Letters of the Latin Alphabet Tracing Language History

The letters of the Latin alphabet were borrowed from the Greek, but scholars believe indirectly from the ancient Italian people known as the Etruscans. An Etruscan pot found near Veii (a city which was sacked by Rome in the 5th century BCE) had the Etruscan abecedary inscribed on it, reminding the excavators of its Roman descendants. By the 7th century BCE, that alphabet was used not just to render Latin in written form, but several others of the Indo-European languages in the Mediterranean region, including Umbrian, Sabellic, and Oscan. The Greeks themselves based their written language on a Semitic alphabet, the Proto-Canaanite script which may have been created as long ago as the second millennium BCE. The Greeks passed it on to the Etruscans, the ancient people of Italy, and at some point before 600 BCE, the Greek alphabet was modified to become the alphabet of the Romans. Creating a Latin Alphabet—C to G One of the main differences between the Romans alphabet in comparison with the Greeks is that the third sound of the Greek alphabet is a g-sound: Greek: 1st Letter Alpha Α, 2nd Beta Î’, 3rd Gamma Γ... whereas in the Latin alphabet, the third letter is a C, and G is the 6th letter of the Latin alphabet. Latin: 1st Letter A, 2nd B, 3rd C, 4th D, 5th E, 6th G This shift resulted from changes to the Latin alphabet over time. The third letter of the Latin alphabet was a C, as in English. This C could be pronounced hard, like a K or soft like an S. In linguistics, this hard c/k sound is referred to as a voiceless velar plosive—you make the sound with your mouth open and from the back of your throat. Not only the C, but also the letter K, in the Roman alphabet, was pronounced like a K (again, hard or voiceless velar plosive). Like the word-initial K in English, the Latin K was rarely used. Usually—perhaps, always—the vowel A followed K, as in Kalendae Kalends (referring to the first day of the month), from which we get the English word calendar. The use of the C was less restricted than the K. You can find a Latin C before any vowel. The same third letter of the Latin alphabet, C, also served the Romans for the sound of G—a reflection of its origin in the Greek gamma (Γ or ÃŽ ³). Latin: The letter C sound of K or G The difference is not as great as it looks since the difference between K and G is what is referred to linguistically as a difference in voicing: the G sound is the voiced (or guttural) version of the K (this K is the hard C, as in card [the soft C is pronounced like the c in cell, as suh and not relevant here]). Both are velar plosives, but the G is voiced and the K is not. At some period, the Romans seem not to have paid attention to this voicing, so the praenomen Caius is an alternative spelling of Gaius; both are abbreviated C. When the velar plosives (C and G sounds) were separated and given different letterforms, the second C was given a tail, making it a G, and moved to the sixth place in the Latin alphabet, where the Greek letter zeta would have been, if it had been a productive letter for the Romans. It was not. Adding Z Back In An early version of the alphabet used by some ancient people of Italy did, in fact, include the Greek letter zeta. Zeta is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet, following alpha (Roman A), beta (Roman B), gamma (Roman C), delta (Roman D), and epsilon (Roman E). Greek: Alpha Α, Beta Î’, Gamma Γ, Delta Δ, Epsilon Ε, Zeta ÃŽâ€" Where zeta (ÃŽâ€" or ÃŽ ¶) was used in Etruscan Italy, it kept its 6th place. The Latin alphabet originally had 21 letters in the first century BCE, but then, as the Romans became Hellenized, they added two letters at the end of the alphabet, a Y for the Greek upsilon, and a Z for the Greek zeta, which then had no equivalent in the Latin language. Latin: a.) Early Alphabet: A B C D E F H I K L M N O P Q R S T V Xb.) Later Alphabet: A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T V Xc.) Still Later: A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T V X Y Z Sources Gordon AE. 1969. On the Origins of the Latin Alphabet: Modern Views. California Studies in Classical Antiquity 2:157-170. Verbrugghe GP. 1999. Transliteration or Transcription of Greek. The Classical World 92(6):499-511. Willi A. 2008. Cows, Houses, Hooks: The Graeco-Semitic Letter Names as a Chapter in the History of the Alphabet. The Classical Quarterly 58(2):401-423.

Prioritizing Hawaii Born Homeless Before Those From The...

Brandt Ben English 100 Norman Thompson December 14, 2015 Prioritizing Hawaii-born Homeless before Those from the Mainland Hawaii is known for its beautiful beaches, tropical climate, and (former) pineapple exports. This state is also number one in a lot of areas: worst traffic, highest cost of living, and highest homeless population. These are all important issues that most people outside of the islands do not think about when imagining a tropical paradise. The homeless population is a critical issue that will be discussed in this essay. Homelessness is a result of many factors: job loss, family disputes, foreclosure, and even drug addiction. In Hawaii, the main cause of homelessness is the rising cost of living. As housing costs†¦show more content†¦This is their home, yet they do not have a home. Meanwhile others from out of state are flown down here because it is easier to live in. Being homeless in your own home state is tough. Many possible solutions to solve homelessness in Hawaii exist, but it is important to give priority to the local-born homeless population before helping the ones that arrived here from out of state. Having a large homeless population affects everything about Hawaii- the economy, the government, the environment, and the people. These things stack up on each other which creates a snowball effect. Local residents may complain to the government to do something about the homeless issue. The government decides to create laws limiting where the homeless may stay. The homeless move to other places, such as popular tourist beaches. The tourists are turned off by the growing homeless population â€Å"dirtying† the beaches, which in turn causes a decrease in tourism. The island’s economy suffers. Homelessness affects everything, especially in a small island like Hawaii. The economy takes the biggest toll, however because Hawaii relies on the tourism industry, it is important to keep visitors happy and satisfied. It is an eyesore looking at the homeless littering the beaches and streets with tarps and shopping carts. This dr ives the tourists away, and without them, our economy declines. The homeless also affect the environment in which we live. With nowhere to go, they

