Editing Alphabet (section)

==== European alphabets ====
The Greek alphabet, in [[Euboean alphabet|Euboean form]], was carried over by Greek colonists to the Italian peninsula {{Circa|800–600&nbsp;BC|lk=no}} giving rise to many different alphabets used to write the [[Italic languages]], like the [[Etruscan alphabet]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Etruscology |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-934078-49-5 |editor-last=Naso |editor-first=Alessandro |location=Boston}}</ref> One of these became the Latin alphabet, which spread across Europe as the Romans expanded their republic. After the fall of the [[Western Roman Empire]], the alphabet survived in intellectual and religious works. It came to be used for the  [[Romance languages]] that descended from Latin and most of the other languages of western and central Europe. Today, it is the most widely used script in the world.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jeffery |first1=L. H. |title=The Local Scripts of Archaic Greece: A Study of the Origin of the Greek Alphabet and Its Development from the Eighth to the Fifth Centuries B.C. |last2=Johnston |first2=A. W. |publisher=Clarendon |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-19-814061-0 |edition=Rev. |series=Oxford Monographs on Classical Archaeology}}</ref>

The Etruscan alphabet remained nearly unchanged for several hundred years. Only evolving once the [[Etruscan language]] changed itself. The letters used for non-existent phonemes were dropped.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bonfante |first=Giuliano |author-link=Giuliano Bonfante |title=The Etruscan language: an introduction |publisher=Manchester University Press |author2=Larissa Bonfante |author2-link=Larissa Bonfante |year=2002 |isbn=0-7190-5539-3 |edition=2nd}}</ref> Afterwards, however, the alphabet went through many different changes. The final classical form of Etruscan contained 20 letters. Four of them are vowels—{{gpm|a, e, i, u}}—six fewer letters than the earlier forms. The script in its classical form was used until the 1st century&nbsp;AD. The Etruscan language itself was not used during the [[Roman Empire]], but the script was used for religious texts.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Etruscan alphabet |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Etruscan-alphabet |access-date=2023-02-08}}</ref>

Some adaptations of the Latin alphabet have [[ligature (typography)|ligatures]], a combination of two letters make one, such as [[æ]] in [[Danish and Norwegian alphabet|Danish]] and [[Icelandic alphabet|Icelandic]] and {{gpm|[[Ou (letter)|Ȣ]]}} in [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]]; borrowings from other alphabets, such as the [[thorn (letter)|thorn]] {{gpm|þ}} in [[Old English language|Old English]] and [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]], which came from the [[Runic alphabet|Futhark]] runes;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Knight |first=Sirona |title=Runes |publisher=Sterling |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4027-6006-8 |location=New York}}</ref> and modified existing letters, such as the [[Eth (letter)|eth]] {{gpm|ð}} of Old English and Icelandic, which is a modified ''d''. Other alphabets only use a subset of the Latin alphabet, such as Hawaiian and Italian, which uses the letters ''j, k, x, y,'' and ''w'' only in foreign words.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Robustelli |first1=Cecilia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RszKAgAAQBAJ |title=A Reference Grammar of Modern Italian |last2=Maiden |first2=Martin |date=4 February 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-340-91339-0 |edition=2nd |series=Routledge Reference Grammars |publication-date=May 25, 2007}}</ref>

Another notable script is [[Elder Futhark]], believed to have evolved out of one of the [[Old Italic alphabet]]s. Elder Futhark gave rise to other alphabets known collectively as the [[Runic alphabet]]s. The Runic alphabets were used for Germanic languages from 100&nbsp;AD to the late Middle Ages, being engraved on stone and jewelry, although inscriptions found on bone and wood occasionally appear. These alphabets have since been replaced with the Latin alphabet. The exception was for decorative use, where the runes remained in use until the 20th century.<ref>Stifter, David (2010), "Lepontische Studien: ''Lexicon Leponticum'' und die Funktion von ''san'' im Lepontischen", in Stüber, Karin; et al. (eds.), ''Akten des 5.'' ''Deutschsprachigen Keltologensymposiums. Zürich, 7.–10. September 2009,'' Wien.</ref>
[[File:Old Hungarian alphabet of János Telegdi.jpg|thumb|[[Old Hungarian script]]]]
The [[Old Hungarian script]] was the writing system of the Hungarians. It was in use during the entire history of Hungary, albeit not as an official writing system. From the 19th century, it once again became more and more popular.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Maxwell |first=Alexander |year=2004 |title=Contemporary Hungarian Rune-Writing Ideological Linguistic Nationalism within a Homogenous Nation |journal=Anthropos |hdl=10063/674}}</ref>

The [[Glagolitic alphabet]] was the initial script of the liturgical language [[Old Church Slavonic]] and became, together with the Greek uncial script, the basis of the [[Cyrillic script]]. Cyrillic is one of the most widely used modern alphabetic scripts and is notable for its use in Slavic languages and also for other languages within the former [[Soviet Union]]. [[Cyrillic alphabets]] include [[Serbian Cyrillic alphabet|Serbian]], [[Macedonian alphabet|Macedonian]], [[Bulgarian alphabet|Bulgarian]], [[Russian alphabet|Russian]], [[Belarusian alphabet|Belarusian]], and [[Ukrainian alphabet|Ukrainian]]. The Glagolitic alphabet is believed to have been created by [[Saints Cyril and Methodius]], while the Cyrillic alphabet was created by a circle of their disciples in the [[Preslav Literary School]] including [[Naum of Preslav]], [[Constantine of Preslav]], [[Chernorizets Hrabar]] among others. They feature many letters that appear to have been borrowed from or influenced by Greek and Hebrew.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Glagolitic alphabet |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Glagolitic-alphabet |access-date=2022-11-30}}</ref>