Carolyn Millers age 9, of Oak ands California,for her question:

How did the alphabet start?

Every language has its alphabet   a number of letters with which all its words can be written. The word alphabetum was used way back in the fourth century when several different languages had already developed their own alphabets. Alpha and beta were the first two letters of the Greek alphabet and alphabetum, later to become alphabet, was like our way of saying ABC,

The very first stages of writing really began before the dawn of history. This first writing was done with pictures and simple drawings were used to convey messages. For example, a rough drawing of three suns, some arrows and a herd of bison might well be an invitation to a bison hunt in throe days tuna.

Certain of the early peoples had more time for this picture writing business. The people of the fertile Nile valley, it is believed: had time to develop the early picture writing through the first great step to letter writing, and this is why and how it came about.

Try as they might, the picture writers dust could not make pictures for all the words used in speech. It was impossible to draw a poll or make pictures of the words they used for ifs, and and but, So someone had the brilliant idea of grouping the pictures and using only the first sound of each to spell out words, For instance a picture of the sun followed by a picture of an apple followed by a picture of a tree would have spelled out the word s a t, Of course, this is only an example, for it is not likely that our word "sat" as we know it was in this ancient language,

It is thought that the job of turning the early pictures into letters was done by a group of persons working together at one time and in one place. Most likely it was done on the banks of the muddy Nile. In any case, the splendid idea was soon copied by other Picture writers, The Nile dwellers had learned to make a kind of paper from strips of the reedy papyrus plant and they did their writing with brushes and ink. The people of the Mesopotamian valley used clay tablets and sticks to do their writing  . their letters were naturally sharper in outline than those made with brush and flowing ink.

Our letter A it is thought to began as the picture of an ox’s head, Its simplified letter form was at first rather like the picture  a square with lines jutting from the top to show horns and ears, As time went one the bottom of the square became more pointed and it began to look like our letter A upside down. Through many centuries helped along by many writers it gradually turned sideways„ then straight up as we write it today, Almost all the letters of our alphabet can boast a history which goes back uncounted years.