Esinye seziganeko ezibalulekileyo kwibali lempucuko yoluntu kuphuhliso lwenkqubo yokubhala esekelwe kwiisimboli ezimele izandi zolwimi. Iisimboli ezinjalo zibizwa ngokuba ziialfabhethi. Inkqubo yokubhala yealfabhethi isebenzisa inani eliqingqiweyo leesimboli kwaye isekwe kubudlelwane obuqikelelwayo phakathi kwezandi kunye neesimboli. Okwangoku, ukubhalwa kwealfabhethi kuthathwa ngokuba kwaqala ngo-1800 BCE kusekwe kwingxelo ka-2022 yokufunyanwa kwekama ye-Ivory eTel Lakish ebhalwe ngesivakalisi esibhalwe ngolwimi lwaseKanan. Noko ke, kucetyiswa ukuba imibhalo emincinane yodongwe yowama-2400 eyembiwa e-Umm el-Marra eSiriya ngowama-2004 iyisimboli emele izandi zolwimi. Kodwa imibhalo ayizange iguqulelwe ngoko ke intsingiselo yokwenene ayikaziwa. Umbuzo wokuba ngaba ubungqina bokuqala bokubhalwa kwealfabhethi ngowe-2400 BCE uya kuzinziswa ngokwanelisayo xa iintsingiselo zemibhalo yezi zixhobo zityhilwa kulo naluphi na uphando lwexesha elizayo.
I-Homo sapiens yahlukile kubukumkani obuphilayo ekubeni yavela i-oro-face musculature eguquguqukayo ukuvelisa izandi ezifanelekileyo ezicwangcisiweyo ukunxibelelana ngeengcinga kunye nezimvo nabanye. Iilwimi (okt, iinkqubo ezicwangcisiweyo zonxibelelwano) ziphuhliswe phezu kwesiseko sonxibelelwano lomlomo. Ekuhambeni kwexesha, inkqubo yokubhala yavelisa imiqondiso nemigaqo ukuze ibethelele iinkalo ezithile zolwimi oluthethwayo. Njengokunyamezela ukumelwa kolwimi oluthethwayo, ukubhala kube lula ukugcina nokudluliselwa kolwazi kwaye kwadlala indima ephambili ekukhuleni kwempucuko.
Iinkqubo zokuqala zokubhala ezifana neSumerian (3400 BC -1 AD), WaseYiputa IHieroglyphics (3200 BC - 400 AD), isiAkkadian (2500 BC), Eblaite (2400 BC - 550 BC), kunye intlambo ye-Indus (2600 BC -1900 BC) basebenzise iipictographs (imifanekiso ebonisa amagama okanye iingcamango), i-ideographs (abalinganiswa abafana nabalinganiswa baseTshayina), kunye neelogographs (imiqondiso okanye abalinganiswa abamele igama okanye ibinzana) njengeempawu zokudibanisa iilwimi ezithethwayo. Iinkqubo zokubhala zezinye iilwimi zanamhlanje ezinjengesiTshayina, isiJapan, nesiKorea nazo zikolu luhlu. Isimboli ngasinye sokukhowuda simele into enye, ingcamango enye, okanye igama elinye okanye ibinzana. Ngoko ke, ezi nkqubo zokubhala zifuna inani elikhulu leesimboli. Umzekelo, inkqubo yokubhala yaseTshayina ineesimboli ezingaphezu kwama-50,000 zokumela amagama neentsingiselo kulwimi lwesiTshayina. Ngokwemvelo, ukufunda iinkqubo zokubhala ezinjalo akulula.
Esinye seziganeko ezibalulekileyo kwibali lempucuko yoluntu kuphuhliso lwenkqubo yokubhala esekelwe kwiisimboli ezimele izandi zolwimi. Iisimboli ezinjalo zibizwa ngokuba ziialfabhethi. Kwiinkqubo zokubhala zealfabhethi ezifana nesiNgesi, iisimboli ezingama-26 (okanye ii-alphabets) kunye neepateni zazo zimele izandi zolwimi lwesiNgesi.
Inkqubo yokubhala yealfabhethi isebenzisa inani eliqingqiweyo leesimboli kwaye isekwe kubudlelwane obuqikelelwayo phakathi kwezandi kunye neesimboli. Kulula kunemibhalo engeyo-alfabhethi ukufunda kwaye inika amathuba angenasiphelo okunxibelelana ngokulula nangokuchaneka ngakumbi. Ukuveliswa koonobumba kwathetha ukusasazwa lula kolwazi neengcamango. Yavula umnyango wokufunda yaza yenza ukuba inani elikhulu labantu likwazi ukufunda nokubhala nokuthabatha inxaxheba kurhwebo norhwebo, ulawulo kunye nemisebenzi yenkcubeko ngokunempumelelo ngakumbi. Asinakuthelekelela impucuko yanamhlanje ngaphandle kwenkqubo yokubhala yealfabhethi ehlala ibalulekile kunangaphambili.
