The beta has two causes:

• ligature of long s (s) or median ( contextual variants ) with the short or terminal s (now s normal in all cases);
• ligature of long s and z.

Ligation s s + has also been used in writing manuscripts antiqua (in) , as in French , before the long s disappears completely in the late ^eighteenth century (it is still used in the map Cassini ).

A beta in the Cassini map of Andorra.

S + z ligature was used for German from the Middle Ages. Initially, it had been used for the sound of s which had evolved from a / t / as a consequence of the second sound shift. When the distinction between sound and the / s / old was lost, the spellings sz ff intertwined. Nevertheless we continued to use both. The current distinction was made only after many centuries of irregular use.

The German used before while Gothic script (eg Fraktur ). In ancient writings, we often do not write until the late ^nineteenth century when the German spelling ended with the prescribing for all German texts, whether in writing or Gothic antiqua.

Like many ancient writings of German shaped the character not by the s + z ligature of the Gothic script but after ligation s + s of ancient writing, the origins of this s + z ligation are often forgotten. ^{German Spelling}

In the current German spelling, is used after a long vowel or a diphthong , while ss is used after a short vowel. Both represent the phoneme / s /, while a single s is pronounced / z /. For example, Fu (/ fu s /, "foot" in German) has a long vowel, while Fluss (/ fls /, meaning "river") has a short vowel.

Until the German spelling reform (Neue Rechtschreibung) of 1998, an additional rule required that ff is used between two vowels. It was in the other cases (end of word or before consonant) be replaced by , even after a short vowel. Consequently, previously spelled Fluss Fluss, although the vowel is short. The new rule removes the defect that, under the old spelling, the plural form Flusse spelled it with ff because the e, the plural, because the SS is no longer at the end of the word. Also, ich tired of lasst (I leave, you leave) must now ich tired of lasst.

This reform restores consistency with the notation of other consonants, which are simple after a long vowel and redoubled after a short vowel (eg, equal to where the / a / is long and Ball where / a / is short). This new use of beta is now standard in Germany and Austria , although many people, and even some newspapers, do not use it. The Swiss and Liechtenstein had removed completely the use of in the first half of the ^twentieth century and use ss in all cases.

Other

Sign Berlin , a special tie s ( S long ) and a z in the word Strae (street)

The beta is still used today for writing including the Kekchi . ^{Related articles}

• Umlaut
• Additional letters of the Latin alphabet

• Portal of writing
• Germany portal

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