Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More How the Latin Alphabet Took Over the World
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Aug 27, 2020 Unravel the fascinating origins of the Latin alphabet, tracing its roots back to Ancient Rome. Discover the remarkable transformations that shaped the modern English version we use today. Learn about the global impact of this writing system, including its widespread adoption linked to Christianity and modernization. Explore intriguing updates in countries like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and even China's move towards a Latin transliteration system. Prepare to be surprised by the quirks and historical significance of an alphabet that has connected civilizations for centuries.
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Evolution of Latin Alphabet Letters
- The Latin alphabet evolved from the Roman system that originally had 23 letters, lacking J, U, and W.
- The letter J was only added officially in 1978 by papal decree when Pope John Paul II chose to spell his name with a J in Latin.
Thorn Replaced by Y in English
- The English language once included letters like thorn to represent the TH sound.
- Thorn was replaced by Y over time, leading to mispronunciations like "ye" for "the."
Ampersand as Alphabet Letter
- The ampersand was once considered the 27th letter of the English alphabet.
- The name "ampersand" comes from the phrase "and per se and" spoken at the alphabet's end.
