G

Latin alphabet
	A	B	C	D
E	F	G	H	I	J
K	L	M	N	O	P
Q	R	S	T	U	V
	W	X	Y	Z

G is the seventh letter in the Roman alphabet.

The letter G was created by the Romans because they felt that C was not an adequate letter to represent both /k/ AND /g/. Fascinatingly, the alleged inventor is a known historical figure, Spurius Carvilius Ruga (who flourished around 230 BC). G, which at this time took the place of the letter Z, came to represent the sound /g/. As the sound /k/ did, /g/ also developed palatal and velar allophones which is the reason why today, G has different sound values in all Romance languages and English (due to French influence).

In English, the letter can be pronounced as a "soft G" (SAMPA: [dZ]), as in: giant, ginger, geology, or it can be pronounced as a "hard G" (SAMPA: [g]), as in: goose, gargoyle, game.

Golf represents the letter G in the NATO phonetic alphabet.

Meanings for G

• In physics G is the gravitational constant.
• Also g (always in lowercase) is the unit of acceleration due to gravity on Earth.
• G is also a character in Sega's House of the Dead arcade series. In House of the Dead, G heads into an old mansion to discover the true reason behind the sudden appearance of the undead. In the sequel, House of the Dead II, G makes little appearance. However, in the latest game, House of the Dead III, G returns to rescue his old partner Thomas Rogan when he mysteriously disappears in a haunted tower block.