The origin of the alphabet has long been a subject for research, speculation and myths. What is striking is how successful both the (widely copied) principle of the alphabet has been as well as the particular Graeco/Roman forms. How to explain the survival of the principle and of the forms of the alphabet over thousands of years? How to explain also the contemporary effectiveness of the forms of the alphabet in transducing visual patterning at very high speeds into the brain patternings constituting language? There are several possible directions. One approach is in terms of the psychological, physiological and perceptual problems faced by the originator of the alphabet. Another approach, of course, is in terms of the archaeological record. A third approach might focus on the perceptual process by which the alphabet functions.
The answers may be related. It is proposed that the alphabet originated in an intellectual sequence similar to that followed by Bell in constructing his Visible Speech and by Henry Sweet in creating his Organic Alphabet.The originator of the alphabet used the same kind of introspective analysis of his own speech sounds and of the manner in which they were articulated. This was the vital step. The next step, amazingly successful in the case of originator of the alphabet but less so in practice for Bell and Sweet, was to represent in terms of visual patterns the differences as he perceived them of the manner in which he articulated the speech sounds. One way to understand what might have been involved is to attempt to replicate the process oneself.
How plausible the theory is can be discussed in the light of the archaeological evidence. The value of the theory as an account of the contemporary effectiveness of the alphabet should be more open to assessment. Many of the forms of the present alphabet create a strong sensation of their appropriateness. This sensation may be dismissed as purely subjective. What cannot be dismissed so readily is evidence about the effectiveness of the alphabet for some mentally retarded and autistic children. Children who cannot speak can learn to read. This account of the origin and functioning of the alphabet may have a bearing on the long-running debate about the best methods of teaching reading in schools.