The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1901-09-12
"A, B, G. AND OTHERS.
A LOOK INTO THE ORIGIN OF
OUR ALPHABET.
Our Letters Are MainIy the Same -
1hose Used by the Romans-karlier
Derived from Greek and Pheniclan-
short Study Of Interesting Subject.

TA~.> rv.>.a 49, <vH~ Rnwaa ma Iea Pillar
,-. n-..x... pn.,,c,.r-
o'"1' -
Our ietters are n.aiy .n0 s 80.
nose used ny tne isonls, o s
aiphaoet was one Q. sever" u-s
from the Greek' winch was 49,
from the fneh'cian. Anu DaSn " ,u
Is good deai u sueSswo,A. 49,.
" tne Esypuan nierosiy pn,S ~
auc cnardc'elS Ao1Anou s'0
rnenlcian ietteakns' ..o 49,
ieruer III al tue aipnhDos .
from the fneniSan, anu - .n".
guage II sienineo oA ue 49, -.
pha lieans ul'' ssll1e ~ne' 80. -.
egyptian nieroeiypniS equ,sa.e.e " ...
q Dird somewhat nAe 'i's suA'ui0 - oS
iine
was also the seconu 'e..el = 1no
fnenician as III 'ne 0aeoA Ae
OF the character was Detn' me'as
house. II mas less variety u use 'ua :.
any otner' Deing more .requens
lent as In 'dumD, OF ueOI II ""
or1glna1 indio-European OF Afya" '
guages D. was rarely iouno.
~ IN the rhenician ana o.een na.
the value OF nara T. as ~ so' a
was similar IL tne enui'cia'"n VI
as g. Is now. For a long uine .no
Aatins mace 10 st'rsico ioi 49,
ana NO worn con'ainlns
pronounced as 10 oi A"0aAon
origin except rev misspeieu "olus'
as cindef' winch was orls'n'is S
Ger.
IN the Enghsn mas tne ss1ne pioNo
-rourth letter ana tnlrd consona
IN the homan, dreek ana fnen'caan'
ana Is singuiariy unin'efeS'As 40
seuoy.
S I'LL unchane'ne aAio d i''o1.o
&c conservative. lts torm was always
pretty heariy the sdine as a. pi.
lis name IN Fnenlcian was ne "men
most scholars say sisnineu = w.oo".
Ia us Two Quahuues' as II ne' auu
IN tney II constitutes aoou' = pe1
cent OF Enshsn u'.efance
IN tne fhehician meant pes W
DOOR, ana lus vaiue was tnat Oh the En-
ghsn ms SOUND elaoually
Went OUT OF use IN greek. snu tne s'sn
Win II. III tue adaptation VI Tue a.
pnaoet 10 Laun use the sign was resur-
rec'eo, anu hrse recei'eu ci'e 'aiue We
give It
10 sign OF iciilc orisin' haYius
Deen iaDrica'eu ny tne f'onialis Wy auo-
lug eAii Vi ufop 20 Tue 'r"nsi-
'ion very easly ueoec'eu' - never W
ours at 'le beginning VI worus VI An
glo-Sa4on origin. In meoieVai ROMAN
II $1,000 TOT 4oo' ana WIN d nhe over
IL Ior 4Oo'oV.
n came from the rneniciah ana
mas nad curious history III wnich inc
cockhey inADiiity 70 manage IL may No
traced. meant 0O III inedieVai
i'o.n.
may pe 'faced 70 the Hgyptian'
ne fnenicians represented II rather as
d conSolslh', Du. u was converueu !"
Vowei Vaiue ny tue ureeks' anu the no.
mans gave II Dotn cohsonant ana Vo"ei
auty.
Is Dut announcer FORM OF the same
ie'.er. 1ney were useu ihuinerenuy
uhii ABOUT iooV' AS numerai II nau
ene same vaiue as put was useu
only az conclusion as vn9' ior eient.
Is Fnehician ana sun carrier
Egypuah IL was niue used IN ciassi-
cal Laun' ana is OF rare occurrence IN
languages derived Irom tne Latin. As
numeral IL represented zoD.
was hon IN the Egyptian Nero
glypnic, inquire IN the rnenician, ana
ABOUT us present FORM IN the creek aAd
the Laun- II is the most sonorous ana
contlnuous-tne most purely consonant
In sonnd OF All our letters. AS there
are three rs IN land coiioquiaiism,
30 there are three Is IN nautical
pnrase-ieao' autude ana lookout"
1t Is conservative, changing little.
M u an ancient and honorable"
Its hieroglyphic equivalent away back
In Egypt was almost heur de lis In
the oval outline OF birds heads feur
de lis minus the central branch. As
Roman numeral 1t denotes LOCO. For
merly the brand OF m" was impressed
on the person Of one convicted Of man.
slaughter. In fragrant cases the brand
was applied to the forehead In print
Ing 1t Is the square, the Quadrate, the
unit Of computation In any body OF
type.
IN" 70 as old, and the value Of It's