Writing systems and scripts

Classification

Writing systems and scripts are basically classified into three types:

Alphabetic scripts
Logographic scripts
Syllabic scripts

Alphabetic Scripts

An alphabetic system uses characters known as letters to signify spoken sounds. These letters can be placed in different orders to create words. The first alphabets are believed to have originated from Egypt and Mesopotamia. The Phoenician alphabet is the ultimate ancestor of many modern scripts including Hebrew, Arabic, Latin and Greek, but is not considered a 'true alphabet' because it lacked separate letters to represent vowels. The Greek alphabet is widely considered the first 'true alphabet', as it adapted the Phoenician alphabet to represent vowels. A well known example of an alphabetic script is that of the Latin or Roman alphabet. It was developed in Europe, influenced by the Greek alphabet but its use has spread throughout the world.

quiz

1 An alphabetic system uses characters known as ________ to signify spoken sounds.

	letters
	symbols
	numbers
	signs

2 The first alphabets are believed to have originated from ________ and Mesopotamia.

	Egypt
	Greece
	Rome
	India

3 The Phoenician alphabet is the ancestor of many modern scripts but is not considered a 'true alphabet' because it lacked separate letters to represent ________.

	vowels
	consonants
	numbers
	symbols

4 The Greek alphabet is widely considered the first 'true alphabet', as it adapted the Phoenician alphabet to represent ________.

	vowels
	consonants
	numbers
	symbols

5 A well known example of an alphabetic script is that of the ________ or Roman alphabet.

	Latin
	Greek
	Phoenician
	Arabic