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The Alphabet
The Alphabet
paperback | English
Published:
7 October, 2004
paperback | English
Published:
7 October, 2004
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Description
There is a story behind each letter of the alphabet. Why is X the Unknown or shorthand for a kiss? Which letter came last, historically, in the alphabet? (J). How did a few squiggles, invented a thousand years ago to denote sounds of a now vanished Semitic language, survive to become our letters today? While China and Japan rely mainly on scripts of ideograms, three-quarters of humanity uses some kind of alphabet. Chinese writing requires 2000 basic symbols (but there's no language barrier), where an alphabet needs typically less than 30. From A-Z, David Sacks provides answers to the most fascinating questions about the way we talk, write and think in a book which will also be illustrated graphically throughout - not just with variations of individual letters but with maps, charts and general narrative images.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9780099436829 |
| ISBN10 | 0099436825 |
| Number Of Pages | 416 |
| Item Weight | 322 g |
| Product Dimensions | 130 x 30 x 194 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Arrow |
| Format | paperback |
| Edition | New |
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Author's Bio
Sacks is a freelance writer for New York Times Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Harpers, Elle etc. He now lives in Canada with his wife and two children. He is 53.