Origin of English Letters

Origin of English Letters

By: Katie McNeel

All of the letters in the English Alphabet originated from some other language.

Most from Latin and Greek, but some from others.

F/f-You pronounce it by expelling the breath between the bottom lip and the top set of

teeth.

-It comes from the Greek (by Latin) by way of the Etruscan.

L/l-The L/l is frictionless and can be pronounced like a vowel. In the English language

it's normally voiced as in like, lip, and fail. When this letter is followed by a voiceless

consonant, the first part of saying it is usually delayed until after the sound has already

started, like in please or slip.

-The Greeks have called this letter lambda and they took it's name, position, and form

from one of the Semitic writing systems in which the name for the letter was lamedh.

M/m-The M/m is a voiced labial nasal continuant and is formed by closing the lips and

letting the breath go through the nasal passage while vibrating the vocal chords, like

me, smile, and hammer.

-Greeks named the letter mu, and the name, position, and form of M/m were taken by

them, also with the rest of the alphabet, from one of the Semitic writing systems, and

they called the letter mem.

There were some letters with their origin and the pronunciation.

Sources: The Academic America Encyclopedia