The original
alphabet was developed by the Semitic people living in or near Egypt. They
based it on the idea developed by the Egyptians, but used their own specific
symbols. It was quickly adopted by their neighbours and relatives to the
east and north, the Canaanites, the Hebrews, and the Phoenicians. The
Phoenicians spread their alphabet to other 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 day Spain.
The Sumerians introduced
experimenting with writing over 4000 years B. C which is known as Cuneiform.
The early cuneiform compromised some 1,500 pictograms. For example, the word
for bird existed at first as a simple symbol representation of a bird. The
oldest pictograph on a limestone table has been dated at around 3500 years B.C.
The Egyptians
developed a system of pictograms. Hieroglyphic inscriptions (sacred carvings)
began as pictograms, but later those pictures were used to represent speech
sounds.
Phoenician Alphabet Origin
Egyption Alphabet Origin
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