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Never Underestimate The Power Of Letters
Letters are the power behind words, acting as great storytellers because each one embodies a multi-dimensional picture. The word “letter” comes from the same root as the word “let”, meaning to allow or permit, so “letters let things happen”. “Litera” in “literature” means letter of the alphabet. Thus, “literature” is “letterature”, the action of putting letters together in order to allow meaning to be conveyed. |
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An English speaking person is in great luck because the English language is a composite order that has transliterated over 100 different languages into its vocabulary, making it an extraordinary tool for creative expression. In his original introduction to the Oxford English Dictionary, James Murray wrote: “The circle of the English language has a well-defined centre, but no discernible circumference.” It is believed that some of the letters of the English alphabet were originally designs copied from the outlining of constellations observed in the night sky by the Northern Semites. These letters were passed around to different cultures over time, including that of Greece and Rome, changing in architectural design and sound as well as increasing in meaning. During the 400-year Roman occupation of the British Isles, the Latin letters were amalgamated into the languages of the Saxon, Angle, Jute, Scandinavian and Celtic populations. All of these languages are now represented in modern-day English.
© 2007 Will Carpenter, All Rights Reserved |
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