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Rough breathing Wiki2Web Clarity Challenge

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Study Guide: Ancient Greek Rough Breathing Mark: Orthography, History, and Unicode

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Ancient Greek Rough Breathing Mark: Orthography, History, and Unicode Study Guide

Fundamentals of Rough Breathing

In Ancient Greek polytonic orthography, the rough breathing mark primarily indicates the absence of an /h/ sound.

Answer: False

Explanation: The rough breathing mark in Ancient Greek polytonic orthography primarily indicates the *presence* of an /h/ sound, not its absence. The smooth breathing mark indicates its absence.

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In Ancient Greek, the rough breathing is known as *spiritus lenis*, while in Latin it is called *dasỳ pneûma*.

Answer: False

Explanation: The Ancient Greek name for the rough breathing is *dasỳ pneûma* or *daseîa*, and its Latin name is *spiritus asper*. *Spiritus lenis* refers to the smooth breathing.

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The rough breathing mark is typically placed over an initial vowel or the second vowel of an initial diphthong in Ancient Greek words.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement accurately describes the conventional placement of the rough breathing mark in Ancient Greek orthography.

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The fundamental difference between rough breathing and smooth breathing is their placement relative to the vowel.

Answer: False

Explanation: The fundamental difference between rough breathing and smooth breathing is their phonetic function: rough breathing indicates the presence of an /h/ sound, while smooth breathing indicates its absence, not their placement.

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The rough breathing belongs to the broader category of Greek diacritics, which are marks added to letters to indicate pronunciation or distinguish meaning.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement correctly categorizes the rough breathing as a Greek diacritic, serving to modify pronunciation or differentiate meaning.

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The general description of the rough breathing mark is that it is a basic glyph that stands alone to indicate a specific sound.

Answer: False

Explanation: The rough breathing mark is a *diacritical* glyph, meaning it is *added* to a letter to modify it, rather than being a basic glyph that stands alone.

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What is the primary function of the rough breathing mark in the polytonic orthography of Ancient Greek?

Answer: To indicate the presence of an /h/ sound.

Explanation: The primary function of the rough breathing mark in Ancient Greek polytonic orthography is to denote the presence of an initial /h/ sound.

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What is the Latin name for the rough breathing mark?

Answer: Spiritus asper

Explanation: The Latin term for the rough breathing mark is *spiritus asper*.

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Where is the rough breathing mark typically placed in Ancient Greek words?

Answer: Over an initial vowel or the second vowel of an initial diphthong.

Explanation: The rough breathing mark is conventionally placed over an initial vowel or the second vowel of an initial diphthong in Ancient Greek words.

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What is the fundamental difference between rough breathing and smooth breathing in Ancient Greek?

Answer: Rough breathing indicates an /h/ sound, smooth breathing indicates its absence.

Explanation: The fundamental distinction between rough and smooth breathing marks is that the former indicates the presence of an initial /h/ sound, while the latter signifies its absence.

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Which diacritical mark indicates the absence of an /h/ sound in Ancient Greek polytonic orthography?

Answer: The smooth breathing.

Explanation: The smooth breathing mark is the diacritic used in Ancient Greek polytonic orthography to indicate the absence of an initial /h/ sound.

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What is the Greek name for the rough breathing mark?

Answer: Dasỳ pneûma

Explanation: The Ancient Greek name for the rough breathing mark is *dasỳ pneûma* or *daseîa*.

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What is the general description of the rough breathing mark as a diacritic?

Answer: A glyph added to a letter to modify its pronunciation or distinguish meaning.

Explanation: As a diacritic, the rough breathing mark is a glyph added to a letter to modify its pronunciation or to distinguish its meaning from other words.

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The 'See also' section in the article about rough breathing directs readers to related topics such as Greek diacritics, smooth breathing, Ayin, and what other similar linguistic concept?

Answer: ʾOkina

Explanation: The 'See also' section directs readers to related linguistic concepts, including Greek diacritics, smooth breathing, Ayin, and ʾOkina.

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Historical Context and Evolution

The /h/ sound indicated by the rough breathing persisted in the Greek language until the adoption of monotonic orthography in 1982.

Answer: False

Explanation: The /h/ sound represented by the rough breathing disappeared from the Greek language during the Hellenistic period, long before the adoption of monotonic orthography in 1982.

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Modern Greek monotonic orthography, in use since 1982, continues to utilize the rough breathing mark for specific phonetic distinctions.

Answer: False

Explanation: Modern Greek monotonic orthography, adopted in 1982, completely eliminated the use of the rough breathing mark; it does not utilize it for any phonetic distinctions.

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The historical origin of the rough breathing mark can be traced to the right-hand half of the letter H.

Answer: False

Explanation: The rough breathing mark historically originated from the *left-hand* half of the letter H, not the right-hand half.

