A
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Customary name: | alpha |
| Represents: | a |
Variants and attestation
| Transliteration | Sinistroverse | Dextroverse | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glyph | Number | Glyph | Number | |
| A | 
|
10 | 
|
64 |
| A2 | 
|
0 | 
|
1 |
| A3 | 
|
16 | 
|
25 |
| A4 | 
|
3 | 
|
2 |
| A5 | 
|
27 | 
|
2 |
| A6 | 
|
1 | 
|
0 |
| A7 | 
|
10 | 
|
9 |
| A8 | 
|
0 | 
|
3 |
| A9 | 
|
0 | 
|
1 |
| A10 | 
|
0 | 
|
0 |
| A11 | 
|
2 | 
|
0 |
| A12 | 
|
1 | 
|
0 |
| A13 | 
|
4 | 
|
2 |
| A14 | 
|
9 | 
|
9 |
| A15 | 
|
12 | 
|
1 |
Despite the fact that Alpha is basically the same in both Raetic alphabets, a comparatively great number of variants is distinguished in TIR. This is due to the accumulation of a number of characteristics which also occur, though usually individually, in the cases of other letters:
- The frequent attestation of randomly inverted forms.
- The attestation of rounded forms.
- The attestation of both forms with symmetrically inclined hastae and with one straight hasta.
- The attestation of variants with differently inclined bars in the asymetrical forms.
Some unattested inverted forms have been retained for the sake of logical completeness. However, not all logically possible variants of rounded forms are systematically registered due to lack of attestations (i.e., rounded forms with the bar not touching the second hasta, and generally inverted variants). (See ST-1 for a single possible exception.) Furthermore, distinctions which are not registered are:
- The bar touching the hasta in the bottom or at some point along its length.
- The bar not being executed to actually touch the hasta.
- The bar crossing either of the hastae.
- Lopsided variants: A variant of
with the hasta in writing direction being shortened occurs in the inscriptions SR-7, SZ-3 and BZ-6, as well as in the marks SZ-44.2, SZ-46.2 and WE-6. A corresponding variant of 
occurs in some of the Magrè inscriptions (MA-8, MA-9, MA-10, MA-11, MA-19, MA-20).
While the alphabets of Magrè and Sanzeno do not systematically use different variants of Alpha, it can be observed that the Sanzeno alphabet exclusively employs variants with the bar rising in writing direction (, , 
, 
, ...) – the marked form in the context of North Italic writing –, while the Magrè alphabet knows both rising and the more common falling bars. No pattern can be seen in the distribution of symmetrical and asymetrical variants. Of the rounded forms, variants with a rising bar 
occur in a number of Magrè-type inscriptions (and, notably, the associated NO-13), while variants with a falling bar (A19 s) are almost exclusive to the petrographs.
