The Origins Of How many letters are in the Alphabet Writing

It is believe that the Origin of the English Alphabet (and all of its 26 letters)

How many letters are in the Alphabet . The English alphabet is full of fascinating past and the evolution of each letter in the alphabet is a unique story. While English is extensively spoken, for non-English-speaking population it is the English language is among the hardest languages for people to master. In fact, there are many commonalities in English because a myriad of languages emerge in the course of its development. The missionaries, scholars, and conquerors help shape and shape the English language into the language we use to this day.

What are the Origins Of Alphabetic Writing

The first writing in alphabetic form began around 4000 years ago. According to a number of scholars that the time in Egypt that the alphabetic writing style began to develop between 1800 to 1900 BC. It was the origin of the Proto-Sinaitic (Proto-Canaanite) style of writing, which was not widely known.

Around 700 years later the time of the Phoenicians invent an alphabet that was that was base on earlier foundations. It was extensively use throughout the Mediterranean region, which include the southern region of Europe, North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and the Levant. The alphabet consist of 22 letters and all of which were consonants.

In the year 750 BC in the year 750 BC, the Greeks add vowels to Phoenician alphabet, and the result was consider to be the first authentic alphabet. The idea was adopt by the Latins (Romans) and was incorporate with a few Etruscan characters, such as the letters S or F. About the 3rd century, the old Latin script eliminate all letters G, J, V/U W, Y, and Z. In the time that when the Roman Empire was ruling parts of the globe They brought in the Roman alphabet, which was derive by that of the Latin version, despite the letters J U/V, W and J were not eliminate.

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Evolution Of The English Alphabet

As the Roman Empire reach Britain, they brought with them the Latin language. Britain was at the time under the rule of the Anglo-Saxons, an Germanic tribe who spoke Old English as their language. In the time of the Anglo-Saxons, Old English was using Futhorc which was an older alphabet. It was also refer to as the runic alphabet.

Old English

A combination of Latin alphabet with the Runic alphabet from Futhorc led to the current English alphabet. Some of the additions that came from the runic alphabets include the ‘thorn’ which had an ‘th’ sound, and ‘wynn’, which produce the sound of a ‘w. Keep in mind that there was no letter “w” within the Latin alphabet. It was during the Middle Ages, when the people of Britain had stop using the runes of the past the letter thorn was later replace by the letter ‘th’ and the runic word ‘wynn’ was change to the letter ‘uu’ which later develope into the letter ‘w.’

In the following time later, in the same time, letters like ‘j’ as well as “u” were also add. This made the total alphabet to 26 letters. However, letter combinations such as ‘ae’,’ ‘oe and Ampersand as a symbol (and) were add to the alphabet.

Middle English

When the Normans came into Britain around 1066 AD the smallest of people were speaking Old English. The clergy, scholars and nobles were writing and talking of Latin as well as Norman. After two centuries of Norman rule writing in English gain popularity and many of the Old English letters remove. Geoffrey Chaucer use middle English in his Canterbury Tales’ Wife of Bath.

Modern English

In the 15th century it was the time that printing presses were introduce into Great Britain by William Caxton. At this point the English language had been standardize. It was no longer use interchangeably. vowels V as well as U are separate the former becoming consonant with U as vowel.

The Table Alphabetical, the first dictionary in English release by Robert Cawdrey in 1604. Letter J was include in Modern English, during this period as well.

What Is An Alphabet?

The letters that are use in the language are collectively refer to as an alphabet. It has a predetermine order that is base on the preferences of the user. The alphabet is utilize for writing , and the symbols use to write are known as letters. Each letter represents a sound or an associate sound (also known as a phoneme) that is used in the spoken language. By using the standard reading directions and punctuation marks, as well as spaces the alphabet creates words that are easily read by readers.

Tales of the Letters of the English Alphabet

It is likely that you are among the millions of people who were taught the English alphabet at a young age. Your parents may have taught you to read the alphabet, and singing ‘The Alphabet Sing. However, by the time you get to the age of pre-school you’re familiar with most of the letters in the English alphabet and can make simple words. When you began at school, you were present with the English alphabet, and you discover more words through the combination of the letters.

When you first start to learn the English alphabet, it’s normal to have it as a given and have no curiosity about its past and the story behind the origins of every letter.

The modern alphabet that has 26 letters began at the beginning of the 16th century. The evolution of the English alphabet was influence by earlier Semitic, Phoenician, Greek and Roman scripts. It’s interesting to know how each letter came to be.

Letter A

The initial shape that the letters A had was upside-down. It was first introduced around the time of the 1800s. Invert, it appear as if it was the head of an animal sporting antlers or horns. It was appropriate since the word “horns” is use in the old Semitic the letter is translate to ‘ox.’

Letter B

In its original shape the letter B was taken from Egyptian hieroglyphics, by placing the letters on their stomach. In its initial form it resemble the structure of a house, with doors as well as a roof, and a room. The symbol symbolize’shelter in the past 4,000 years.

Letter C

The letter was derive via the Phoenicians. It was shape as the shape of a boomerang, or hunter’s stick. The Greeks call it ‘gamma’. instead of being written facing the opposite way, the direction was reverse in the direction that it is today written with the Italians providing it with a more crescent-shape shape.

Letter D

“Dalet” was the name that was given to the letters D in the Phoenicians in the year 800 BC. It was originally shape like a rough triangle , which was facing left. The meaning behind the letter was “door.. It was when the Greeks took on the letter ‘A and call it ‘delta.. The letter was later reverse, and the Romans made its right-hand side a semicircle.

Letter E

Around 3,800 years ago The letter ‘E’ was spoken with an “H” in Semitic language. It resemble the shape of a stick human being with two arms and a leg. In 700 BC The Geeks change the shape to the right, and changed the pronunciation to the sound of an ‘ee.

