Evolution of the Alphabet 



the purchase and exchange of wives. They furnish us evi- 

 dence that the cuneiform system of writing was used in 

 Palestine 1500 B. C, thus spreading the legends of the 

 older nations over that country centuries before Hebrew 

 literature, as we know It, came Into being. These commu- 

 nications were sent by messengers and were accompanied by 

 interpreters as reference Is made to these Interpreters in 

 many of the documents. Another item of interest Is the fact 

 that copies of these letters and documents were kept by the 

 sender as an evidence of proof of what the original 

 contained. 



The English alphabet in use today Is a lineal descendant 

 of the Hellenic branch of the Phoenician alphabet from 

 which has sprung practically all of the alphabets of the 

 world. It is known as the ''Roman type" because it came 

 through the Latin from Italy. The Phoenicians were a ven- 

 turesome, seagoing, trading people and they carried and 

 left the influence of their alphabet in all the countries bor- 

 dering the Mediterranean Sea. In its western course, the 

 Hellenes were the first to recognize its advantages, imper- 

 fect as it then was. It came to them without definite char- 

 acters representing the vowels, but this defect was supplied 

 by adding separate letters representing the vowels, so that 

 it contained a visible character for all the vocal sounds of 

 expression. 



They transposed the method of writing from right tc 

 left by writing from left to right. They worked it over, 

 taking out and filling In, until It had attained a higher degree 

 of perfection than it ever before had had. It must be 

 remembered that there was physical separation, lack of 



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