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In some archaic Greek alphabets, the letter H was used to represent the [h] sound, a usage that survives in the Latin letter H.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement correctly identifies Heta as the archaic Greek letter H used for the [h] sound, a phonetic function that is indeed preserved in the Latin letter H.

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The image 'Heta uc lc.svg' illustrates the tack-shaped archaic consonantal Heta, which is the historical precursor to the rough breathing mark.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement accurately describes the content of the image 'Heta uc lc.svg' and the historical significance of Heta as the precursor to the rough breathing mark.

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Polytonic orthography is a simplified writing system for Modern Greek that uses only a single accent mark.

Answer: False

Explanation: Polytonic orthography is the *traditional* writing system for Ancient Greek, employing *multiple* diacritical marks. Monotonic orthography is the simplified system for Modern Greek.

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The Latin letter H directly reflects the usage of Heta in archaic Greek alphabets to represent the [h] sound.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement is correct, as the phonetic function of Heta in archaic Greek alphabets for the [h] sound is directly inherited by the Latin letter H.

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When did the /h/ sound, indicated by the rough breathing, disappear from the Greek language?

Answer: During the Hellenistic period.

Explanation: The /h/ sound, which the rough breathing mark represented, ceased to be pronounced in the Greek language during the Hellenistic period.

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From which part of the letter H did the rough breathing mark originate?

Answer: The left-hand half.

Explanation: The rough breathing mark originated historically from the left-hand half of the letter H.

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What does 'polytonic orthography' signify in the context of Ancient Greek?

Answer: The traditional writing system employing multiple diacritical marks.

Explanation: Polytonic orthography refers to the traditional Ancient Greek writing system that utilizes multiple diacritical marks, including various accents and breathing marks.

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In some archaic Greek alphabets, the letter H was used to represent the [h] sound. What was this usage known as?

Answer: Heta

Explanation: In archaic Greek alphabets, the letter H used to represent the [h] sound was known as Heta.

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The image 'Heta uc lc.svg' illustrates what historical precursor to the rough breathing mark?

Answer: The tack-shaped archaic consonantal Heta.

Explanation: The image 'Heta uc lc.svg' visually represents the tack-shaped archaic consonantal Heta, which is recognized as the historical precursor to the rough breathing mark.

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When was the monotonic orthography, which eliminated the rough breathing, officially adopted for Modern Greek?

Answer: 1982

Explanation: The monotonic orthography, which removed the rough breathing mark, was officially adopted for Modern Greek in 1982.

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Specific Phonological Rules

An initial upsilon or rho in an Ancient Greek word always receives a smooth breathing.

Answer: False

Explanation: An initial upsilon or rho in an Ancient Greek word invariably takes a *rough* breathing, not a smooth breathing.

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The Ancient Greek word ὕμνος (*hýmnos*) is an example of an initial upsilon taking a smooth breathing.

Answer: False

Explanation: The word ὕμνος (*hýmnos*) is an example of an initial upsilon taking a *rough* breathing, as all initial upsilons do in Ancient Greek.

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When two rhos appear consecutively in the middle of an Ancient Greek word, the rough breathing is typically written on the first of the two rhos.

Answer: False

Explanation: When two rhos appear consecutively in the middle of an Ancient Greek word, the rough breathing is conventionally written on the *second* of the two rhos.

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A sequence of two rhos in the middle of an Ancient Greek word, where the second has a rough breathing, is transliterated as *rr* in Latin.

Answer: False

Explanation: A sequence of two rhos in the middle of an Ancient Greek word, where the second has a rough breathing, is transliterated as *rrh* in Latin, not *rr*.

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Crasis is a linguistic phenomenon in Ancient Greek where two words contract into one, often merging their vowels.

Answer: True

Explanation: This definition accurately describes crasis as a grammatical process in Ancient Greek involving the contraction and vowel merging of two words.

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In crasis, if the second word originally had a rough breathing, the resulting contracted vowel always takes a rough breathing.

Answer: False

Explanation: In crasis, if the second word originally had a rough breathing, the resulting contracted vowel *does not* take a rough breathing itself; instead, a preceding consonant may aspirate, and the vowel receives a coronis.

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During crasis, if the second word had a rough breathing, a preceding π (pi) would change to φ (phi), τ (tau) to θ (theta), and κ (kappa) to χ (chi).

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement correctly describes the phonetic aspiration of preceding consonants during crasis when the second word originally had a rough breathing.

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The contracted vowel in crasis, when the second word had a rough breathing, takes a smooth breathing mark.

Answer: False

Explanation: The contracted vowel in crasis, when the second word had a rough breathing, takes an apostrophe or a coronis, which is graphically identical to the smooth breathing, but is not itself a smooth breathing mark.

