The Latin alphabet's take-over of the world's languages
Channel: Language on the Move
Date: 2020-08-10

The Latin alphabet is used by more people, for more languages, and in more contexts than any other script in human history. This lecture explains the spread of the Latin alphabet and the linguistic consequences of transferring it to languages other than Latin, with a special focus on English spelling.  

The lecture is delivered by Distinguished Professor Ingrid Piller as part of the postgraduate unit "Literacies" in Macquarie University's Applied Linguistics program. 

A written version of some of the content in this lecture can be found at https://www.languageonthemove.com/is-english-spelling-an-insult-to-human-intelligence/

Note error on Slide 2: “日本人” (nihonjin) means "Japanese person", the Japanese language is called “日本語” (nihongo)