Er with tick (Cyrillic letter used in Kildin Sami)

Characteristics and use

The glyph is formed by modifying the basic Cyrillic Er shape with a small added mark or "tick" to signal a distinct pronunciation. In Kildin Sami orthography it contrasts with the ordinary Er to represent a separate r-like consonant in the language's phonemic inventory. The exact phonetic realization may vary across dialects, but its role is to encode a sound that speakers and readers treat as different from the standard r.

History and standardization

Letters such as Er with tick arose when speakers and linguists adapted the Cyrillic alphabet to write non-Slavic languages of northern Eurasia. As Kildin Sami orthographies were developed and revised during the 20th century, several Cyrillic letters were modified or created to represent sounds not found in Russian. Er with tick is one of these specialist characters and appears only in the Kildin Sami alphabet rather than in general-purpose Cyrillic usages.

Encoding, fonts and typing

The character is included in modern character encoding systems used for Cyrillic extensions, so it can be rendered on computers that use appropriate fonts supporting extended Cyrillic letters. Practical use in digital text requires fonts and input methods that cover the Sami-specific block of characters; otherwise the letter can appear as a missing-glyph symbol.

Related letters and distinctions

• Er with tick should not be confused with other modified Er letters found in various Caucasian and Uralic orthographies; each modification typically indicates a different phonetic contrast.
• It is distinct from the basic Cyrillic Er and from other extended forms such as Er with hook or Er with descender, which serve different languages and sounds.

For background on the base writing system and broader Cyrillic adaptations, see the entry on the Cyrillic script.