Knowledge English Alphabet History?

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Outsider

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This topic is a question which I would be searching for someone who have a knowledge of the old English alphabet and beyond after it as well.

I have been doing a lot of homework. Because I believe it very importation to know our history in family, culture and language. My goal is to find the answer between our modern English to Ancient Hebrew. Since I understood that ancient Hebrew language is way different to the modern Hebrew. The interesting thing is, I've discovered that English alphabet is the most similar in graphology (shape) to the Ancient Hebrew alphabet. Because of how I have noticed that Euro ancient Hebrew was more like English and Greek - than modern Jewish Hebrew, Syriac Aramaic and Arabic.

How much would you know about this?
 
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I truly believe it is the most significant to have some knowledge of history. You can study their ancient Hebrew language and modern English. I have been studying and researching about history pretty much especially my family tree. It is important for me to know what they're like in the past and where they come from. As you know, you learn what they're like when they write their ancient language. It is very interesting. However, things have changed. For instance, children are not required to write in cursive today. If things change, it will become history.
 
eternity said:
For instance, children are not required to write in cursive today. If things change, it will become history.
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You're right about how children are not required to write in cursive today. I think it already had changed since the late 90s or early 2000. I believe the reason behind this was because of the technological computer. Student are often doing document on the computer then the old fashion writing.

I remember doing cursive of writing in school. I also remember how my grandmother used to teach and push me to get the cursive right. I have seen the change trough out my life of how people write today.
 
Whew! Cursive?
I'm just happy if a kid can write at all.
Kids these days have terrible handwriting. Haha.
I have met at least a dozen kindergarteners who do not know how to write their own names in the past few years. Instead of their name they write down their "magic number" on school work.

I think the problem is related to computers, but not entirely.

When I went to school, if the teacher wanted to give students notes, they wrote on the board, and we copied it down into our notebooks. If I can't read my handwriting, then I could get a bad grade when a test comes up.

Now students get photocopied notes. No consequence for having bad handwriting!

They also see other people's handwriting less, because parents and teachers have less opportunity to display their handwriting to their kids (less notes on the board, less notes or letters to kids). Again, no consequence if someone has good or bad handwriting!

It just isn't important to be able to write neatly anymore because writing has become more personal tool (like the ability to walk) than a social tool (like the phone).

As for OP,
These should be interesting to you:
History of the alphabet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ancient and modern Latin alphabet
 
shimo said:
I think the problem is related to computers, but not entirely.
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Unfortunately it's a BIG part of why children today can't write. Thank of how much is done on computers now? In Asia, they worry that children are beginning to forget how to write characters (Chinese/Kanji/Korean). However, in some ways computers have become a blessing. Children with dysgraphia, a learning disability that makes it impossible for them to write, find relief on the computer. I had a touch of this problem myself and absolutely couldn't do cursive writing. It took hours, was very tiny...thankfully when school work started depending more on the home computer, I had an outlet. Believe me though, I do wish I could take penmanship somewhere. Writing truly is an art...

Laura
 
Outsider said:
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The interesting thing is, I've discovered that English alphabet is the most similar in graphology (shape) to the Ancient Hebrew alphabet.
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Font, is only a representation of language. To understand the fonts you need to understand where they came from and there are a number of books on this subject.

In addition, whatever you see on the internet in terms of symbols(fonts) depends on how the browser represents those symbols. For example, Firefox does not represent symbols the same as Internet Explorer. Internet publishers have to work hard to maintain consistency between different browsers. So, reading something from an old book might not look the same if the book is put on the internet. You need to keep that in mind.

From what I have read many fonts come from monasteries which controlled printing presses after the time of Aldus and before through written writing and woodcuts. Today, you can can create computer fonts such as those used in, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc.

The symbolic significance of the fonts I would think depends on the audience.

As for the language, any relation to English would be through Latin, as English is derived from Latin, and perhaps in ancient times there may be a common connection, but I'm not sure that is true of modern Hebrew(I don't even pretend to know the language). In this case you, may have to look at phonetics. Check out, Society for Pure English by John Sageaunt. If you understand how words are pronounced (yes, I'm deaf and trying to understand it) you can understand it's origin, as I am trying to learn.

On a side note: It's my understanding, the word ancient does not need to be capitalized.


I'm no expert, but I hope this helps.
 
VacationGuy234 said:
In addition, whatever you see on the internet in terms of symbols(fonts) depends on how the browser represents those symbols. For example, Firefox does not represent symbols the same as Internet Explorer. Internet publishers have to work hard to maintain consistency between different browsers. So, reading something from an old book might not look the same if the book is put on the internet. You need to keep that in mind.
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Thank for sharing about how symbols fonts would appear on browser such Firefox, Internet Explorer or Chrome which may not represent the same etc... This I will keep in mind.

Also, thank you for the suggest about Society for Pure English by John Sageaunt. I will look into it.
 
Lau2046 said:
In Asia, they worry that children are beginning to forget how to write characters (Chinese/Kanji/Korean)Laura
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In Korea we have been phasing out Chinese characters since the 70s, because it is deemed pro-Japanese Colonial Rule.

The only things that are written in Chinese characters these days is:
1. A political (usually presidential) candidate's last name (Kim, Lee, Park..)
2. Very simple characters (1~10000, days of week, ..only a few hundred characters)
3. Medical or other expert words that have synonyms or are uncommon in the popular lexicon. However, in this case, the word appears with the chinese as a meaning: PRONOUNCE(meaning)
4. Names of Chinese or Japanese foreigners as: PRONOUNCE(how it is written)

For the most part you do not need to know any Chinese to get by in Korea since many people can't read them, but it's good to know some if you are in an expert field like medicine, research or law.


