We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Linguistics

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is the History of the Latin Alphabet?

Diana Bocco
By
Updated: May 23, 2024
Views: 14,405
Share

Despite being one of the basic things we need in daily life, few of us rarely think about the Latin alphabet: where does it come from, how did it get to be where it is now, who decided the letters to include, who invented it? The name of the Latin alphabet comes from the combination of the Greek words "alpha" and "beta".

The first writing systems did not have a proper alphabet, but were rather similar to Asian languages such as Chinese, where each symbol represents a word rather than a letter. These alphabets date back to 3500 BC, when the Sumerians and the Egyptians came up with a system of writings that included hieroglyphs and wedge-shaped symbols. The first alphabet per se was invented by the Phoenicians circa 1000 BC. This is now considered the origin of the Latin alphabet as we know it, although there were some notable differences. For starters, the Phoenician alphabet did not have vowels, and it was also relatively shorter at 22 letters. The Phoenician alphabet was phonetically-based.

The Latin alphabet as we know it was born with the Etruscans, in the Roman Republic times, around the 5th century BC. As the Roman Empire extended throughout Europe, so did the Latin alphabet, eventually reaching all the way to Romania and England. Throughout the following centuries, changes were made to the Latin alphabet, until it eventually reached the form it has today.

Cursive writing and lower case letters did not exist until the Middle Ages, and many letters did originally double duty, standing for more than one sound. The letter W was introduced in the 14th century; the letter J did not became part of the Latin alphabet until the 1600s; and the letter V only did so by the end of the 18th century. The Latin alphabet has remained constant after that, although there are experts who suggest it could be improved by replacing some of the letters by other, more phonetic alternatives.

Share
Language & Humanities is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Diana Bocco
By Diana Bocco
Diana Bocco, a versatile writer with a distinct voice, creates compelling long-form and short-form content for various businesses. With a data-focused approach and a talent for sharing engaging stories, Diana’s written work gets noticed and drives results.
Discussion Comments
By Reminiscence — On Mar 26, 2014

@AnswerMan- I don't know if I buy into your chisel theory or not. The Greek alphabet had its share of curved letters, and a stone mason would have had to carve them, too. Maybe the Etruscans had more of an influence on the actual Latin alphabet font than the Greeks did.

By AnswerMan — On Mar 25, 2014

I remember discussing the Latin alphabet in my high school Latin class and we decided it was designed because of the chisel. All of the letters in the original Latin alphabet could be chiseled out with straight lines. That explains why the ancient Romans did not use the letter J, for example. Dotting a letter like "i" wouldn't be easy, either. I don't know if our theory was historically accurate or not, but it made sense.

Diana Bocco
Diana Bocco
Diana Bocco, a versatile writer with a distinct voice, creates compelling long-form and short-form content for various...
Learn more
Share
https://www.languagehumanities.org/what-is-the-history-of-the-latin-alphabet.htm
Copy this link
Language & Humanities, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

Language & Humanities, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.