[23302] in APO-L
Re: [APO-L] "A-Phi-Que", "APO", or "A-Phi-O"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Randy Finder)
Tue Dec 17 14:23:40 2002
"Reply-To: "
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 14:22:28 -0400
Reply-To: Randy Finder <naraht@DRYCAS.CLUB.CC.CMU.EDU>
From: Randy Finder <naraht@DRYCAS.CLUB.CC.CMU.EDU>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
In-Reply-To: <20021217182236.36623.qmail@web10208.mail.yahoo.com>
On Tue, 17 Dec 2002, Jeremy Licata wrote:
> When I joined, I signed on for Alpha Phi Omega... and
> the greek letters that correspond to that
> organization.
Agreed.
>
> The course of several thousand years of history,
> namely that of the Greek people, have created the
> standard that Alpha Phi Omega be represented as the A,
> the P, and the O type characters.
No, the greek people have nothing to do with the current usage in the
english speaking world which for the purposes of our fraternity was
largely quantified by Liberal Arts students less than 200 years ago who
had never even been to Greece. The alphabet has changed quite a bit in the
last 2000 years, though less than English which 2000 years ago was a
gendered celtic language without the Norman influences of the 1000s-1200s.
In modern usage for example, the B character is pronounced V and the D
character has moved to much closer to the <th> sound of "this" (as opposed
to "thin"). Phi which in the modern usage is pronounced "phee" (The Alpha
Phi sorority and Alpha Phi Omega, Philippines are among the few to use the
modern pronounciation) is only spelled PH becuase the letter F was a late
comer into Latin, occuring after the absorption of the greek vocabulary.
(Though the Greeks themself originally used Pi Eta and only created the
Phi
symbol later on...
Omega is a creation to allow the splitting of the O sound into its short
form,omicron, "pot" and long form,omega, "coat" just as the E sound split
into Epsilon "bet" and Eta "meat". So the most accurage way would probably
be AFO with a bar over the O to indicate the long vowel.
Now Q on the other hand is probably is best matched with the abandonned
greek letter Koppa which like the English Q is a palatalized K.
The tie between "Q" and Omega is originally from the use by Omega Psi Phi
which had used the term Q for Omega since their founding in 1911. By the
time Alpha Phi Omega had its first chapter at a Historically Black campus
36 years later it was part of the culture (and while there *may* be a
4-year HBCU where Alpha Phi Omega came before Omega Psi Phi on the campus,
I doubt it).
Besides, The english letter O is much more closer to the greek omicron in
usage and shape. APO in english *should* indicate that our greek letters
are Alpha Pi Omicron. We currently have an extension effort at a school in
North Carolina which has an Alpha Pi Omega sorority on campus. I guarantee
you those petitioners will find APhiO to be more palatable.
>
> So I do see that saying it any different is a
> violation of the macrocosmic unity that the founders
> were intending. The unity of purpose under one
> name.... not under the name that is given to that
> concept in whatever subculture it may be in.
I'm sorry that you feel that way about the entire fraternity and sorority
in the Philippines.
>
> Alpha Phi Omega is Alpha Phi Omega whereever you go in
> the world....
No one is doubting that...
>
> Put it this way... when God is referred to as the
> Alpha and the Omega (Rev 1:8), has that been changed
> so that he is now "Alpha and... " Q??
It would mean more to the average american if it were translated the A and
the Z, but not even the NIV does that.
>
> Sorry, but I'm tired of the division. We are all
> Brothers in Alpha Phi Omega.... let's keep it that
> way.
Then why slam the brothers at Historically black schools?
>
> :jeremy
> F90, Univ of Maryland College Park, EM
YiLFS
Randolph Finder
>
> --- Charles Brace <brace347@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> <P>No matter how you say it, we are still all Brothers
> in Alpha Phi Omega, National Service Fraternity.
> I could never consider a Brother a seperatist just
> because they use "A Phi Q" or "A P Q" or "A P O"
> or "A Phi O" (or for any number of reasons for that
> matter).</P>
>
>
>
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--
Leadership, Friendship and Service - Alpha Phi Omega
