to the left. The ligature @ was formed by the merger of the letters "a" and "d", and, by and large, the history of the creation of the dog icon is the history of medieval writing in Europe.
In Brazil, Spain and Portugal, a similar symbol denoted a measure of weight and volume equal to one arrobe. And although historians doubt that it was the same @, but the capital "A" with a curl, decorating jugs of wine or oil, really resembles an electronic "dog".
Before putting the dog icon, translate the keyboard into English. language. Then, while holding shift, press the number 2. If you are working in Word, open the insert - symbol - tab "characters", select "plain text - basic Latin". In Unicode, @ is denoted by the number 0040, and in Morse code by the character set: dot - dash - dash - dot - dash - dot.
Every European trader who lived during the Renaissance knew perfectly well how to write a dog badge in the most profitable way: a twisted elegant @ was located in front of the price of the goods, and was supposed to attract the attention of passers-by. Later, this ligature began to be used in accounting, for example: 12p @ 6$ - 12 pieces for 6 dollars.
The following fact is not directly related to the dog icon, but is so curious that it would be wrong not to mention it. In the 15th century, when post offices were not even dreamed of in your hometown, letters were delivered by foot or horse messengers. They announced their arrival to the population by blowing a horn similar to that used by merchants, itinerant artists, etc. From the end of the XVI - beginning of the XVII centuries. horns were forbidden to be used by anyone except postmen. Today, the image of crossed post horns can be seen on envelopes, stamps, postcards, etc. A simple tool has become a symbol of mail, recognizable all over the world. So, the dog icon in the address is very reminiscent of the outline of a horn, which is undoubtedly a curious coincidence. And how interesting it turned out: the symbol
"virtual" mail accidentally repeated the outlines of the real mail symbol!
What is the name of the character used to separate in an email address? Why did they come up with such a designation and where did such a name come from. What is @ called - officially? And what do they call "a with a squiggle" in other countries of the world?
The well-known sign, most often used in the designation of an email address, is called “dog”. The official name for this @ symbol is "commercial floor", from the English. "commercial at".
The history of the @ sign - electronic dog
Previously, in America, this sign was used as an abbreviation when describing the price and terms of sale of any product. 5 widgets @ $4 each = $20 (5 items $4 each). In fact, you can still find a similar inscription.
Due to the constant use of typewriters in commercial industries, the sign "moved" to the keyboard of the device. In the future, with the development of technology, the "dog" appeared on the keys of a personal computer.
By the way, the process of development and introduction of @ into life took place in the West. We have already received a modified keyboard with the existing @ sign.
Why was the name "dog" attached to the sign?
Such a funny, but already familiar verbal designation, was attached due to the resemblance to a dog during sleep. The capital letter "a" with an open ring almost completely repeats the contours of a dog curled up in a ball.
In addition to visual similarity, the name "dog" is firmly entrenched in Runet and thanks to its simple pronunciation, distinct sound and clear association.
What was the name of the dog sign - @
In the 90s, when the Internet was at the very start of development, a variety of names were attributed to this funny symbol: a snail, an ear, a monkey's tail, and even a worm. Someone in the old fashioned way called @ - the letter "a" with a tail, and someone - zagagulina. By the way, such a funny name in all seriousness was assigned to the symbol in some countries.
Names of the electronic "dog" in different countries
Continuing the theme of the most interesting names, we should mention the Czech interpretation of "dog". In this small European country, the symbol is called - zavinach. What does fish roll mean? Of course, "zavinac" "electronic dog" is also called in Slovakia.
In Germany, it was decided to call it "monkey's tail". The same name "walks" in the neighboring Netherlands and more distant - Poland.
In Italy, the name "snail" was attached, exactly as in Spain. And the Turks gave the sign "dog" a romantic - "rose".
Now you know what the polar and once unusual @ sign is called. Tell your friend what the official name of the "e-dog" sign is "commercial floor". We are sure he will be surprised!
On the Internet, the well-known character "dog" is used as a separator between a given user's name and a domain (host) name in email address syntax.
Fame
Some Internet figures consider this symbol to be a sign of a common human communication space and one of the most popular signs in the world.
One of the evidence of the worldwide recognition of this designation is the fact that in 2004 (in February) the International Telecommunication Union introduced a special code for @ designation into the general one. It combines the codes of two C and A, which displays their joint graphic writing.
The history of the symbol "dog"
The Italian researcher Giorgio Stabile managed to find in the archive owned by the Institute of Economic History in the city of Prato (near Florence), a document in which this sign was first found in writing. Such important evidence turned out to be a letter from a merchant from Florence, which was subsidized as early as 1536.
It refers to three merchant ships that arrived in Spain. As part of the ship's cargo, there were containers in which wine was transported, marked with an @ sign. After analyzing the data on the price of wines, as well as on the capacity of various medieval vessels, and comparing the data with the universal system of measures used at that time, the scientist concluded that the @ sign was used as a special measuring unit, which replaced the word anfora (in translation "amphora"). So since ancient times the universal measure of volume was called.
