The Origin of Ye, as in Ye Olde

Good day, dudes!

Today I'm going to write about something that I found super cool about the Early Modern English alphabet (if you must fall asleep, please do try not to snore).  Welcome to a segment I am self-awaredly calling:

Actually...

So let's begin!

I'm sure you're all familiar with the way our society uses the article "ye" instead of "the" anachronistically nowadays to try and make things seems older than they are (as in Ye Olde English Pubbe).  Which is cool, whatever.  But these people pronounce it the way it's spelled: Ye.

Okay here it comes:

Actually... people never said "ye" for "the."  

Whaaat?  I know.

In Early Modern English, "the" could be written as  "þe" with the Old English letter thorn, "þ," pronounced "th."  During the Tudor period (them sexy, fancy people we learned about from Showtime), the shorthand for "þe" was   - a combination of the þ and the e.  Similar to the way we use "&" for "and."

But what does this mean?!

Well, it means that since "þ" and "y" look practically identical in medieval English, the two have more recently been mistaken for each other. But despite the way it looked, it was never pronounced with a "Y" sound.  Never. Ever... Ever ever ever.

So basically, people have been saying it incorrectly while trying to be kitschy for a whole dang century.  But it's okay, because you know better now, and you are properly equipped with the facts so as to scorn and mock all of your friends when they say it wrong.

You're welcome.

Now please.... someone come along and tell me how I used kitchsy wrong.