E93
92. From Ox Heads to Silent Letters: The History of the Alphabet with Dr. Danny Bate, author of "Why Q Needs U"
From Literacy in Color · Hosted by Michelle Sullivan
2026-05-05·01:13:18
Episode summary
In this episode of Literacy in Color: Linguist and author, Dr. Danny Bate brilliantly shares the fascinating history of the alphabet, while also uncovering some of the logic behind English spelling. You’ll hear about the surprising origins of letters (yes, <A> was once an ox’s head!
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Original publisher description
Linguist and author, Dr. Danny Bate brilliantly shares the fascinating history of the alphabet, while also uncovering some of the logic behind English spelling. You’ll hear about the surprising origins of letters (yes, <A> was once an ox’s head!), that vowels weren’t originally part of the alphabet, how the Great Vowel Shift transformed…