Bertolt Ullman's theory
Berthold Ullman is an American scientist who suggested that the @ symbol was developed by medieval monks in order to shorten the common word ad of Latin origin, which was often used as a universal term meaning "in relation to", "in", "on".
It should be noted that in French, Portuguese and Spanish, the name of the designation comes from the term "arroba", which in turn denotes the old Spanish measure of weight (about 15 kg), it was abbreviated in writing with the @ symbol.
Modernity
Many people are interested in the name of the symbol "dog". Note that the official modern name for this symbol sounds like "commercial at" and originates from the accounts in which it was used in the following context: [email protected]$2each = $14. This can be translated as 7 pieces of 2 dollars = 14 dollars
Since the symbol "dog" was used in business, it was placed on the keyboards of all typewriters. He was present even on the first typewriter in Underwood, which was released back in 1885. And only after a long 80 years, the symbol "dog" was inherited by the first computer keyboards.
Internet
Let's turn to the official history of the World Wide Web. She claims that the Internet symbol "dog" in e-mail addresses originated with an American engineer and computer scientist named Ray Tomlinson, who in 1971 was able to send the first ever electronic message over the network. In this case, the address had to be composed of two parts - the name of the computer through which the registration was made, and the username. Tomilson chose the symbol "dog" on the keyboard as the separator between the indicated parts, since it was not part of either computer names or user names.
Versions of the origin of the famous name "dog"
There are several possible versions of the origin of such a funny name in the world at once. First of all, the icon really does look a lot like a dog curled up.
In addition, the abrupt sound of the word at (the symbol for a dog in English is read that way) resembles a bit of a dog barking. It should also be noted that with a good imagination, you can consider in the symbol almost all the letters that make up the word "dog", except perhaps, excluding "k".
However, the most romantic can be called the following legend. Once upon a time, in that good time, when all computers were very large, and the screens were exclusively text, there was one popular game in the virtual kingdom, which was called "Adventure" (Adventure) reflecting its content.
Its meaning was to travel through a labyrinth created by a computer in search of various treasures. There were, of course, also battles with underground harmful creatures. The labyrinth on the display was drawn using the symbols "-", "+", "!", and the player, hostile monsters and treasures were indicated by various icons and letters.
Moreover, according to the plot, the player was friends with a faithful assistant - a dog, which could always be sent for reconnaissance in the catacombs. It was designated just by the @ sign. Was this the root cause of the now generally accepted name, or, conversely, was the icon chosen by the developers of the game, because it was already called that? The legend does not provide answers to these questions.
What is the name of the virtual "dog" in other countries?
It is worth noting that in our country the symbol "dog" is also called a ram, an ear, a bun, a frog, a dog, even a kryakozyabra. In Bulgaria, it is “maimunsko a” or “klomba” (monkey A). In the Netherlands, monkey tail (apenstaartje). In Israel, the sign is associated with a whirlpool ("strudel").
The Spaniards, French and Portuguese call the designation similar to the measure of weight (respectively: arroba, arrobase and arrobase). If you ask about what the dog symbol means among the inhabitants of Poland and Germany, they will answer you that it is a monkey, a paper clip, a monkey ear or a monkey tail. It is considered a snail in Italy, calling it chiocciola.
The least poetic names were given to the symbol in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, calling it “snout a” (snabel-a) or elephant tail (tailed a). The most appetizing name can be considered a variant of the Czechs and Slovaks, who consider the sign a herring under a fur coat (rollmops). Greeks also carry out associations with cuisine, calling the designation “little pasta”.
For many, this is still a monkey, namely for Slovenia, Romania, Holland, Croatia, Serbia (majmun; alternative: “crazy A”), Ukraine (alternatives: snail, dog, dog). The terms Lithuania (eta - “this”, borrowing with the addition of a Lithuanian morpheme at the end) and Latvia (et - “et”) were borrowed from English. The variant of the Hungarians, where this cute sign has become a tick, can lead to discouragement.
Cat and mouse is played by Finland (cat's tail), America (cat), Taiwan and China (mouse). The inhabitants of Turkey turned out to be romantics (rose). And in Vietnam, this badge is called "crooked A".
Alternative hypotheses
It is believed that the name of the designation "dog" in Russian speech appeared thanks to the famous DVK computers. In them, the "dog" appeared during the boot of the computer. Indeed, the designation resembled a small dog. All DVK users, without saying a word, came up with a name for the symbol.
It is curious that the original spelling of the Latin letter "A" suggested decorating it with curls, thus it was very similar to the current spelling of the "dog" sign. The translation of the word "dog" into the Tatar language sounds like "at".
Where else can you find a "dog"?
There are a number of services that use this symbol (other than email):
HTTP, FTP, Jabber, Active Directory. In IRC, the character is placed before the name of the channel operator, for example, @oper.
The sign has also been widely used in the main programming languages. In Java, it is used to declare an annotation. In C#, needed to escape characters in a string. The operation of taking an address is appropriately denoted in Pascal. For Perl, this is an array identifier, and in Python, respectively, a decorator declaration. The field identifier for a class instance is a Ruby sign.
