Hi all,
this message is primarily for randall, but i thought it might be of interest
to the list, and would love some conversation on the topic.

I, too, make my living in graphic arts and have been mulling over a
childrens alphabet book for some time now. (and incidentally, randall, i am
also moving to tucson in three weeks - hello neighbor)

I starting putting together some preliminary sketches for such a book.
You can take a look at it here:

http://www.intelligirldesign.com/research

I am aware that some of the info is probably inaccurate, slanted, or
negotiably inappropriate for a childrens book (ie: "pubic triangle"). I have
learned a great deal since i came up with the preliminary text, and gotten a
bit more of a direction in terms of audience (it seems i'm going for a
younger crowd than randall).

If you click on the green square at the above site, you will be taken to a
window where you can download the pdf of the first few letters. I'd love
some feedback.

And randall, i'd be very interested in collaborating on something of this
nature.

thanks,
gabriella

Quoting Randall Hunt <randhunt@...>:

>
>
>
>
> I've been on this fine list for about a year and feel it's time to
>
> introduce myself. My name is Randall Hunt and I make my living in graphic
>
> arts -- now mostly computer graphics, tho I owned a printing shop for ten
>
> years. I discovered this list while doing research for a children's book

on

>
> the history of alphabets. I've had a number of questions on the subject
>
> that I would have put to this list but most of them were eventually
>
> resolved through diligent web research. I've become acutely aware of the
>
> limitations of using the web for factual material -- there is a lot of
>
> misinformation out there -- but since I live in central Arizona (USA,
>
> beautiful Jerome), I don't have ready access to extensive libraries. As I
>
> am nearing the end of my project, there remain a few items that I haven't
>
> been able to resolve completely. I would very much appreciate it if

someone

>
> here could advise me.
>
>
>
> HIEROGLYPHICS
>
> * In popular literature it is given that an alphabetic equivalent for the
>
> letter, L, exists as the lion glyph. Yet academic literature omits the
>
> glyph from the twenty-four uni-consonantal signs, notwithstanding its
>
> apparent correlation in Champollion's decipherment. I have found two
>
> sources that state the lion represents the bi-consonant, RW. Is this
>
> correct?
>
>
>
> * One might assume that the alphabetic (uniliteral) glyph values derive
>
> acrophonically. Is this so, and if so, is there somewhere a list of those
>
> original words? Would it be accurate to use such words as the "names" of
>
> the glyphs? Or is it either meaningless or impossible to attribute "names"
>
> to the glyphs?
>
>
>
> UGARITIC
>
> * Speaking again of names, I've never seen names attributed to the

Ugaritic

>
> characters. Would it be fair to say that since Ugaritic was a semitic
>
> language, the names of the letters were probably similar to those of the
>
> later Phoenician letters?
>
>
>
> * Of the final three characters in the Ugaritic alphabet, used particlarly
>
> for writing Hurrian, am I correct to believe that the first two were

vowels

>
> and the third was a sibilant, not a vowel?
>
>
>
> LATIN
>
> * Emperor Claudius introduced three new letters to the Latin alphabet
>
> (although they were abandoned after his passing): digamma inversum,
>
> antisigma, and ??? Can anyone tell me what that third letter was called?
>
>
>
> Miscellaneous
>
> * I've been unable to locate the exact origin of the popular quote by
>
> Alphonse de Lamartine, "Letters are symbols which turn matter into spirit."
>
> One source implied this was a title of one of his books. Does anyone know
>
> if this is so, or can anyone tell me where/when he wrote this?
>
>
>
> Thank you all very much,
>
>
>
> Randall Hunt
>
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