English alphabet

Fun Facts About English #94 – The Power of X

12/21/2020 by admin

When published in 1755, the letter X was left out of Johnson’s Dictionary with the claim that X “begins no word in the English language.” Historically, words like xylophone and xenophobia didn’t enter the English lexicon until the 19th century. Today, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) contains about 400 words that begin with X. Compare this to the letter S with 79,900+ words! Nonetheless, where X may fall short in word count, it packs a punch as a symbol, a classifier, and in popular culture.

History and Phonology

Briefly, X is derived from the Phoenician letter samekh, meaning “fish” and denoted a hard /s/ sound. The Greeks borrowed the samekh, named it Chi, and used it for the digraph /ks/. The Romans took Chi from Greek alphabets for their letter X and the numeral “10.” Old English adopted the Roman alphabet where it eventually replaced the German runic alphabet around the 7th century. This orthographic relay spans about 1,800 years of history. Since the medieval period, we’ve been using X and the Roman alphabet for almost fourteen centuries.

X is a bit of a phonetic chameleon when it comes to spelling and pronunciation in English. X is used for the digraph /ks/ in words such as wax and fox. In words like auxiliary and exhaust, the X changes to a /gz/ sound. X can also be a /z/ sound (xylophone), a hard /k/ sound (excite), and a /kzh/ sound (luxury). X can be silent as well, as in Sioux or the French loan-word faux.

The letter X is used in a variety of commercial, academic, social, and religious contexts. We rely on these contexts to tell us whether to engage with the letter as a sound, a classifier, or a symbol. Below is a long short-list that exemplifies the power of X.

Mathematics

An independent or unknown value in algebraic algorithms, x + 5 = 0, x = -5
The horizontal axis on a Cartesian coordinate system
Roman numeral for 10, e.g., LXII
Multiplication symbol; 3 x 5 = 15, pronounced ‘times’
Dimension; 3 x 5 card, pronounced ‘by’
Power; e.g., 50x telescope

Science

Botanical hybrids; iris x germanica
Out of, foaled by, as in “a colt by Secretariat x Merrylegs“
Non-binary gender; M/F/X
Chromosome provided by the female ovum; XX=female, XY=male
Stands for any halogen group in organic chemistry
Rx; prescription, Latin for “recipe”
Branding in pharmaceuticals; Sominex, Xylocaine, Xanax; Vitamin X (Ecstasy), a rave and dance-club drug
Indicates “experimental” in the aerospace industry and Google [x], an innovation arm of Alphabet, Inc.

History

Meaning ‘between’ in historical dating; 1483 x 1485

Sports & Gaming

A capture in chess
A strike in baseball and bowling
A defensive player on a football-play diagram
One of two players in tic-tac-toe, X and O
Indicating ‘extreme,’ as in X-Sports
Incorrect, missed, not allowed

Religion

Denotes “Christ” in Xtian and Xmas
Symbol of dark arts, black magic, witchcraft and occults

Commercial, Manufacturing & Branding

In advertising, a trade term for a generic version; Brand X
Denotes “trans” as in XMIT or XFER and “cross” in X-ing and XREF
Alcoholic strength, such as moonshine; XXX (150 proof)
Level of eroticism, violence, or offensive language, as in the movie rating, Rated X, and pornography
Indicating ‘extra’ in clothing sizes as in XXL, XS
Signifies excellence or precision; Jaguar X, Xbox, Model X
X-factor, entertainment industry term indicating star quality (now associated with the television musical talent show)
A placeholder in airport codes; LAX

Popular Culture & Social Contexts

Unknown or secret; Malcolm X, Project X, X-ray, X-files, Planet X, Agent X, Camp X
Generation X; 10th generation of Americans since 1776
A collaboration in arts or fashion; Smith x Brown
X ‘marks the spot’ for labeling a specific location or scene of a crime
Choice or position on a ballot, survey, or test with multiple options
Serves as a signature for illiteracy and a place marker for a signature or initials, x______________
To delete
A promise; crossed heart
A lie; crossed fingers
A “kiss” in correspondence
Indicates “no beer, no drugs, no promiscuous sex;” XXX
Denotes death or ‘out cold’ in cartoon drawings with X’s for eyes
Rebel, piracy, and a symbol of a skull and crossbones

Not included in the above list are the myriad national flags, songs, bands, albums, books, advertisements, commercial products, paintings, and movies that have included X as part of their symbology.