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The phonetic change from crasis, such as consonant aspiration, has been preserved in Modern Greek neologisms due to the influence of Katharevousa.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement is correct; the archaizing influence of Katharevousa has indeed led to the preservation of crasis-related phonetic changes, such as consonant aspiration, in Modern Greek neologisms.

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In the ancient Laconian dialect, a medial intervocalic sigma (σ) was replaced by a smooth breathing.

Answer: False

Explanation: In the ancient Laconian dialect, a medial intervocalic sigma (σ) was replaced by a *rough* breathing, not a smooth breathing.

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Which of the following is an example of an Ancient Greek word beginning with upsilon that takes a rough breathing?

Answer: ὕμνος (hýmnos)

Explanation: The word ὕμνος (*hýmnos*) is an example of an Ancient Greek word where the initial upsilon correctly receives a rough breathing.

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What is crasis in the context of Ancient Greek grammar?

Answer: The contraction of two words into a single word, often merging their vowels.

Explanation: Crasis is a linguistic phenomenon in Ancient Greek where two words contract into one, typically involving the merging of their vowels.

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In the ancient Laconian dialect, what would replace a medial intervocalic sigma (σ)?

Answer: A rough breathing.

Explanation: In the ancient Laconian dialect, a medial intervocalic sigma (σ) was replaced by a rough breathing.

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Which two specific Greek letters, when appearing at the beginning of a word, always receive a rough breathing?

Answer: Upsilon and Rho.

Explanation: In Ancient Greek, an initial upsilon (υ) or rho (ρ) invariably receives a rough breathing mark.

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If the second word in a crasis contraction originally had a rough breathing, what happens to the resulting contracted vowel?

Answer: It does not take a rough breathing itself.

Explanation: In crasis, if the second word originally had a rough breathing, the resulting contracted vowel does not receive a rough breathing mark; instead, other phonetic changes or diacritics may occur.

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In crasis, if the second word had a rough breathing, what phonetic change occurs to a preceding τ (tau)?

Answer: It becomes θ (theta).

Explanation: During crasis, if the second word had a rough breathing, a preceding τ (tau) undergoes aspiration and changes to θ (theta).

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What diacritical mark is placed on the contracted vowel in crasis when the second word had a rough breathing?

Answer: An apostrophe or a coronis.

Explanation: When the second word in a crasis contraction had a rough breathing, the resulting contracted vowel is marked with an apostrophe or a coronis.

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How is the sequence of two rhos (ρρ) in the middle of an Ancient Greek word, where the second has a rough breathing, transliterated into Latin?

Answer: *rrh*

Explanation: A sequence of two rhos in the middle of an Ancient Greek word, with the second carrying a rough breathing, is transliterated as *rrh* in Latin.

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Which of the following is an example of an Ancient Greek word beginning with rho that takes a rough breathing?

Answer: ῥυθμός (rhythmós)

Explanation: The word ῥυθμός (*rhythmós*) serves as an example of an Ancient Greek word where the initial rho correctly receives a rough breathing.

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Unicode Encoding and Representation

The Unicode code point U+0314 COMBINING REVERSED COMMA ABOVE is intended exclusively for use with Greek alphabetic scripts.

Answer: False

Explanation: U+0314 COMBINING REVERSED COMMA ABOVE is intended for general use across *all* alphabetic scripts, including both Greek and Latin, not exclusively Greek.

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U+1FFE GREEK DASIA is suitable for transliterating Armenian and Semitic scripts into Latin because it is a general combining mark.

Answer: False

Explanation: U+1FFE GREEK DASIA is *not* suitable for transliterating Armenian and Semitic scripts into Latin because it was specifically designed for compatibility with older Greek encodings, not as a general combining mark.

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Unicode includes precomposite characters for rough breathing combined with Greek letters, including those with pitch accents or iota subscripts.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement is correct; Unicode's polytonic Greek range provides precomposite characters for various combinations of rough breathing with Greek vowels and diacritics.

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The Unicode code point for GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ALPHA is U+0391.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement correctly identifies U+0391 as the Unicode code point for GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ALPHA.

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What is the Unicode code point for GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ALPHA?

Answer: U+0391

Explanation: The Unicode code point for GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ALPHA is U+0391.

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What is the Unicode code point for MODIFIER LETTER LEFT HALF RING?

Answer: U+02BF

Explanation: The Unicode code point for MODIFIER LETTER LEFT HALF RING is U+02BF.

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What is the Unicode code point assigned to the rough breathing mark for general use in alphabetic scripts?

Answer: U+0314

Explanation: U+0314 COMBINING REVERSED COMMA ABOVE is the Unicode code point assigned for the rough breathing mark for general use across alphabetic scripts.

