Editing Languages of Europe (section)

=== Scripts ===
[[File:Scripts of European national languages.png|thumb|320px|Alphabets used in European national languages:
{{legend|#008000|[[Greek alphabet|Greek]]}}
{{legend|#008080|[[Greek alphabet|Greek]] & [[Latin alphabet|Latin]]}}
{{legend|#000080|[[Latin alphabet|Latin]]}}
{{legend|#800080|[[Latin alphabet|Latin]] & [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]]}}
{{legend|#FF0000|[[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]]}}
{{legend|#FF6600|[[Georgian script|Georgian]]}}
{{legend|#FFCC00|[[Armenian script|Armenian]]}}]]
<!--[[File:Scripts in Europe (1901).jpg|thumb|250px|Main alphabets used in Europe around 1900:
{{legend|#84CFEE|outline=#ccc|[[Latin script]]: [[Fraktur (script)|Fraktur]] variant}}
{{legend|#F8D2D1|outline=#ccc|Latin script: [[Antiqua (typeface class)|Antiqua]] variant}}
{{legend|#DAF6D0|outline=#ccc|[[Cyrillic script]]}}
{{legend|#D4CAA7|outline=#ccc|[[Greek alphabet]]}}
{{legend|#FEFF88|outline=#ccc|[[Arabic script]]}}
{{legend|#ffffff|outline=#ccc|[[Clear script|Kalmyk]]–[[Mongolian script]]}}
]]-->

The main scripts used in Europe today are the [[Latin script|Latin]] and [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dimitrov |first=Bogoya |date=2023-05-19 |title=Book Exhibition Dedicated to the Day of the Cyrillic Alphabet |url=https://blogs.eui.eu/library/cyrillic-alphabet/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=The EUI Library Blog |language=en-US}}</ref>

The [[Greek alphabet]] was derived from the [[Phoenician alphabet]], and Latin was derived from the Greek via the [[Old Italic alphabet]]. In the Early Middle Ages, [[Ogham]] was used in Ireland and [[runes]] (derived from Old Italic script) in Scandinavia. Both were replaced in general use by the Latin alphabet by the Late Middle Ages. The Cyrillic script was derived from the Greek with the first texts appearing around 940&nbsp;AD.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

{{See also|Antiqua–Fraktur dispute}}
Around 1900 there were mainly two typeface variants of the [[Latin alphabet]] used in Europe: [[Antiqua (typeface class)|Antiqua]] and [[Fraktur]]. Fraktur was used most for German, Estonian, Latvian, Norwegian and Danish whereas Antiqua was used for Italian, Spanish, French, Polish, Portuguese, English, Romanian, Swedish and Finnish. The Fraktur variant was banned by [[Hitler]] in 1941, having been described as "[[Schwabacher]] Jewish letters".<ref>[http://www.ligaturix.de/bormann.htm Facsimile of Bormann's Memorandum (in German)]<br />
The memorandum itself is typed in Antiqua, but the [[NSDAP]] [[letterhead]] is printed in Fraktur.<br />"For general attention, on behalf of the Führer, I make the following announcement:<br />It is wrong to regard or to describe the so‑called Gothic script as a German script. In reality, the so‑called Gothic script consists of Schwabach Jew letters. Just as they later took control of the newspapers, upon the introduction of printing the Jews residing in Germany took control of the printing presses and thus in Germany the Schwabach Jew letters were forcefully introduced.<br />Today the Führer, talking with Herr Reichsleiter Amann and Herr Book Publisher Adolf Müller, has decided that in the future the Antiqua script is to be described as normal script. All printed materials are to be gradually converted to this normal script. As soon as is feasible in terms of textbooks, only the normal script will be taught in village and state schools.<br />The use of the Schwabach Jew letters by officials will in future cease; appointment certifications for functionaries, street signs, and so forth will in future be produced only in normal script.<br />On behalf of the Führer, Herr Reichsleiter Amann will in future convert those newspapers and periodicals that already have foreign distribution, or whose foreign distribution is desired, to normal script".</ref> Other scripts have historically been in use in Europe, including Phoenician, from which modern Latin letters descend, Ancient [[Egyptian hieroglyphs]] on Egyptian artefacts traded during Antiquity, various runic systems used in Northern Europe preceding Christianisation, and Arabic during the era of the Ottoman Empire.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

[[Old Hungarian alphabet|Hungarian rovás]] was used by the Hungarian people in the early Middle Ages, but it was gradually replaced with the Latin-based Hungarian alphabet when Hungary became a kingdom, though it was revived in the 20th century and has certain marginal, but growing area of usage since then.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gleichgewicht |first=Daniel |date=2020-04-30 |title=New illiberalism and the old Hungarian alphabet |url=https://neweasterneurope.eu/2020/04/30/new-illiberalism-and-the-old-hungarian-alphabet/ |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=New Eastern Europe |language=en-GB}}</ref>