Letter F

“F” is the letter that originate originally from the Phoenicians and look like the letter ‘Y. When it was first pronounce at the period, the noise was similar to the sound “waw. The early Greeks call it “digamma,” and tilte it in the direction of modern F. It was the Romans change the appearance by making it more of a geometric form and changing the sound to “fff.’

Letter G

“G” is the letter that originate from the word ‘zeta’, which is a part of the Greeks. At first, it appear similar to an I however, the pronunciation was the sound of a ‘zzz. The Romans altereits shape about 250 BC with the addition of upper and lower arms, and an ‘g’ sound. Latin didn’t have the sound ‘z. As it progress through its evolution, straight lines curve into curve ones and finally forming the present crescent shape.

Letter H

The letter H came originally from Egyptians and was use as a symbol of fencing. It create breathy sounds when spoken therefore early academicians believe it was not need. it was not need. British as well as Latin scholars eventually remove the H letter in the English alphabet approximately 500 AD.

Letter I

The letter ‘I’ was refer to as “yod” in the year 1000 BC. It was a reference to arm and hand. It meant hand and arm. Greeks name it “iota”. They transform it into a vertical. Its evolution change to a straight line by 700 BC.

Letter J

“I’” was use to represent the sound ‘J’ back during the early days of writing. The shape of the letter was create in the 15th century , as an ancestor of an earlier Spanish language. It was in 1640 that the letters regularly became print.

Letter K

The letter “K” is an ancient letter, originating from Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was in Semitic language it was refer to as “kaph,” which translate to “hand’s palm. In the past the letter was written facing in the opposite direction. Then, when it was adopt by the Greeks adopt it around 800 BC the letter change to “kappa,” and then it was flip towards the left.

Letter L

In the ancient Semitic the letter “L” was upside-down. This made it appear like a hook. It was already known as “El,” which means God. It was believe that the Phoenicians were the ones responsible for giving it a reverse face and the hook was facing left. They straighten the hook slightly and then alter the title to “lame” (pronounce lah-med) as an animal prod. The Greeks call the hook ‘lambda’, and then turn it upside down to face left. The final appearance of the letter “L”, with the straight foot on an angle was made possible by to the Romans.

Letter M

The beginning of the letter “M” was those wavy lines that had five peaks that symbolize water, according to the Egyptians. The letter M was create in the year 1800 BC they Semites decrease the line to only three lines and in the following year, the Phoenicians eliminate one more. In 800 BC the peaks became vertical zigzags before being flipp to create the letter M which we use in the present.

Letter N

A different Egyptian representation was the letter “N,” which initially appear as a tiny ripple on top of a larger one that represent snake or cobra. The letter was assign the ‘n sounds by ancient Semites that represent fish. In the year 1000 BC the first ripple was discover in the form of a ripple, and the Greeks call it “nu.’

Letter O

The letter “O” came from the Egyptians also. The word was known as “eye” in Egyptian and “ayin” in Semites. The Phoenicians further reduce hieroglyphics, leaving just pupils’ outline.

Letter P

In the early Semitic language, the current letter ‘P’ was an invert “V. It was pronounce “pe” which translates to “mouth. The Phoenicians changed its top to an angle hook shape. In 200 BC in 200 BC, the Romans turn the letter to the right and then close the loop to make the ‘P.’

Letter Q

The sound that was originally use for Q was similar to “qoph” which translate into the form of a ball of wool or a monkey. The initial form of the letter was an arc that was travers by an vertical line. In the Roman inscriptions , around 520 BC the letter was written in the way we recognize it to us today.

Letter R

Humans’ faces facing left was the first design of the letter “R” record by Semites. It was written’resh meaning “head. The Romans change their attention to right, and then include an incline foot.

Letter S

“S” is the letter that was use to look like a horizontal wavy w which was meant to symbolize the bow of archers. The angularity of the form originate from the Phoenicians who named it’shin meaning ‘tooth’. The Romans turn it upside down into a vertical angle and name it’sigma and the Romans changed it back to the same position that the letter is in today.

Letter T

The early Semites utilize the lower case variant of the letter ‘T which we use now. The Phoenicians used the word ‘taw’ to describe the letter’ (mark) that sounded like ‘tee’ when spoken. The letter was referred to as “tau” by Greeks. They also add a crossing at the uppermost point of the letters in order to differentiate it from the letter ‘X.’

Letter U

“U” in the letter first was a ‘Y’-like letter in 1000 BC. It was then known as ‘waw’ which was a reference to “peg. Under the Greeks the word was known as “upsilon.’

Letter V

The Romans employe the words V and U to refer to each other. The distinction first appear in the early 1400s.

Letter W

“W’” was the first letter in English. It was first introduce in the Middle Ages, with the Scribes from Charlemagne creating two “u’s in a row separate by an ‘x. The sound produce sounds similar to that of the sound of. The letter first appear in print as a distinct letter ‘W’ in the year 1700.

Letter X

It is believe that the letter ‘ksi’ in the ancient Greeks sounds like the letter ‘X. The lowercase forms for the word ‘X’ was discover in the handwritten manuscripts found in middle ages. The late 15th century Italian printers also employe lowercase ‘X’s.’

Letter Y

Starting out as ‘upsilon’ , the letter Y was introduce by the Romans around 100 AD.

Letter Z

The Phoenicians had an alphabet called “zayin. It was the word for “ax. It initially was shape as if the letter I had a’s’ that had serifs on the top and the bottom. Around 800 BC around 800 BC, the Greeks adopted the word ‘zeta’, and added the sound dz to it. The word was not utilize for many centuries prior to the time in Norman French. Norman French and their words that require the sound of “Z..’

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Alphabet Aside…

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