What is the main drawback of the Phoenician letter? Absence of vowels

All modern alphabets have descended from the ancients, which were created several millennia ago. Years passed, gradually the writing was modified and perfected. But what was in the sources? In this article we will talk about one of the progenitors of modern alphabets - Phoenician.

The Phoenician letter is an alphabetic script that originated back in ancient times. It appeared in the 15th century BC. In addition to some exceptions, this writing became the progenitor of all the alphabets in the world.

What pushed the Phoenicians to create their own writing

Phenicia was located in those days in the territory that now occupy Israel, Lebanon and Syria. The alphabet began to be improved, as it required a simpler and more accessible written communication. At that time, the development of trade relations and navigation took place. But as a result of improving the alphabet there were some difficulties. What is the main drawback of the Phoenician letter? This is undoubtedly the absence of vowels in it.

History of the Phoenician Alphabet

Originally there was an Egyptian hieroglyphics. But since it was quite complicated, the Hyksos conquerors simplified it somewhat. The result was 26 characters. But the Hyksos did not have time to develop their writing.

Then the Phoenicians continued to improve the alphabet. As a basis, they took a simplified Egyptian script, which the Hyksos had created. But as a result, there were some difficulties. When asked about the main drawback of the Phoenician letter, one can say with certainty that this is the absence of vowels. This made it difficult to make the writing perfect.

Disadvantages of the Phoenician script

In any writing, in addition to merits, there are some errors. So what is the main drawback of the Phoenician letter? This is consonance. In other words, the absence of vowels. Because of this feature, reading was difficult. For a normal understanding, an excellent knowledge of Phoenician writing was required. In some sections of the text, I had to use my ingenuity.

What is the main drawback of the Phoenician letter? You can respond more fully. All the letters of the alphabet (and the roots of the words) consisted only of consonants. But the vowels were still, only they were used in syllables and served for communication between words. Therefore, it was rather inconvenient and difficult to read.