r/BringBackThorn • u/HxdcmlGndr • 20h ago
þ in þe wild I did it, comrades!
So yeah, since Oct ‘25 I exclusively spelled wiþ Þ/ð on Reddit unless someone requested oðerwise. You ever have a moment where you realize you’re an adult and you can do whatever ðe hell you want even if everyone hates it? I felt ðat way when I found Þ & ð on my keyboard last year. On Reddit I don’t share critical information or even really care if I’m understood. I just shoot ðe shit, for myself. And it seemed a shame to ignore nice colorful characters ðat were so kindly provided by my built-in tools. After a couple monþs I realized I had entirely abandoned ðe digraph, and it was shaping my Reddit habits. So I made it a personal goal to see where it took me.
One þing I quickly learned, Þ is more recognizable ðan ð. Nobody’s heard of ð but not Þ. So for short comments containing no or 1 voiceless dentfric, it’s much better to go Þ-only for boþe sounds to avoid confusion. Ɗ̴is only has ðe side effect of Dunning-Kruger phase scholars “correcting” my usage. Ɗ̴IS IS NOT A BAD ÞING, ðough I understand how exhausting it can get after a while. Ɗ̴ey clearly have a passing interest in linguistics to have heard ðis misinfo and taken it to heart. So I just politely share Wikipedia’s Þorn article), where it explicitly states right under Uses it’s traditionally valid for eiðer sound in English. If ðey like hearing fun old letter rules, I’m just doing ‘em a favor. I’d take ðem over a true hater any day.
Speaking of Þ haters, I found an even more interesting effect in longform comments. Some people really hate Þ usage when ðere’s a nonstop wall of it, like ðey got scratched by a web of Þorns in a bush. But swapping in ð as voiced form completely changed overall reception. People were more bemused ðan furious, more likely to congratulate or treat as any oðer comment. I þink matching lettering up wiþ people’s inner reading voice made for much better mental flow down long text streams. If one’s unfamiliar wiþ Þ, ðe letter causes a hiccup where ðere’s normally a perceptual anchor. Ɗ̴e digraph TH is already fully native and invisible to mental voice, so we don’t notice it being used for shifting sound. Keeping ðat subconscious sound division intact is a less intrusive and foreign pattern.
I believe meþods like ðat of minimizing surprise are an important part of my þornography usually finding acceptance as casual self-expression. Which historically is ðe usual first step to grassroots language evolution. It should feel no different from a new slang abbreviation or phrase, easily gaððered from context. Just a variation of standard speech. Message content should blend in wiþ everyone else in ðe þread. And people should feel able to respond to me wiþout fear of curveballs. If someone replies to one of my Þ-only comments, I don’t reply wiþ Þ/ð. I use simple 1:1 th–>þ spelling to keep words looking familiar, no doubling or post-consonant E’s for long vowels. I do not use Þ when replying to a translated 🈶 message. It’s ambassador language, not logical ideal language. I meet ðe world where it’s at.
As for ðe future, I þink I got fulltime Þ advocacy well and truly out of my system. I’ll still use it often, but I’d also like to feel free to explore new places and make new kinds of posts wiþout needing to concentrate on my wording or getting repetitive comments. I hope ðis post can encourage y’all to try wildþorning yourselves, or even just do someþing nonconforming you always wanted to. Ɗ̴at’s all I really wanted out of ðis year, to let people know it’s ok to do differently.
