writing - Why is the pronoun "I" written with an uppercase letter, even when it's not at the beginning of a sentence?



In the following sentence, the pronoun I is written capitalized, even if it is not at the beginning of a sentence. Why?



What kind of questions can I ask here?



should I capitalize all the pronouns?



Answer



This Wikipedia article says the following, about why I as pronoun of the first singular person is always written capitalized:



There is no known record of a definitive explanation from around the early period of this capitalisation practice.


It is likely that the capitalization was prompted and spread as a result of one or more of the following:



  • Changes specifically in the pronunciation of letters (introduction of long vowel sounds in Middle English, etc.)

  • Other linguistic considerations (demarcation of a single-letter word, setting apart a pronoun which is significantly different from others in English, etc.)

  • Problems with legibility of the minuscule "i"

  • Sociolinguistic factors (establishment of English as the official language, solidification of English identity, etc.)



This happens only with I; other pronouns (including me) are written as any other words, and capitalized when other words would be capitalized.


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