Why Q needs U and how hieroglyphics created our alphabet, with Danny Bate

Why Q needs U and how hieroglyphics created our alphabet, with Danny Bate

1125. This week, we talk with linguist and author Danny Bate about his book, "Why Q Needs U." We look at the ancient origins of our alphabet, tracing its conceptual leap from Egyptian hieroglyphs to symbols that represent sounds. Danny explains the "acrophonic principle" (one sound from a picture) and why the letter A was originally a consonant, not a vowel.

Find Danny Bate on his website, Bluesky or on X.

Get the book, "Why Q Needs U."

Listen to Danny's podcast, "A Language I Love Is..."

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170 Swear Words in Text

170 Swear Words in Text

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169 Using “For” to Mean “Because”

169 Using “For” to Mean “Because”

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9 Touko 20095min

168 Troublesome Contractions (e.g., I'd've)

168 Troublesome Contractions (e.g., I'd've)

Troublesome Contractions (e.g., I'd've) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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167 Dashes Versus Colons

167 Dashes Versus Colons

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166 Strunk and White

166 Strunk and White

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182 Are You Annoyingly Redundant?

182 Are You Annoyingly Redundant?

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164 "One" Versus "You"

164 "One" Versus "You"

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177 Why Are British English and American English Different?

177 Why Are British English and American English Different?

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