The Phoenician Alphabets
The
advent of a writing system started when Early Man started farming and settled
in one place. Around 4100-3800 BC symbols impressed on clay began to be used to
keep records .The symbols were in the form of pictures, and eventually, certain
picture began to represent first ideas, and then sounds. The Sumerians and
Egyptians were the first ancient civilizations to develop this form of written
communication.
The
developers of the first true alphabet were the Phoenicians. They developed a
crude script in which each letter stood for a sound, and had a symbol of its
own. This alphabet, dating from 1600 BC, was further developed by the Ancient
Greeks. It was changed and improved, and had 24 characters, The Romans later adopted
this alphabet and adapted it to their own needs. This Latin alphabet is the
forerunner of the modern English alphabet. Hence the Phoenician alphabet is the
ancestor of all modern western alphabets.
Written by.,
Aishwarya Barathi
II B.A English.,
Kg Cas.,
Coimbatore
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