The Origin and Effect of the First Alphabet
Kelsey Hanrahan
Background
The closest precursors of the alphabet include both of the earliest documented forms of writing: cuneiform and hieroglyphics.[1]
Turning Point
The origin of the alphabet is a debated subject. Many scholars believe that the alphabet was first derived from the Canaans and not the Phoneicans as others have thought. It is most accurate to state that Phoenicia, Canaan, and Egypt stand as the most likely sources of the alphabet.[2]
However, it is widely acknowledged that the first evidence of an ancient alphabet was found in the Sinai desert[3], by William Flinders Petrie, and dated back to around 1800 B.C.[4] Also, Darnel and Darnel worked alongside writing experts in 1999 and found that the first use of this alphabet could be traced back to Semitic-speaking laborers in Egypt around 1900 -1800 B.C. It is thought that these Egyptian slaves reduced numerous previously used symbols down to only 30, and they represented rearrange-able consonants.[5] It is thought that the Greeks set the first definable shape for the letters[6] based on the Phoenician alphabet[7]. The Greeks did this so that letters that made up an alphabet could be replicated in an exact manner. It is also thought that the Romans refined the shape of the letters to be more elegant and efficient in modern-day writing.[8]
Specifically, the term alphabet is derived from scripts in which one symbol (letter) represents one phoneme. The term is directly linked to the Phoenician script of such symbols called aleph-bet.[9] Writing changed with the presence of the alphabet in that single symbols (letters) no longer represented an idea by themselves; an alphabet demands that at least a string of symbols, thus creating a word, is needed to create meaning in writing.[10]
Effect
The creation of the alphabet made language and writing available to the most people that had never had the opportunity for such knowledge in any given community. Before its development, there were literary elites that created an unequal division of knowledge and power among the social hierarchy. Its simplicity made writing easier to learn and thus had a gigantic impact on humanity’s ability to share information and knowledge. Also, knowledge and writing became “systematized” with the substantiation and use of the alphabet. Its simplicity allowed all different types of knowledge and writing to be organized in a uniform way with a simple method. It was more easily accessible.[11]
[1] Jon-Christian Billigmeier and Pamela J. Burnham. Encyclopedia of Religion. 2005. 269.
[2] Leonard Shlain. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. 1998. 70.
[3] William Matthew Flinders Petrie. The formation of the alphabet. 1912.
[4] Leonard Shlain. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. 1998. 70.
[5] Bertram C. Bruce. Encyclopedia of Communication and Information. 2002. 22.
[6] Oscar Ogg. The 26 Letters. 1961. 90.
[7] Ernst Doblhofer. Voices in the Stone: The Decipherment of Ancient Scripts and Writings. 1961. 15.
[8] Oscar Ogg. The 26 Letters. 1961. 90.
[9] Jon-Christian Billigmeier and Pamela J. Burnham. Encyclopedia of Religion. 2005. 269.
[10] Leonard Shlain. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. 1998. 67.
[11] Leonard Shlain. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. 1998. 65-66.
Bibliography
Billigmeier, Jon-Christian and Burnham, Pamela J. Encyclopedia of Religion: Alphabet.
Macmillan Reference USA. Detroit, Michigan. 2005. 269-275.
Bruce, Bertram C.. Encyclopedia of Communication and Information. Macmillan Reference
USA. Detroit, Michigan. 2002. 21-25.
Doblhofer, Ernst. Voices in the Stone: The Decipherment of Ancient Scripts and Writings.
Viking Press. New York, New York. 1961. 1-327.
Ogg, Oscar. The 26 Letters. Thomas Y. Crowell Company. New York, New York. 1961. 1-
262.
Shlain, Leonard. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. Penguin Group. New York, New
York. 1998. 1-464.
William Matthew Flinders Petrie. The formation of the alphabet. Macmillan. London. 1912.
Retrieved from http://archive.org/stream/formationofalpha00petr#page/n45/mode/2up.
