It's a rune, BFD. Runes were our alphabet until very very recently and even American English used some of them well after Independence.
Say what?
Everyone thinks "Ye olde times" is said, "yee!" but that is a runic Thorn -- not a Wye. It has a "th" sound as a consonant and not the "yeah" sound of sometime vowel Y which is a variant of I.
IOW "Ye olde times" is pronounced, "The Old Times" just like today.
It's a rune, BFD. Runes were our alphabet until very very recently and even American English used some of them well after Independence.
Say what?
Everyone thinks "Ye olde times" is said, "yee!" but that is a runic Thorn -- not a Wye. It has a "th" sound as a consonant and not the "yeah" sound of sometime vowel Y which is a variant of I.
IOW "Ye olde times" is pronounced, "The Old Times" just like today.
RUNES!