As for PHP, here the "dog" is used to suppress the output of an error, or to warn about a task that has already occurred at the time of execution. The symbol became the prefix of indirect addressing in MCS-51 assembler. In XPath, this is shorthand for the attribute axis, which selects a set of attributes for the current element.
Finally, Transact-SQL expects a local variable name to start with @ and a global variable name to start with two @. In DOS, thanks to the character, the echo for the executed command is suppressed. The action designation as echo off mode is usually applied before the mode is entered to prevent a specific command from being displayed on the screen (for clarity: @echo off).
So we looked at how many aspects of virtual and real life depend on an ordinary symbol. However, let's not forget that it has become the most recognizable precisely because of the emails that are sent by the thousands every day. It can be assumed that today you will receive a letter with a "dog", and it will bring only good news.
Everyone who uses e-mail knows for sure that the name of any mailbox contains an incomprehensible at first glance either a letter, or an icon, or a symbol that looks like @. Some Internet fans call this icon the main pop symbol of popularity. And if you could hear about this, then not everyone knows that in 2004 the International Telecommunication Union introduced the “dog” into Morse code.
History of the @ sign
Strange as it may sound, but an Italian researcher named Giorgio Stabile, studying the archives of the Institute of Economic History in the city of Prato near Florence, discovered a very strange phenomenon. It turns out that the “dog” familiar to us is first found in written documents that date back to 1563. The document talked about the fact that 3 merchant ships arrived in Spain, and as cargo on board there were containers with wine, which were indicated by the @ symbol.
After a little thought and analysis of the then market, the scientist came to the conclusion that the @ sign in those days denoted such a unit of wine measurement as an amphora or "anfora". It was a universal measuring unit for measuring volume.
However, there is a second version of the appearance of this strange sign. Now a US scholar named Berthold Ullman has suggested that the @ sign was invented by medieval monks, who used it to shorten the word "ad", which was also universal and had several meanings: "on", "in", "in relation to" and some others.
However, the true origin of this actually mysterious symbol is still unknown.
commercial at
In the modern world, the @ symbol is officially called “commercial at” and it originates from business. For example, it could be found in such an inscription as “7 widgets @ $2 each = $14”, which in translation would sound like “7 pieces of 2 dollars = 14 dollars”.
And since it was difficult to make any calculations without this symbol, the first Underwood typewriter in history, which was released in 1885, already had this symbol.
Later it was inherited by the computer keyboard. But what is noteworthy, in the USSR, the @ symbol was not known to anyone until the first computers appeared here.
But how did this strange symbol appear in the names of our mailboxes? For this we must thank the computer scientist Ray Tomlinson, who in 1971 sent the world's first e-mail. In this case, the address consisted of 2 halves.
The first is the username, the second is the name of the computer on which the user is logged on. And to separate one from the other, Ray Tomlinson chose an icon on the keyboard that was not in either of the two halves. And by chance it was the @ symbol.
How the commercial at (@) got the name "dog"
In fact, they have not yet come to a consensus here either, and today there are several versions of why the @ symbol began to be called “dog”.
1. Verviya the first: The icon looks like a dog curled up.
2. Version two: if you pronounce the English word at several times in a row, it will be like a dog barking.
3. Version three: if you have imagination, then in this symbol you can find all the letters that are in the word "dog". Well, if only with the exception of the letter "k".
But for big romantics, there is another version, which most users adhere to. In the old days, there was a fairly popular game "Adventure", which translates as "Adventure".
The player had to wander through the labyrinth, look for treasures and fight against a variety of enemies. The labyrinth on the screen was drawn with symbols, the enemies were indicated by letters and icons, but the treasure hunter's faithful dog was indicated by the @ sign.
However, history is silent about whether the badge for the dog was not chosen because it was already called that.
Where else is the @ symbol used?
1. In chemistry, when writing formulas - [email protected]
2. In Europe, there is even such a sign "@", which means that this place has free access to the Internet.
3. Sometimes it is used to replace the anarchy symbol, since it is simply impossible to write this sign on a computer.
4. In some European languages it is used in informal correspondence.
5. The international student organization AIESEC uses this sign in informal correspondence as a symbol of the organization.
This is our "dog". At first glance, a simple icon, but in fact, there is a whole story behind it!
Monuments to the "electronic dog"
Today in Russia there are 2 monuments to the electronic dog. The first of them is installed in Chita, the second in Orenburg. They also wanted to erect a monument to the “dog” in the Moscow region, but so far this remains in the plans.
Monument in Chita- This is a cement slab, the size of which is 1.5 by 1.5 meters. The plate is installed directly on the sidewalk and took the place of 9 ceramic tiles that were in this place. The monument was erected in just half a day. It took 40 kg of cement. Residents of the city are proud that the first monument to the @ symbol in Russia appeared in their city.
And this year another one was opened and this event happened in Orenburg on the territory of Perovsky Park. This is a large amusement park that young people like to visit, and besides, there is free Internet, so the choice of the place was not accidental.
"Electronic Dog" is not just a button on the keyboard. This is a symbol that has its own history, and as it turned out, this history is long and interesting.
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