A Key Notes on Types of Alphabets

The term “alphabet” refers to a collection of letters that are utilised for reading and writing in a language and are arranged in a particular order. Although each language has its own alphabet, many of the world’s languages actually share aspects of a common lettering system. More than 3,800 of the world’s languages are written using some form of the alphabet. Some of the earliest forms of writing, such as the Egyptian hieroglyphs and other early languages, did not use a standard set of letters but rather depended on pictures and other symbols instead. These were put in a certain order in order to express meaning, create messages, decorate homes and items, tell stories, and compose messages. The letters of the alphabet each stood for a different word, phrase, or concept that could be easily comprehended by others. 

History of alphabet: 

The consonantal writing system that was employed for Semitic languages in the Levant in the second millennium before the common era is considered to be the progenitor of the alphabet. This proto-alphabet employed in Semitic languages is eventually responsible for the development of the most or nearly all alphabetic scripts used in the world today. Its first origins can be traced back to a Proto-Sinaitic script that was developed in Ancient Egypt to represent the language of Semitic-speaking workers and slaves in Egypt. This script was used to write the language of Semitic-speaking workers and slaves in Egypt. 

Types of Alphabets: 

The following are the four varieties of English alphabets, based on the styles of writing they are used for: 

• Small letters.
• Capital letters.
• Cursive letters.
• Print letters. 

Small letters or lower case letters: 

The majority of written letters are written with the lowercase form. All letters that do not begin a sentence or refer to a proper noun are written in lowercase. This includes all letters. 

English alphabet lowercase letters: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z. 

When to use lowercase letters: 

If there is no particular need for using uppercase letters in the sentence, then you should write the rest of the letters in the sentence in lowercase. The first letter should always be written in capital letters. 

Examples: 

• The only word in this sentence that is written in capital letters is the first word. The rest of the words are written in lowercase.
• Only the proper names London and Paris need to be written with an uppercase letter because they are the only words in this phrase that are being capitalised. 

Common nouns are any and all nouns that are not considered to be proper nouns. The letters of common nouns are all written in lowercase (unless a common noun begins a sentence). 

Capital letters or uppercase letters: 

Uppercase letters, or capital letters, are another name for uppercase letters. The reader receives the message that something is substantial or important when uppercase letters are used. 

English alphabet uppercase letters: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. 

When to use uppercase letters: 

When writing in English, the initial letter of each sentence should be written in capital letters. The reader is given a clue that a new sentence is about to start by the letter written in uppercase. 

Other uses of uppercase letters are explained in more depth below.

Titles: 

It is necessary to capitalise all titles because they are all considered to be proper nouns.  

Examples: 

• Miss Mabry

Incorrect: miss mabry

• Mathers

Incorrect: mr. Mathers

• Madam Lockfield

Incorrect: madam lockfield

• Lady Grace

Incorrect: lady grace

• Janks

Incorect: mrs. Janks 

Acronyms: 

Abbreviations can also be referred to by their acronymic form. Words that are constructed by combining other letters to form a new word are called acronyms. However, they must be written in capital letters to indicate to the reader that the letters themselves do not make up a word but rather stand for something else. 

Examples: 

• NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• UNICEF

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund

• SCUBA

Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus 

Proper nouns: 

It is necessary to capitalise every appropriate noun in the sentence. 

Examples: 

• We visited the Bowers Museum on Saturday.

Incorrect: We visited the bowers museum on Saturday.

• I would like to tour the Eiffel Tower.

Incorrect: I would like to tour the eiffel tower.

• Their names are Jake and Suzy.

Incorrect: Their names are jake and suzy. 

Cursive letters: 

There are several alphabets that are written using the cursive style since it involves less pen lifting and there is a perception that it allows for faster writing. In contrast of the widespread notion to the contrary, writing styles that are more ornate or decorative might be more time consuming to reproduce. In certain alphabets, several or even all of the letters in a word are related to one another, which can occasionally make a word appear as a single complex stroke. 

Subclasses: 

Ligature: 

The letters of a word are written using ligature when there are lines connecting the individual letters. This eliminates the need to pick up the pen or pencil between individual letters. In order to make the connections easier, it is common practice for some of the letters to be written in a looped fashion. 

Looped: 

Some ascenders and descenders in looped cursive penmanship have loops that provide for joins. These loops are called joins. When most people talk about cursive, they are referring to this type of writing. 

Italic: 

Cursive Italic penmanship, which originates from chancery cursive, employs joins that are not looped or does not utilise joins at all. Italic cursive does not allow joins from the letters g, j, q, or y, and it also discourages the use of a few additional joins. 

Conclusion: 

Our communication and the foundation of our language are both greatly influenced by the alphabet throughout our entire lives. We have the advantage of learning how letters and words are pronounced, how to think in a language, and how to spell in that language if we learn the alphabet as the foundation of our spoken language.