The word alphabet comes (via Latin) from the names of the first two Greek letters: alpha and beta. These Greek words came from the Phoenician Aleph and Bet, which date back to over 1050 BC. Also, here's what you might not know about our set of lyrics:
- The most commonly used letter of the alphabet is E and the least used is Z.
- The 26 letters of the alphabet make up more than 40 distinct sounds. As there are many more sounds than letters, many letters have different pronunciations;
- The dot over the letter “i” is called the title.
- Each letter has an uppercase and lowercase version, a practice dating from 10th century writing.
- About 100 languages use the same alphabet;
- The shape of the letter N is thought to derive from a hieroglyph for a snake;
- Only one country starts with O: Oman. However, O is the longest surviving letter, over 3000 years old.
Did you know about some of these facts about the alphabet? I bet that now you will dedicate yourself more to learning the most known letters of the Portuguese alphabet. Leave your comment!
