Tasneem Hossain

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Tasneem Hossain
That Sweet Little Curvy Character
‘Madam, should we use ampersand in our writings?’
This was a question asked by a top-level manager of a company, while I was conducting a training session on Business English.
Great question! I blurted out. I was a little surprised by the question, because many people have forgotten what an ampersand is. No offence, but it’s true that we use it very often yet,
we have forgotten the name of this sweet little curvy figure which helps us in so many ways in our writings.
Before I share my answer to that question, let me shed some light on the ampersand for those who have forgotten or have no idea what an ampersand is.
Well, an ampersand looks like this: &. You got it right! This little symbol helps us in taking shorthand and quick notes as we replace
the word ‘and’ with it.
The history of the ampersand begins with our glorious and innovative friends, the ancient Romans. The Romans used cursive writing in order to save time on long scripts. They joined
letters to enhance the flow of writing. This frequently caused confusion as characters intersected. To solve this problem, the Romans combined various letters into a single symbol
for effectiveness. The ampersand was created by joining two letters, ‘e’ and ‘t’ or ‘et’. In Latin ‘et’ means ‘and’. It’s believed to have been created 2000 years back, by a slave, Marcus Tullius Tiro, a secretary to Cicero, the Roman lawyer, writer and orator in 63 B.C. Later, he became a free man. He is also credited for developing the first Latin shorthand system, which lasted over
1,000 years.
Archaeologists have discovered early versions of the ampersand in ancient Roman graffiti. Also, symbols like ampersand marks have been found in medieval manuscripts, engraved in
stone tablets and written on parchments.
As the Roman Empire expanded, many languages incorporated this in their own alphabets.
It became popular in the 19th century and was added as the 27th letter of the alphabet after Z.
It was the only letter in the English alphabet that did not represent a speech sound. School children reciting the alphabet would say ‘X, Y, Z, and—per se—and’.  This phrase was often
spoken quickly. So, after a period of time, ‘and—per se—and’ became corrupted.
Eventually, the word ‘ampersand’ developed from a phonetic mispronunciation, giving the symbol its name. By 1837, the term ampersand found its way in the English dictionary and
became well established. Though it’s not known when, but educators finally dropped the ampersand from the alphabet because it wasn’t a true letter and confused students. 
The symbol evolved with time into the character that we use now, and achieved recognition in written language and design and has been used for centuries. People use the ampersand as
an alternative to the word ‘and’ (conjunction), but it’s actually a logogram. A logogram is a character that represents a word or phrase commonly used in shorthand.
World Ampersand Day is celebrated on 8 September annually. The day was founded in 2015 by Chaz DeSimone, author, designer and typographer of AmperArt.com to celebrate its
historical origin and its use in writing and artistry. The day also encourages people to use it more often in various fields, from branding and advertising to literature and graphic design; and aims to inspire people to appreciate its unique aesthetic appeal and versatility.
Its artistic and practical value is utlised by designers and writers to create distinctive visual integration in their work. They see it as a creative way to add style and finesse to their work.
It isn’t just a symbol; it’s a practical tool that connects ideas in a way that adds a special touch to any text.
The symbol ‘&’ is not a word and should not be treated as one, so capitalization rules do not apply to it; its use is reserved for specific situations discussed below.
Now let’s come back to the question.
‘Should we use ampersand in our writings or is it better to use ‘and’ instead of ‘&? Frankly speaking, in most formal English writings there are very few uses of the ampersand.
Formal writings: 
-In formal texts, such as academic papers, business correspondence, or important business documents like the long report, organisational fliers the word ‘and’ should be
used instead of using the ampersand ‘&’. 
-However, there are some instances where the ampersand is acceptable. For example, it’s normally used in abbreviations like Mr. & Mrs.
-Ampersands are quite often used in parenthetical citations, e.g. ‘Research indicates that climate change has far-reaching effects (Smith & Jones, 2021).’ Many educational institutions also require the use of an ‘&’ when citing sources of original work.
-It’s used in many famous company names or titles to create a sophisticated and eye- catching brand identity, like Johnson & Johnson, Marks & Spencer, H&M and
Barnes & Noble for its visual appeal. It helps shorten long names, making them look sophisticated. The ampersand also suggests partnership, strengthening brand values and helping create a memorable brand image.  
Informal writings:
-For informal contexts like text messages or emails to friends, the ampersand can be used for style or quick writings.  
-Its unique shape continues to inspire modern artists, specially calligraphy artists, to create intricate designs by combining it with other letters.
-In street art, sometimes it’s used in murals to symbolize unity and duality.
-Some digital artists also use 3D printing to produce engraved ampersand sculptures on metal, glass or brick structures.
The variations of the traditional representations of its form give designers a little creative freedom. They take that opportunity to incorporate some extra personality to this symbol for
branding and designs.
This sweet curvy symbol has such great value for designers that it was used to raise funds for war and humanitarian causes. In 1999, Font Aid, a charitable project, was founded by
Swedish type designer Claes Kallarsson. It was a collaborative effort, where designers used ampersand to create a collective typeface and then sold it and donated all proceeds to
organizations like UNICEF. In 2010, Font Aid IV, designers again created new symbols with the ampersand. It represented the idea of people united to help each other. About 400
designers contributed artwork for the project. The profits were then donated to Doctors
Without Borders to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
Do you know that the ampersand is one of the most common special characters used in Passwords and ranked ninth for its usage?
Well, I guess you know now how to use the ampersand in different situations.
The ampersand isn’t just a practical symbol; it’s a statement in itself. An effective communication tool that reflects creative expression in logos, brands, formal text and everyday common text usage. This cute little symbol, ‘&’ with all its variations, is remarkable.
Use it with caution and flair!
 
Tasneem Hossain is a multilingual poet, columnist, op-ed and fiction writer, educator,
translator and training consultant. She is the Director of Continuing Education Centre,
Bangladesh.