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An alphabet consists of written symbols that
each represents a given sound or sounds, which can be combined to form
all the words of a language Our alphabet as we know it today is the result
of over four-thousand years of transformation. There is agreement
that our modern alphabet is the descendent of the Proto-Canaanite
alphabet, not necessarily cuneiform. "The
difference between cuneiform and an alphabet is that the cuneiform system
was composed of a large number of symbolic signs which represent things,
ideas, words, etc., while an alphabet is composed of approximately 30 or
fewer signs which represent the individual sounds of a spoken language."
From the Proto-Canaanite alphabet we get the south
Arabian family of alphabets, the
Ugartic alphabet, the Phoenician alphabet, the Aramaic and the Greek
and Latin families of alphabets. These, of course are not the
only alphabets in existence. The American
Cherokees had their own alphabet. It resembled our own alphabet.
There is also the ancient Germanic alphabet known as the
runes, which I will cover later. The Cyrillic
alphabet, in various forms, is used currently in Russian, Ukrainian,
Serbian, and Bulgarian writing.
The Pro-Canaanite alphabet was loosely based on Egyptian hieroglyphics. From Pro-Canaanite came the Phoenician alphabet. Most of the alphabets used today are descended from Phoenician. Our alphabet is a descendant of the ancient Greek alphabet whcih is also a descendant of Phoenician. Where most alphabets were used to record deeds, important decrees and the like, the Germanic runes were used to perform mystical religious purposes and magic. This was not an everyday alphabet. The runes are also believed to be descendants of the Phoenician alphabet.
The interesting thing to me is the fact that as close as we are getting
to being a truly global community, we still have so many different languages,
alphabets and ways to present them. I have a hard time believing
that we could possibly come to some system that pleases everyone.
If you put too many people in one room to discuss it, would anything ever
get done?
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An "tree" of the origin of alphabets |
| Web Sources!
http://www.translexis.demon.co.uk/booklet/html/alphabet.html http://alumni.EECS.Berkeley.EDU/~lorentz/Ancient_Scripts/ http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/egyptinf/history/html/writing.htm http://deil.lang.uiuc.edu/class.pages/eil199/webprojects/Individuals/KFarrar/alphabet/alph.htm http://www.csusm.edu/public/guests/raven/cherokee.dir/cher1.html http://www.magitech.com/~runes/Ruco1.html |