I do however agree that automation is cutting down on the Japanese kanji reproduce ability. There is three things that happen in Kanji: Understanding it (see a kanji, know what it means), Reading it (many different ways to read one kanji depending on how it's used or which letters it's next to), and Recalling it (being able to write out a kanji from memory).

Since the introduction of computers and phones with automated kanji conversion, there has indeed been a decline in kanji recall.
In English, it would be like if everyone knew how to read the word "Psychological" but if no one was sure if should be spelt "Sighkalawgecull" or "Sciecalogicol" or "Psyckolagical". You know the word is spelled wrong, but you can't remember how it is supposed to be spelt!

As a result, people have a tough time writing letters on paper or filling out forms (a common complaint is that many people feel the need to look up how to write a kanji because they can't remember how to), or notes, or sometimes recalling how to write a name even if it is common (like what city they are from).

The tricky thing is though, many people don't know what words they don't know how to write. They can read as well as before they started using their cell phones and computers with the automated kanji conversion, but because there is less reason to write, their kanji recall is much less than the word they can read. So it's really misleading.

People assume that because they can read a word that they can also write it, but the muscle memory of writing that word is no longer there.
 
On a personal note, anyone who has studied at least one language, even superfically, would know we need a new universal language. English is by no means without it's problems. And, this is true for all other existing languages as well.

In my opinion, if we could dispense with the tower of babel, the human race could move forward at a much faster pace.
 
jhi-epigraphy-conventions.jpg

What you see here above is where the Old English / Anglo-Saxon (Englisc) language as I think it came from after the Runic language.

indoeuro02c.jpg

So far, I have the reason to think that there were nine or more different known languages that began in the Indo-Europeans time before language were totally multiply spread. It began spreading in central Asia which it is likely today in Turkey and/or Iraq area. The nine different languages I have seen often is Natolin, Hellenic, Indo-Iranian, Celtic, Germanic, Armenian, Balto-Slavic, Tocharian and Albanian. English after Anglo-Saxon language was from the tree of the Germanic family language.

I can see that history of Babel were in that area as well before the Indo-Europeans time A time when many people once spoken one language as they understood one another until the Creator of Heaven and earth had allowed to cause them confuse it language one another.

We only know that the Biblical text was written in Old Hebrew and Greek. The Old Covenant/Testament was written in old Hebrew and the New Covenant/Testament were often written in Greek.
 
VacationGuy234 said:
On a personal note, anyone who has studied at least one language, even superfically, would know we need a new universal language. English is by no means without it's problems. And, this is true for all other existing languages as well.

In my opinion, if we could dispense with the tower of babel, the human race could move forward at a much faster pace.
Click to expand...

The problem is that language is more than communication. It is a conduit of culture and ideas.

If a language dies, a culture dies.

What kind of Anglo-Saxon ideas would die if the English language died? Would we care? How about the Chinese language? Or German? Or Spanish? Or Japanese?

The problem of a universal language is that it assumes that all cultures around the world are going to think alike. It just isn't so.

And if the whole world would actually manage to think alike in terms of language... we're going to lose a LOT of culture.


Btw, regarding handwriting, I have been horrified to see what passes for handwriting among today's college students. Horrified. I used to joke about my handwriting looking like chicken scratches. Their handwriting ARE chicken scratches. Looks like a kindergarden kid's handwriting. It is that bad. And these are college students. I don't see why computing should threaten handwriting, if handwriting skills were made a priority. Can you imagine today's college students getting lost in the wilderness somewhere and utterly unable to write a note for rescue personnel to find? It's unthinkable.
 
Lau2046 said:
Unfortunately it's a BIG part of why children today can't write. Thank of how much is done on computers now? In Asia, they worry that children are beginning to forget how to write characters (Chinese/Kanji/Korean). However, in some ways computers have become a blessing. Children with dysgraphia, a learning disability that makes it impossible for them to write, find relief on the computer. I had a touch of this problem myself and absolutely couldn't do cursive writing. It took hours, was very tiny...thankfully when school work started depending more on the home computer, I had an outlet. Believe me though, I do wish I could take penmanship somewhere. Writing truly is an art...

Laura
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I've seen calligraphy books at hobby shops, and penmanship practice sheets (for free) online. Maybe those will work for you?
 
DeafBadger said:
The problem is that language is more than communication. It is a conduit of culture and ideas.

If a language dies, a culture dies.

What kind of Anglo-Saxon ideas would die if the English language died? Would we care? How about the Chinese language? Or German? Or Spanish? Or Japanese?

The problem of a universal language is that it assumes that all cultures around the world are going to think alike. It just isn't so.

And if the whole world would actually manage to think alike in terms of language... we're going to lose a LOT of culture.


Btw, regarding handwriting, I have been horrified to see what passes for handwriting among today's college students. Horrified. I used to joke about my handwriting looking like chicken scratches. Their handwriting ARE chicken scratches. Looks like a kindergarden kid's handwriting. It is that bad. And these are college students. I don't see why computing should threaten handwriting, if handwriting skills were made a priority. Can you imagine today's college students getting lost in the wilderness somewhere and utterly unable to write a note for rescue personnel to find? It's unthinkable.
Click to expand...

I see the point you are trying to make, but I disagree. Yes, language does have a connection with culture, but it is only a description of culture. It does not matter how we convey what a villa was to an ancient roman any more than what kosher means to being Jewish. If you read this in Greek, would it destroy the meaning? I think not! Do not confuse the medium with what is being conveyed.

As Bruce Lee said when a student points a finger at the moon, "don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory".
 
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