Examining the alphabet from A to Z with linguist John McWhorter and discovering what the development of writing teaches about language, culture, and human connection.
EPISODE 1
The Nature of Writing
Differences between written and spoken languages.
EPISODE 2
Cuneiform: The World's First Writing
Tracing the origins of the earliest surviving form of writing.
EPISODE 3
How Egyptian Hieroglyphs Work
Learning the hieroglyphics function as a written form of language.
EPISODE 4
The Invention of Alphabets
The Phoenician alphabet as it spread to the Middle East.
EPISODE 5
The Alphabet Goes East
Exploring the development of writing systems in Asia.
EPISODE 6
The Advent of A, E, and O
Examining the origins of the letter "A" as both a symbol and a sound; exploring the development of other vowels like "E" and "O."
John McWhorter
