As written language spread through existing spoken languages, changes are made to match the spoken sounds and languages that have different pronunciation requirements repurpose, drop, create, or modify characters to fit their phonetic needs.
Pronunciation evolution differentiated U and V more and people started differentiating that with an extra sign. As in, the Roman V was pronounced kinda like both and not like today’s V - the Roman symbol V is not the modern letter V. You may notice that modern media about ancient Rome have been making Vs sound more like Us.
The name “Jesus” comes from the Greek Iēsous, which is a transliteration of the Hebrew name Yeshua (or sometimes the longer form, Yehoshua), meaning “Yahweh saves.”
It was likely caused by the transition from right-to-left to left-to-right writing
So basically, while Egyptian hieroglyphs didn’t have a specific writing direction, boustrophedon was a very common system, where you’d start writing in one direction, and then switch direction on the next line (so the first letter of the second line is right under the last letter of the first line).
The Phonecian script, however, started to stick to right-to-left for writing. When the greeks first adapted the Phonecian alphabet for the Greek language, they wrote in right-to-left and boustrophedon. When writing boustrophedon, they would flip the letters to match the writing direction. When left to right started to gain popularity, the flipped letters were used, and left-to-right is now what is used in the Greek alphabet and its descendants.
Maybe because at that point the Roman Empire controlled most of that part of the world? Also maybe literacy was increasing, requiring more consistency? Then as the Roman Empire declined centuries later different cultures only iterated in their own language? Just some guesses.
That remind me of this.
(Credits in the image)
I just see Nyan Cat
Hmm, why did the proto-I turn into Z and the proto-Z turn into I? And why did proto-φ not turn into Φ? I do love this graphic though!
As written language spread through existing spoken languages, changes are made to match the spoken sounds and languages that have different pronunciation requirements repurpose, drop, create, or modify characters to fit their phonetic needs.
But how did the V become a U?
Pronunciation evolution differentiated U and V more and people started differentiating that with an extra sign. As in, the Roman V was pronounced kinda like both and not like today’s V - the Roman symbol V is not the modern letter V. You may notice that modern media about ancient Rome have been making Vs sound more like Us.
It looks like V became U, V, & W
Pour one out for the homies we lost along the way
⨂ 𐤎 ʍ ϕ ⲯ
Notice there was no letter J around the time of Jesus. Hrmmm 😆
That’s why some crosses have “INRI” written: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum
The name “Jesus” comes from the Greek Iēsous, which is a transliteration of the Hebrew name Yeshua (or sometimes the longer form, Yehoshua), meaning “Yahweh saves.”
… so Jesus is basically “God Saves” so “Jesus Saves” is just “God Saves Saves”?
Hence Iesus Nazarenus in Latin.
Hm. Wonder why the Romans “flipped” the letters.
Easier to read in your rear view
My guess would be it’s easier to write quickly like that when you write left to right.
Any reason why Romans mirrored some letters ?
It was likely caused by the transition from right-to-left to left-to-right writing
So basically, while Egyptian hieroglyphs didn’t have a specific writing direction, boustrophedon was a very common system, where you’d start writing in one direction, and then switch direction on the next line (so the first letter of the second line is right under the last letter of the first line).
The Phonecian script, however, started to stick to right-to-left for writing. When the greeks first adapted the Phonecian alphabet for the Greek language, they wrote in right-to-left and boustrophedon. When writing boustrophedon, they would flip the letters to match the writing direction. When left to right started to gain popularity, the flipped letters were used, and left-to-right is now what is used in the Greek alphabet and its descendants.
And why did they swap I and Z?
Z was temporarily removed from the latin alphabet, and when it was readded, it was added to the end
Thank you!
Sometimes, you just gotta go for style points.
Anybody else find it weird how the letter forms changed a bunch in BC and then hardly at all in CE?
Maybe because at that point the Roman Empire controlled most of that part of the world? Also maybe literacy was increasing, requiring more consistency? Then as the Roman Empire declined centuries later different cultures only iterated in their own language? Just some guesses.