Kodwa zenziwa nini iialfabhethi? Bobuphi obona bungqina bokuqala benkqubo yokubhala ngoonobumba?
I-flake ye-limestone ebhalwe ngoluhlu lwamagama aseYiputa yamandulo yabikwa kwi-2015. Ifunyenwe kwingcwaba laseYiputa lasendulo kufuphi neLuxor. Amagama akumbhalo acwangciswe ngokwezandi zawo zokuqala. Le artifact yayiyi-15th kwinkulungwane ye-BC kwaye kwakucingelwa ukuba lolona bungqina budala bokubhalwa kwealfabhethi.
Nangona kunjalo, imeko yatshintsha ngengxelo ka-2022 yokufunyanwa kwe-artifact endala. Ikama yendlovu ebhalwe ngesivakalisi esibhalwe ngolwimi lwamaKanan esafunyanwa eTel Lakish inoonobumba abali-17 abasuka kwinqanaba lokuqala lokuveliswa koonobumba ababumba amagama asixhenxe. Elikama lendlovu lafunyanwa lisuka kwi1700 BC. Ngokusekwe kolu lwalamano, kucetyiswa ukuba ialfabhethi yaqanjwa malunga ne-1800 BCE. Kodwa kukho okungakumbi kwibali lemvelaphi yenkqubo yokubhala ngoonobumba.
Ngo-2004, izinto ezine ezine-cylindrical ezincinci ezenziwe ngodongwe malunga ne-4 cm ubude zifunyenwe kwi-Umm el-Marra eSiriya. I-artefacts yafunyanwa kwi-Early Bronze Age layers, eqala ngo-2300 BCE. I-Carbon dating iqinisekisile ukuba ivela kwi-2400 BCE. Izinto zecylindrical zineempawu eziye zaqinisekiswa njengemibhalo kodwa ngokucacileyo ingeyiyo ilogo-syllabic cuneiform. Imibhalo inento efana ne-hieroglyphs yaseYiputa kodwa ibonakala ngathi ifana nokubhala kwealfabhethi yamaSemite.
Umphandi kutshanje ucebise ukuba iimpawu ezikwisilinda zodongwe zizisimboli ezimele izandi ezihambelana no-a, i, k, l, n, s kunye no-y. Nangona kunjalo, imibhalo ayiguqulelwanga ngenxa yoko intsingiselo yokwenene ayikaziwa.
Umbuzo wokuba ngaba ubungqina bokuqala bokubhalwa kwealfabhethi bungowama-2400 BCE buya kuzinziswa ngokwanelisayo xa iintsingiselo zemibhalo kwiisilinda zodongwe ezifunyenwe kwisiza sase-Umm el-Marra ngo-2004 zityhilwa kulo naluphi na uphando lwexesha elizayo.
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Iingxelo:
- IYunivesithi yaseLeiden. Iindaba-Olona luhlu lwamagama aziwayo ealfabhethi lufunyenwe. Ithunyelwe nge-05 kuNovemba 2015. Iyafumaneka apha https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2015/11/earliest-known-alphabetic-word-list-discovered
- IYunivesithi yaseHebhere. Isivakalisi Sokuqala Esakha Sabhalwa Ngolwimi LwamaKanan Safunyanwa eTel Lakishe: IsiHebhere U. Unearths Comb Comb from 1700 BCE Sibhalwe Ngesibongozo Sokuphelisa Iintwala—“Ngamana eli [phondo lendlovu] lingancothula iintwala zeenwele neendevu”. Ithunyelwe nge-13 kuNovemba 2022. Ifumaneka apha https://en.huji.ac.il/news/first-sentence-ever-written-canaanite-language-discovered-tel-lachish-hebrew-u
- Vainstub, D., 2022. Umnqweno WamaKanan Wokutshayela Iintwala kwiKhama leempondo zendlovu ezibhalwe eLakishe. I-Jerusalem Journal ye-Archaeology, i-2022; 2:76 DOI: https://doi.org/10.52486/01.00002.4
- IYunivesithi yaseJohns Hopkins. Iindaba -Ukubhalwa kwealfabhethi kusenokuba kuqale kwiminyaka engama-500 ngaphambili kunokuba bekukholelwa. Ithunyelwe nge-13 kaJulayi 2021.Ifumaneka apha https://hub.jhu.edu/2021/07/13/alphabetic-writing-500-years-earlier-glenn-schwartz/
- IYunivesithi yaseJohns Hopkins. Iindaba-Ubungqina bokubhalwa kwealfabhethi kwakudala okwafunyanwa kwisixeko samandulo saseSyria. Ithunyelwe nge-21 Novemba 2024. Ifumaneka apha https://hub.jhu.edu/2024/11/21/ancient-alphabet-discovered-syria/
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