Why is the W not called the double V? Or why doesn't it look like UU instead?
These are the depths of my thoughts when my social interaction is with a one year old and an infant all day long.
In high school, I was accused of being not very deep by a boy I liked. Well, look at me now, Julian. I am renaming letters. How dumb does that make you feel?
6 comments:
I thought about that too when helping Lucas put his alphabet puzzle together . Maybe it's because the lower case w is typically composed of two little u's.
Wait, I think I got it! It's because w is right after the letter v in the alphabet. But what determines the order of the alphabet though? Does it really matter which letter is before the other? I mean, they're all used in completely varying order for words, so who cares what letter position they are "assigned" to?
But then there's the ABC song. Ah-ha! It wouldn't sound near as good singing "T, U, V, double V, X, Y, and Z". It's too redundant.
So there you go. Question answered.
I'm more concerned that you liked a kid named Julian.
Funny...I remember Julian. Glad you ended up with Mike instead!
Actually, what I think I remember learning in an Old English class of mine is that there was no rounded u in the Latin or Old English, that's why sometimes signs will be written covnty covrthovse (for example) I'm talking OLD signs... therefore it made since at the time to call it double u - but I may be wrong!
Another question with the alphabet, where did "the song" come from and why does it push LMNOP so tightly together?! It's hard enough for kids to distinguish letters!
It is funny that you asked the question of the songs. I just researched this last year for my daughter who is playing the cello.
Actually none of the 3 came first. All three of the songs you mentioned stole their melody from a French melody written in 1761, “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman” Although most people think Mozart wrote it, all he did was write 12 variations on it in 1781. However, “Baa, Baa Black Sheep” started as a poem in 1734 (it was written to help children associate wool with sheep) but it wasn’t set to music until the 1780’s. In 1806, Jane Taylor added her lyrics from her poem “The Star” and thus “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” was born. (Did you know that there are 5 versus to the song?) In 1835, “the ABC” song made its debut. I find it interesting that 3 children’s songs were produced from a song that was never intended for small ears. So I guess along with the W we can also credit the creation of these 3 songs to the French.
Freakin' French!
Thanks for all of the comments and research. I will have to post more of my deep questions about the alphabet and beyond here.
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