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Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet
- Narrated by: John McWhorter
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
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Publisher's summary
The ubiquity of the written word in our everyday lives can make it easy to forget how recent the development of writing and literacy are in the span of human history. But writing is, in fact, a very recent phenomenon if we take a step back and look at the big picture of human development. Even if we simply limit our view to the existence of language, writing still occupies a small segment of time. Writing in its earliest forms, particularly, is very different than what we are familiar with today.
So, when—and where—did writing first emerge? Why did early humans find it necessary to record their thoughts in a visual medium? How did cultures that had relied solely on spoken language for thousands of years create symbols that could carry meaning? And how did all the many scripts and systems that developed over the centuries lead us to the 26-letter alphabet of the English language?
Embark on a journey to the very beginning of writing as a tool of language and see how the many threads of history and linguistics came together to create the alphabet that forms the foundation of English writing. Your guide is Professor John McWhorter of Columbia University and in the 16 lectures of Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet, he will help you navigate the complex linguistic and cultural history behind one of our most crucial tools of communication. With his trademark humor and conversational style, Professor McWhorter makes this larger-than-life history as entertaining as it is enlightening.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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- By Kelly on 09-05-19
By: Graham Hancock
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The Girls of Atomic City
- The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II
- By: Denise Kiernan
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, consuming more electricity than New York City. But to most of the world, the town did not exist. Thousands of civilians - many of them young women from small towns across the South - were recruited to this secret city, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work. Kept very much in the dark, few would ever guess the true nature of the tasks they performed each day in the hulking factories in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains.
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Important story of this secret city
- By CBlox on 11-14-13
By: Denise Kiernan
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The Norman Conquest
- The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England
- By: Marc Morris
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.
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A Balanced, Entertaining, and Informative History
- By Jefferson on 06-01-14
By: Marc Morris
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Mythology: Mega Collection
- Classic Stories from the Greek, Celtic, Norse, Japanese, Hindu, Chinese, Mesopotamian and Egyptian Mythology
- By: Scott Lewis
- Narrated by: Madison Niederhauser, Oliver Hunt
- Length: 31 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Do you know how many wives Zeus had? Or how the famous Trojan War was caused by one beautiful lady? Or how Thor got his hammer? Give your imagination a real treat. This Mega Mythology Collection of eight audiobooks is for you....
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An interesting set of introductions.
- By Kevin Potter on 05-30-19
By: Scott Lewis
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Helter Skelter
- The True Story of the Manson Murders
- By: Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 26 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the 20th century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. What motivated Manson in his seemingly mindless selection of victims, and what was his hold over the young women who obeyed his orders? Now available for the first time in unabridged audio, the gripping story of this famous and haunting crime is brought to life by acclaimed narrator Scott Brick.
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Everything I remembered about the case was wrong..
- By karen on 06-22-12
By: Vincent Bugliosi, and others
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I enjoyed the quiz
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Though it ended five centuries ago, the medieval era continues to permeate our world in far-reaching ways. Whether we pay attention to them or not, the influences and imprints of the Middle Ages are all around us, sometimes evident and sometimes less so. In these 36 revealing lectures, you’ll learn how to recognize the medieval impacts on the modern world, and to grasp their significance and implications. The Medieval Legacy offers you a deep look at a stunning millennium of change and innovation which continues to inform our contemporary world.
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Too woke to be worth the time
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The Language Hoax
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This short, opinionated audiobook addresses the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which argues that the language we speak shapes the way we perceive the world. Linguist John McWhorter argues that while this idea is mesmerizing, it is plainly wrong. It is language that reflects culture and worldview, not the other way around.
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I really love listening to language--and McWhorter
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Propaganda and Persuasion
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good course minus the progressive slant
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The Power of Thought Experiments
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Thought experiments are “what if” scenarios that invite us to look carefully at how we think and view the world. They’ve been used throughout history by philosophers and other thinkers to explore our intuitions and ways of reasoning, to find solutions to problems, and to expand our knowledge of ourselves and the world. In these 24 eye-opening lectures, Professor Breyer takes you deeply into the historical tradition of thought experiments, shining a light on both the purpose and the outcomes of these compelling mental voyages.
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Real Life Pholosophy
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Hannibal Barca is famous for marching an eclectic mix of troops across the Alps and into the Roman heartland during the Second Punic War. But how much do we know about the world Hannibal was born into and came of age in? In Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome, get to know one of history’s most impressive generals from the political and military conflicts that defined his adolescence to the battles that made him famous. These 15 lectures will paint a portrait of not only Hannibal, but also his enemies and allies.
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bad recording audio. too many breaks and crackles,
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Ancient Civilizations of North America
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For the past few hundred years, most of what we’ve been taught about the native cultures of North America came from reports authored by the conquerors and colonizers who destroyed them. Now - with the technological advances of modern archaeology and a new perspective on world history - we are finally able to piece together their compelling true stories. In Ancient Civilizations of North America, Professor Edwin Barnhart, Director of the Maya Exploration Center, will open your eyes to a fascinating world you never knew existed - even though you’ve been living right next to it, or even on top of it.