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Which Unicode character is specifically encoded for compatibility with legacy 8-bit encodings of the Greek script and is typically used before Greek capital letters?

Answer: U+1FFE GREEK DASIA

Explanation: U+1FFE GREEK DASIA is the Unicode character specifically encoded for compatibility with legacy 8-bit Greek encodings and is typically used before Greek capital letters.

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What is the Unicode code point for LATIN SMALL LETTER T?

Answer: U+0074

Explanation: The Unicode code point for LATIN SMALL LETTER T is U+0074.

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Which of the following Unicode characters is *not* suitable for transliterating Armenian and Semitic scripts into Latin, due to its specific design for Greek encodings?

Answer: U+1FFE GREEK DASIA

Explanation: U+1FFE GREEK DASIA is specifically designed for compatibility with older Greek encodings and is therefore not suitable for general transliteration of Armenian and Semitic scripts into Latin.

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Cross-Linguistic and Typographical Applications

U+02BD MODIFIER LETTER REVERSED COMMA is designed to bind typographically with the letter encoded immediately before it to its left.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement accurately describes the typographical design and function of U+02BD MODIFIER LETTER REVERSED COMMA.

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The rough breathing mark was never used in the Early Cyrillic alphabet.

Answer: False

Explanation: The rough breathing mark *was* used in the Early Cyrillic alphabet, specifically when writing the Old Church Slavonic language.

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In the Latin transcription of Semitic languages, only U+02BD MODIFIER LETTER REVERSED COMMA is used to represent the letter 'ayin'.

Answer: False

Explanation: In the Latin transcription of Semitic languages, *both* U+02BD MODIFIER LETTER REVERSED COMMA and U+02BF MODIFIER LETTER LEFT HALF RING are used to represent the letter 'ayin'.

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In the Wade–Giles system for romanizing Mandarin Chinese, U+02BB MODIFIER LETTER TURNED COMMA is used for a sound similar to the rough breathing.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement is correct; U+02BB MODIFIER LETTER TURNED COMMA, or similar characters, were employed in Wade–Giles romanization to represent a sound comparable to the rough breathing.

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The Unicode character U+02BD MODIFIER LETTER REVERSED COMMA is used for a space followed by a combining rough breathing in the modern Latin transcription of Armenian.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement accurately describes a specific application of U+02BD MODIFIER LETTER REVERSED COMMA in the modern Latin transcription of Armenian.

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The Unicode encoding for the rough breathing in Early Cyrillic is U+0485 COMBINING CYRILLIC DASIA PNEUMATA.

Answer: True

Explanation: This statement correctly identifies U+0485 COMBINING CYRILLIC DASIA PNEUMATA as the Unicode encoding for the rough breathing in Early Cyrillic.

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The left half ring (U+02BF) cannot be used for the Latin transcription of Armenian because Armenian aspiration is phonetically distinct from Semitic 'ayin'.

Answer: False

Explanation: The left half ring (U+02BF) *can* be used for the Latin transcription of Armenian, despite phonetic differences between Armenian aspiration and Semitic 'ayin'.

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Was the rough breathing mark used in the Early Cyrillic alphabet?

Answer: Yes, when writing the Old Church Slavonic language.

Explanation: The rough breathing mark was indeed used in the Early Cyrillic alphabet, specifically in the transcription of Old Church Slavonic.

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In the Latin transcription of Semitic languages, which two Unicode characters are used to represent the letter 'ayin'?

Answer: U+02BD and U+02BF.

Explanation: In the Latin transcription of Semitic languages, both U+02BD MODIFIER LETTER REVERSED COMMA and U+02BF MODIFIER LETTER LEFT HALF RING are employed to represent the letter 'ayin'.

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Which Unicode character represents the rough breathing in the context of Early Cyrillic?

Answer: U+0485 COMBINING CYRILLIC DASIA PNEUMATA

Explanation: U+0485 COMBINING CYRILLIC DASIA PNEUMATA is the Unicode character specifically designated for the rough breathing in Early Cyrillic.

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In the Wade–Giles system for romanizing Mandarin Chinese, which Unicode character is used for a sound similar to the rough breathing?

Answer: U+02BB MODIFIER LETTER TURNED COMMA.

Explanation: In the Wade–Giles system for romanizing Mandarin Chinese, U+02BB MODIFIER LETTER TURNED COMMA is employed to represent a sound phonetically similar to the rough breathing.

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Which Unicode character is designed to bind typographically with the letter encoded immediately before it to its left and is used for the modern Latin transcription of Armenian?

Answer: U+02BD MODIFIER LETTER REVERSED COMMA

Explanation: U+02BD MODIFIER LETTER REVERSED COMMA is designed to bind typographically with the preceding letter and is used in the modern Latin transcription of Armenian.

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