What is the character set of the (written) English language?

Question

More specifically: What dictionaries or lexicons (considering all ever published) of the English language contain exhaustive lists of the characters or symbols used in the formation of the words contained therein? In a modern dictionary, such a list would contain a-z, the apostrophe, and the hyphen. I would not count special symbols that are used only in guiding pronunciation. This is not a question about typography, but a similar question must come up every time someone designs a typeface (whether produced physically or electronically).

Answer 1

I'm unaware of any "exhaustive" collection, but you may want to consult the unicode character sets as well as ISO documentation (e.g., ISO/IEC 10646). Keep in mind:

1) For much of the history of the English language, very little was standardized. Scribes and printers would often use symbols imported from other languages or even of their own invention. Many symbols have been used over the years and eventually discarded, such as the long s, eth, and the "ae" and "oe" ligatures. Some may have been used locally or for only a short period of time.

2) Many symbols are used in English texts that are not strictly part of the English language, such as mathematical symbols and IPA pronunciation symbols.

3) If by "characters or symbols" you mean graphemes, then it might be possible to collect all. If you mean glyphs, then the challenge would be much greater.

Answer 2

Hello. Unfortunately, what you want needs to be further clarified. The English language has changed greatly over the centuries, so you would need to decide what era you want. Just try reading Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" in the original, and you will understand my point.

I hope this helps.

Michele