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A different perspective - civilizations not tribes
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The Celtic World
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Following the surge of interest and pride in Celtic identity since the 19th century, much of what we thought we knew about the Celts has been radically transformed. In The Celtic World, discover the incredible story of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose art, language, and culture once spread from Ireland to Austria. This series of 24 enlightening lectures explains the traditional historical view of who the Celts were, then contrasts it with brand-new evidence from DNA analysis and archeology that totally changes our perspective on where the Celts came from.
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I wish this had a different title
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Lost Art: The Stories of Missing Masterpieces
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Imagine a Museum of Lost Art. If this imaginary museum contained just the artwork we knew was lost— whether from theft, purposeful destruction, vandalism, war, or the forces of nature—it would still contain more masterpieces than those in all the world’s current museums combined. Imagine that! In Lost Art: The Stories of Missing Masterpieces, art historian Noah Charney guides you through just such an imaginary museum. In 12 fascinating lectures, you will hear the stories behind the theft and/or destruction of some of the world’s most famous pieces of art.
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Fascinating series, but flawed last lecture?
- By Nancy on 11-24-23
By: Noah Charney, and others
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1066: The Year That Changed Everything
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With this exciting and historically rich six-lecture course, experience for yourself the drama of this dynamic year in medieval history, centered on the landmark Norman Conquest. Taking you from the shores of Scandinavia and France to the battlefields of the English countryside, these lectures will plunge you into a world of fierce Viking warriors, powerful noble families, politically charged marriages, tense succession crises, epic military invasions, and much more.
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History brought to life
- By Joshua on 07-10-13
By: Jennifer Paxton, and others
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Epigenetics: How Environment Changes Your Biology
- By: Charlotte Mykura, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Charlotte Mykura
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
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Epigenetics is the science of living DNA, charting the chemical pathways that spur DNA into action by turning genes on and off. While the Human Genome Project of the early 2000s was hailed as the key to understanding human heredity and disease, that historic effort was just the beginning. It has taken epigenetics to fill in the picture, explaining how the fixed code of our genome is implemented in countless living processes.
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Really good
- By Talia on 03-25-23
By: Charlotte Mykura, and others
What listeners say about Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- MortonC
- 06-19-24
Unexpectedly interesting and engaging!
Professor McWhorter is amazing. He takes the history of the alphabet, which should be rather "hum-drum but informative", and turns it into something entertaining!
I think his long tenure as a lecturer has given him the confidence to relax more, and present the story in a more creative and interesting way. He is frequently funny and his analogies are amusing and useful!
I'm so thankful that he strongly resists presenting "lists of facts". When my daughter was in elementary school, she signed up for the 'frogs and amphibians club', but instead of learning about them, the children were simply memorizing their sounds and being tested on matching the sounds to the right amphibian. That's not learning, that's merely rote memorization and while it might appeal to a certain demographic, it wasn't enhancing her understanding of anything useful, so we stopped going.
So anyway, avoiding lists... Professor McWhorter "gets" what is true understanding and provides exactly that. He goes into significant details on how and why things happened... and with a lot of humor, so you'll want to keep listening!
I also like how he makes fun of the BCE-crowd and freely uses that and BC/AD. Once again, he has the confidence to be relaxed about this stuff and focus on what's important instead.
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- 7103
- 03-14-24
One of the best!
I have listened to dozens of great courses, with subject matters as diverse as Shakespearean tragedies to Quantum Physics. Professor McWorther is one of the best and this subject matter is absolutely fascinating. Five stars!
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- bonnie l gray
- 08-06-24
Love these courses
Very Well done. I find these courses very useful. Never boring. Always learning something new.
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- omri
- 04-24-24
Much less interesting than the rest of his stuff
I've listened to most of McWhorter's books and lectures. I'm always a bit disappointed when he "repeats" topicd between books, so this one seemed like it would be right up my alley. On the one hand, it was what I asked for: all new stuff! On the other hand, it just wasn't that interesting...
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- W. Norman
- 10-14-23
A gift for McWhorter fans
When you know, you know. Enjoy. (Nine more words are required for an official review.)
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1 person found this helpful
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- joseph hogsed
- 03-11-24
Fun little series
Anything McWhorter is delightful, every time he says, "And you know" I think there's a showtune coming
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- Dani
- 02-10-24
Great performance by John McWhorter
I love the theme and how the story evolves. it really captures my interest, also John has this funny geek jokes that really made me smile many times.
this course opened up my mind about human language's evolution.
lots of fun facts to open up conversations!!
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- kourtney
- 06-20-24
Engaging!
I'm not even done yet. Dr. McWhorter is wonderful. He brings such humor to his lectures. He makes these lectures so colorful on a subject that most people would scoff at for being incredibly boring. Thank you!
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- Anonymous User
- 05-30-24
Learned a ton and enjoyed the lecturer’s approach
Liked that all linguistic concepts were intuitively explained before the academic terminology was used - it made the lectures interesting and understandable.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-06-23
Highly entertaining, funny and informative
John McWhorter may be my favorite Great Courses lecturer. He has a knack for transforming what traditionally is one of the more tedious subjects into one of the most fascinating stories ever told. You will never see words and language the same way again. His lectures are infused with a Seinfeld like comedy which while maybe a bit hit and miss really helps highlight the absurdity of language evolution and makes for a highly entertaining listening experience.
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2 people found this helpful