If you enjoyed reading about X, you might also be interested in the surprising facts about S, Z, E, and the R sound in English!

Go to the previous or next Fun Facts About English.

Stories For Young Readers Lesson Packs, from Kinney Brothers Publishing, are complete downloadable lessons with stories, dialogues, grammar exercises, puzzles, answer keys, and audio files! Click here to learn more!

Phonics & Spelling Series – Planning Ahead

02/06/2020 by admin

Phonics and Spelling Series Kinney Brothers Publishing

In the last post, I talked about Stories For Young Readers from Kinney Brothers Publishing and how to purchase the series for your classes. In this post, I’ll focus on our Phonics & Spelling series. I’ll provide links for purchasing and recommended support materials for each text to help you plan for new classes. Check out this post if you’re looking for supplementary resources for your classes.

For many teachers, a solid phonics program is the cornerstone of their pre-K thru elementary classes. Focused phonics lessons and phonemic awareness improve pronunciation, listening comprehension, and give students the confidence to read and understand English. The Kinney Brothers Publishing five-book Phonics &Spelling series is designed to teach kids the fundamental sounds and spelling of English in a multi-year, step-by-step ESL program.

The Phonics & Spelling series is also published by Independent Publishers International (I.P.I.) in Japan and available with a special discount for overseas customers through David Paul’s ETJ Book Service.

You’ll find an abundance of support materials for this series in our online store, Donald’s English Classroom. Visit for downloadable flashcards, charts, games, and activities.

A to Z is the first step to introducing very young ESL students to the ABCs and phonics. If your kids are just learning to hold a pencil, this is the perfect primer. Children love coloring the large images and build dexterity writing the upper and lower-case letters. Included are easy dot-to-dot coloring pages, mazes, and matching exercises. Check out the preview to learn more.

A to Z Kinney Brothers Publishng — Flash Card Set – ABC Flash Card Set – Phonics Bingo – ABC & Phonics I Have/Who Has – ABC Bingo Animals – Sea Fishing

ABC & Phonics, Book 1 lays the groundwork for phonetic based learning and focuses on writing and identifying upper and lower case ABCs. With basic writing, matching, and ordering exercises, teachers can readily assess student progress. The alphabet is broken down into four sections, a-f, g-l, m-r and s-z with a review for each section. Click here for support materials that include flashcards, charts, games, and activities that make learning the ABCs fun! You can download a preview for this textbook here.

ABC and Phonics Kinney Brothers Publishing — Flash Card Set – ABC Flash Card Set – ABC Bingo – ABC Fishing – Alphabet Charts – Exit Tickets

Phonics & Spelling, Book 2 begins with a review of the ABCs and sets students on their first exercises in sounding out, reading, and writing three-letter (CVC) words. Learned vocabulary is then set into easy sentences to teach students fundamental sentence constructs and meaning. Step by step, students also learn how to read and write a simple self-introduction. The exercises progress in an easy-to-teach, easy-to-comprehend approach adaptable to any program. Included are review pages, puzzles, games, and reading exercises that students find challenging and fun! Be sure to check out the preview here!

Phonics and Spelling, Book 2 Kinney Brothers Publishing — Flash Card Set – CVC Word Charts – CVC Word Puzzles – CVC I Have/Who Has – Swimming with Sharks – CVC Write Around the Room

Phonics & Spelling, Book 3 takes students further in building English reading and writing skills. Book 3 begins with a review of CVC words and then takes students to the next challenge of reading, writing, and spelling silent ‘e’ (CVCe) words, words with ea-ee-ey spelling, as well as th, sh, and ch digraphs. Exercise pages also include practice with numbers, plurals, more extended reading practice, and basic question forms using do and can. Check out the preview here!