The Chain of Art Essay Example For Students

The Chain of Art Essay Cubism was one of the strongest art movements in the 20th century that gave birth to many other movements such as futurism and suprematism. The Forefathers of this revolutionary way of painting were Pablo Picasso and George Braque. Although it may have seemed to be abstract and geometrical to an untrained eye, cubist art do depict real objects. The shapes are flattened onto canvas so that different sides of each shape can be shown simultaneously from many angles. This new style gave a 3 dimensional look on the canvas. The cubist movement gave rise to an extraordinary reassessment of the interaction between form and space changing the course of western art forever. The groundbreaking Demoiselles dAvignon was controversial not only for the way the women looked but also for the positions of the women. Although Picasso did not emphasize on detail, he saw that the rational, often geometric breakdown if the human head and body employed by so many African artists could provide him with the starting point for his own re-appraisal of his subjects(Cubism 53). The naked women become inextricably bound up in a flux of shapes or planes which tip backwards and forwards from the two-dimensional surface to produce much the same sensation as an elaborate sculpture (Cubism 54). Futurism was an art movement, which was influenced by cubist art. Cubism showed no motion it was futurism that was fascinated with machinery, transport and communications. In paintings and sculpture, angular forms and powerful lines were used to convey a sense of activity, this was a Futurists way of showing motion and speed. One of its innovators was Umberto Boccioni who said We want represent not the optical or analytical impression but the physical and total experience (Futurism 101). They now pinned less faith on the power of new subject matter and strove to complement their colour divisionism with fragmentation of the cubist sort (Futurism 101). Suprematism was influenced by cubism because of it geometric shapes but suprematism was not so much a movement in art as it is an attitude (Suprematism 138). This non-movement was created by Kasmir Malevichs , His elemental forms were designed both to break the artists conditioned responses to his environment and create new realities no less significant then the realities of nature herself' (Suprematism 138). A suprematist work, banishes every trace of subject, it used color and form and there interaction to form a subject. While cubism had definite subject it was also the interaction of color and shape that made the subject. Constructivism was influenced by suprematism, this movement swept away traditional notions about art, believing that it should imitate the forms and processes of modern technology. Often constructivism was overtly propagandist in nature: sometimes by the placement of simple geometric forms in the kind of literary context which turns such forms into representations (Constructivism 161). De Stijl was mostly influenced by painters Piet Mondrian, Theo Van Doesburg and architect Gerrit Rietveld. These men believed that art should strive towards complete harmony, order clarity in a constant process of refinement. The works in this movement were of course geometrical, using mainly square forms. The movements forms were deeply philosophical and were rooted in the idea that art should in some way reflect order. All of these movements progressed from cubism (hence my title); they developed from shapes into other worldly meanings. They all branched out to their own ways and fell to their feelings and desirers. All of these movements developed from geometrical objects to seem as a true form such as a body or face then turn into a geometrical form. All of these innovators thought differently, they wanted to change everyone elses state of mind and with their unlikely way of thinking they have. But we have become so accustomed to it that we do not recognize it and take these powerful shapes and colors for granted.

The Atlantic System free essay sample

This test will be offered on Identifications-?The following terms will appear on your test in multiple choice form. Be able to identify the who/what, when, where, and the historical significance to choose the correct answer. Chapter 19 1. Driver 2. Seasoning 3. Maroons 4. Middle Passage 5. Shanghai 6. Hausa 7. Mercantilism 8. Capitalism 9. Atlantic system 10. Dutch West India Company Chapter 20 1 . Janissary 2. Salesman the Magnificent 3. Shiite Islam 4. Shah Baas 5. Kafka 6. Mannas 7. Maritime Worlds of Islam Chapter 21 1 . Tommie Hideous 2. Dainty 3. Forty-Seven Orrin incident 4. Mining and King Empires 5. Kananga 6. Macerated mission 7. Lie Zincing 8. Serfs 9. Mining Empire 10. Peter the Great Discussion Questions Three of the following Discussion Questions will appear on Test 1 . Include supporting details in your answers. Be sure to 1. What were the pieces of the new Atlantic economy? Explain how each piece was necessary for the economys SUCCeSS. Focus on the Atlantic system/ circuit here, and remember our discussion question. 2. How did the Sahara slave trade differ from the Atlantic slave trade? 3. We will write a custom essay sample on The Atlantic System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Explain the economic and military crisis that led to the decline of the Ottoman Empire. How did the Ottoman Empire handle the growing European aggression, and the advancements in European naval strength during this time? Remember our discussion question. 4. Identify and discuss 2 reasons why the Outgas Shogun fell into decline and crisis. 5. The growth of the early King Empire was fueled by the desire to create an economic and demographic recovery in China. Identify 3 things the King government did to stimulate the recovery. 6. Discuss how Peter the Great attempted to reform Russia- what types of changes did he make?