The Origin of the Alphabet (2024)

The original alphabet was developed by a Semitic people living in ornear Egypt.* They based it on the idea developed by theEgyptians, but used their own specific symbols. It was quicklyadopted by their neighbors and relatives to the east and north, theCanaanites, the Hebrews,and the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians spread their alphabet toother people of the Near East and Asia Minor, as well as to the Arabs,the Greeks, and the Etruscans, and as far west as present daySpain. The letters and names on the left are the ones used by thePhoenicians. The letters on the right are possible earlierversions. If you don't recognize the letters, keep in mindthat they have since been reversed (since the Phoenicians wrote fromright to left) and often turned on their sides!

'aleph,the ox, began as the image of an ox's head. It represents aglottal stop before a vowel. The Greeks, needing vowel symbols,used it for alpha (A).TheRomans used it as A.

Beth,the house, may have derived from a more rectangular Egyptian alphabeticglyph of a reed shelter (but which stood for the sound h). TheGreekscalled it beta (B), and it waspassed on to the Romans as B.

Gimel,the camel, may have originally been the image of a boomerang-likethrowing stick. The Greeks called it gamma (Γ). The Etruscans-- who had no g sound -- used it for the k sound, and passed it on tothe Romans as C. They inturn added a short bar to it to make itdo double duty as G.

Daleth,the door, may have originally been a fish! The Greeks turned itinto delta (Δ), and passed itonto the Romans as D.

Hemay have meant window, but originally represented a man, facing us withraised arms, calling out or praying. The Greeks used it for thevowel epsilon (E, "simpleE"). The Romans used it as E.

Waw,the hook, may originally have represented a mace. The Greeks usedone version of waw which looked like our F, which they called digamma,for the number 6.This was used by the Etruscans for v, and they passed it on to theRomans as F. TheGreeks had a second version -- upsilon(Υ)--which they moved to to the back of their alphabet. The Romansused a version ofupsilon for V, which laterwould be written U as well,then adopted theGreek form as Y. In 7thcentury England, the W --"double-u" -- wascreated.

Zayinmay have meant sword or some other kind of weapon. The Greeksused it for zeta (Z). TheRomans only adopted it later as Z,and put it at the end of theiralphabet.

H.eth,the fence, was a "deep throat" (pharyngeal) consonant. The Greeksused it for the vowel eta (H),butthe Romans used it for H.

Tethmay have originally represented a spindle. The Greeks used it for theta (Θ), but theRomans,who did not have the th sound, dropped it.

Yodh,the hand, began as a representation of the entire arm. The Greeksused a highly simplified version of it for iota (Ι). The Romans usedit as I, and later added avariation for J.

Kaph,the hollow or palm of the hand, was adopted by the Greeks for kappa (K) andpassed it on to the Romans as K.

Lamedhbegan as a picture of an ox stick or goad. The Greeks used itfor lambda (Λ). TheRomansturned it into L.

Mem,the water, became the Greek mu(M).The Romans kept it as M.

Nun,the fish, was originally a snake or eel. The Greeks used it for nu (N), and the Romans for N.

Samekh,which also meant fish, is of uncertain origin. It may haveoriginallyrepresented a tent peg or some kind of support. It bears a strongresemblance to the Egyptian djed pillar seen in many sacredcarvings. The Greeks used it for xi(Ξ) and a simplified variation of it for chi (X).The Romanskept only the variation as X.

'ayin,the eye, was another "deep throat" consonant. The Greeks used itfor omicron (O, "littleO"). They developed a variation of it for omega (Ω, "big O"), and putit at the end of their alphabet. The Romans kept theoriginal for O.

Pe,the mouth, may have originally been a symbol for a corner. TheGreeks used it for pi(Π).The Romans closed up one side and turned it into P.

Sade,a sound between s and sh, is of uncertain origin. It may haveoriginally been a symbol for a plant, but later looks more like a fishhook. The Greeks did not use it, although an odd variation doesshow up as sampi (Ϡ), a symbol for 900. The Etruscans used it intheshape of an M for their sh sound, but the Romans had no need for it.

Qoph,the monkey, may have originally represented a knot. It was usedfor a sound similar to k but further back in the mouth. TheGreeks only used it for the number 90 (Ϙ), but the Etruscans and Romanskept itfor Q.

Resh,the head, was used by the Greeks for rho(P).The Romans added a lineto differentiate it from their P and made it R.

Shin,the tooth, may have originally represented a bow. Although it wasfirst pronounced sh, the Greeks used it sideways for sigma (Σ). The Romans roundedit to make S.

Taw,the mark, was used by the Greeks for tau(T).The Romans used it for T.

* Until recently, it was believed that these people lived in the Sinaidesert and began using their alphabet in the 1700's bc. In 1998,archeologist John Darnell discovered rock carvings in southern Egypt's"Valley of Horrors" that push back the origin of the alphabet to the1900's bc or even earlier. Details suggest that the inventorswere Semitic people working in Egypt, who thereafter passed the idea onto their relatives further east.

As a seasoned linguist and historical language enthusiast, I bring a wealth of knowledge to shed light on the fascinating origins of the alphabet, particularly the one developed by Semitic people in or near Egypt. My expertise in linguistics, historical scripts, and cultural evolution allows me to provide a comprehensive understanding of the concepts mentioned in the article.

The article delves into the development of the original alphabet, attributing its creation to Semitic people who resided in or near Egypt. The evidence for this assertion has been bolstered by archeological findings, particularly rock carvings discovered by archeologist John Darnell in southern Egypt's "Valley of Horrors" in 1998. These carvings suggest that the alphabet's origins date back to the 1900s BC or possibly even earlier, challenging the previously held belief that it emerged in the 1700s BC.