Phonics and Spelling, Book 3 Kinney Brothers Publishing — Flash Card Set – CVCe Word Charts – CVCe I Have/Who Has – Silent e Bingo – Phonics Activity Set – ESL Pronunciation Practice

Phonics & Spelling, Book 4 completes the phonics series with almost two hundred packed pages of phonics lessons, reading and writing practice, puzzles, spelling tests, and Q&A drills. Exercises include consonant blends, digraphs, diphthongs, and practice with silent k, g, and ion. The phonics lessons in this textbook create a solid foundation that supports students in their future English language learning. Download a preview here.

Phonics and Spelling Book 4 Kinney Brothers Publishing — Flash Card Set – Diphthong & Digraph Charts – Task Cards – 320 Word Flash Card Set – Clock Bingo – Community Places

If you’d like to learn more about all Kinney Brothers Publishing has to offer, please download our catalogues! Peruse the complete lineup of our Global Edition ESL Textbooks or check out our ESL Store right from your desktop! Sign up for our newsletter and download a free CVC I Have/Who Has Activity Set!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at info@kinneybrothers.com.

As always, best of luck in your classes!

Donald Kinney
Kinney Brothers Publishing
kinneybrothers.com

Fun Facts About English #39 – The English Alphabet

01/10/2020 by admin

Fun Facts About English 39 Kinney Brothers Publishing

History of the Latin Alphabet Kinney Brothers Publishing

In brief, the English word alphabet came into Middle English from the Late Latin word alphabetum. The Latin word originated in the Greek ἀλφάβητος (alphabētos). Alphabētos was made from the first two letters of the Phoenician alphabet; aleph, (ox), and bet, (house). Wikipedia

Map of Phoenicia Kinney Brothers Publishing

Phoenicia was an ancient Semitic speaking Mediterranean civilization that originated in the Levant (west of the Fertile Crescent), in modern-day Lebanon that included coastal Syria and northern Palestine. The civilization advanced across the Mediterranean between 1500 BC and 300 BC.

Developed around 1050 BC, the Phoenician alphabet was spread by merchants and became one of the most widely used scripts in the Mediterranean world. This was in contrast to other contemporary writing systems such as Cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs. The Phoenician script was made up of only a couple dozen distinct letters and was simple enough for common traders to learn. Another advantage of the Phoenician alphabet was that it could be used to write different languages as it was one of the first scripts to record words phonemically.

In Greece, the Phoenician script was modified and vowels were added. In the archaic and early classical years, there were many variants of the Greek alphabet until they were replaced around 400 BC by the classical 24-letter Euboean alphabet that is the standard today.

Greek Pottery Kinney Brothers Publishing — Early Greek Alphabet Wikipedia

The Euboean form was carried by Greek colonists to the Italian peninsula where it gave rise to a variety of alphabets used to write the Italic languages. One such variant was developed by the Etruscans, a civilization of central Italy. The Etruscan abecedarium evolved into the Classical Latin alphabet. The Latin alphabet spread across Europe as the Romans expanded their empire. After the fall of the Roman state, the alphabet survived in intellectual and religious works. Lowercase letters were adopted in the Middle Ages. The script came into use for descendant Latin (Romantic) languages and then for most of the other languages of Europe, including English.

If you enjoyed reading this post, you might also be interested in learning more about the Old English adoption of the Latin script, why Great Britain means “land of the tattooed,” or why the feminine word widow is so unique in the English language!

See the previous or next Fun Facts About English

Donald's English Classroom Kinney Brothers Publishing

From pre-k through adult language learners, Kinney Brothers Publishing offers you textbooks and supplemental materials for your ESL classes. Download these textbooks (and more!) as PDF files from Donald’s English Classroom!