A

A a Roman Character, A a Italick, A a old English, A α Greek, א Hebrew, are the first Letters of the Alphabet; and in all Languages, ancient and modern, the Character appropriated to the same Sound is the first Letter, except in the Abissine.

A Foreigner finds it very difficult to learn how to pronounce our a, in different Words; it having four distinctly differing Sounds; two long, as in Wake, Wall; and two short, as in Wax, Was, and hardly any Rules how to distinguish them, but what are liable to a greater Number of Exceptions.

The Dipthongs form’d with it are liable to as great Difficulties.

Definition taken from The Universal Etymological English Dictionary, edited by Nathan Bailey (1736)

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