Kelsey Hanrahan
Background
The closest precursors of the alphabet include both of the earliest documented forms of writing: cuneiform and hieroglyphics.[1]
Turning Point
The origin of the alphabet is a debated subject. Many scholars believe that the alphabet was first derived from the Canaans and not the Phoneicans as others have thought. It is most accurate to state that Phoenicia, Canaan, and Egypt stand as the most likely sources of the alphabet.[2]
However, it is widely acknowledged that the first evidence of an ancient alphabet was found in the Sinai desert[3], by William Flinders Petrie, and dated back to around 1800 B.C.[4] Also, Darnel and Darnel worked alongside writing experts in 1999 and found that the first use of this alphabet could be traced back to Semitic-speaking laborers in Egypt around 1900 -1800 B.C. It is thought that these Egyptian slaves reduced numerous previously used symbols down to only 30, and they represented rearrange-able consonants.[5] It is thought that the Greeks set the first definable shape for the letters[6] based on the Phoenician alphabet[7]. The Greeks did this so that letters that made up an alphabet could be replicated in an exact manner. It is also thought that the Romans refined the shape of the letters to be more elegant and efficient in modern-day writing.[8]
Specifically, the term alphabet is derived from scripts in which one symbol (letter) represents one phoneme. The term is directly linked to the Phoenician script of such symbols called aleph-bet.[9] Writing changed with the presence of the alphabet in that single symbols (letters) no longer represented an idea by themselves; an alphabet demands that at least a string of symbols, thus creating a word, is needed to create meaning in writing.[10]
Effect
The creation of the alphabet made language and writing available to the most people that had never had the opportunity for such knowledge in any given community. Before its development, there were literary elites that created an unequal division of knowledge and power among the social hierarchy. Its simplicity made writing easier to learn and thus had a gigantic impact on humanity’s ability to share information and knowledge. Also, knowledge and writing became “systematized” with the substantiation and use of the alphabet. Its simplicity allowed all different types of knowledge and writing to be organized in a uniform way with a simple method. It was more easily accessible.[11]
[1] Jon-Christian Billigmeier and Pamela J. Burnham. Encyclopedia of Religion. 2005. 269.
[2] Leonard Shlain. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. 1998. 70.
[3] William Matthew Flinders Petrie. The formation of the alphabet. 1912.
[4] Leonard Shlain. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. 1998. 70.
[5] Bertram C. Bruce. Encyclopedia of Communication and Information. 2002. 22.
[6] Oscar Ogg. The 26 Letters. 1961. 90.
[7] Ernst Doblhofer. Voices in the Stone: The Decipherment of Ancient Scripts and Writings. 1961. 15.
[8] Oscar Ogg. The 26 Letters. 1961. 90.
[9] Jon-Christian Billigmeier and Pamela J. Burnham. Encyclopedia of Religion. 2005. 269.
[10] Leonard Shlain. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. 1998. 67.
[11] Leonard Shlain. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. 1998. 65-66.
Bibliography
Billigmeier, Jon-Christian and Burnham, Pamela J. Encyclopedia of Religion: Alphabet.
Macmillan Reference USA. Detroit, Michigan. 2005. 269-275.
Bruce, Bertram C.. Encyclopedia of Communication and Information. Macmillan Reference
USA. Detroit, Michigan. 2002. 21-25.
Doblhofer, Ernst. Voices in the Stone: The Decipherment of Ancient Scripts and Writings.
Viking Press. New York, New York. 1961. 1-327.
Ogg, Oscar. The 26 Letters. Thomas Y. Crowell Company. New York, New York. 1961. 1-
262.
Shlain, Leonard. The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. Penguin Group. New York, New
York. 1998. 1-464.
William Matthew Flinders Petrie. The formation of the alphabet. Macmillan. London. 1912.
Retrieved from http://archive.org/stream/formationofalpha00petr#page/n45/mode/2up.