A.B.C

Chapter 2 was all about alphabets. Whether its the Aramaic alphabet, the Greek alphabet, the Latin alphabet, or even the Korean alphabet, each one went into detail about how it was created and how it compares to today. The alphabet actually came from alpha and beta in the greek alphabet. Alphabet is defined as "a set of visual symbols or characters used to represent the elementary sounds of a spoken language; signifying sounds, syllables, and words" (Meggs History of Graphic Design 18). Chapter 2 went into detail about the four alphabets listed above. The Aramaic alphabet was used by tribes in Syria. This alphabet was very important to todays society because it helped with common day alphabets. The Greek alphabet was also mentioned about in this chapter. The Greeks had a different way of reading than we do. They started out using the right to left method, then they developed the writing method called boustrophedon which is when every line reads in the opposite direction. And after learning how to read left to right, I feel like this method would be so hard to do. The Greeks also used uncials. One thing I found really interesting was the the alphabet played a role in democracy for the Greeks, we wouldn't even make a big deal over the alphabet being used by the government today because we use it for EVERYTHING. The Latin alphabet was also another mentioned in the chapter. The Latin alphabet didn't use papyrus anymore, then switched to a more durable paper called parchment, which is made from the skins of calves, sheep, and goats. Vellum was the best parchment one of this time could find. Lastly, the Korean alphabet. Hangul is one of the most scientific and complex alphabets in todays society. There are over 2,000 syllables, way more than our alphabet. I find this really interesting because I know you can make thousands and thousands of words form our 26 letter alphabet.
One question that I have from chapter 2 would be are we going to get the chance to play around with the different alphabets?