Hatrack River Forum: How would you Alphabetize the...alphabet.

This is topic How would you Alphabetize the...alphabet. in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Darth_Mauve (Member # 4709) on :

We all know how to alphabetize things. A, B, C, etc down to Z.

But how the alphabet came into that arrangement is mere chance, historical happenstance, and demonstrates a truly disorganized system, from which we organize so much of our lives.

So, assuming that you had to power to increase efficiencies by organizing the alphabet into a more consistent, logical order--what would it be, and why?

All the vowels first?

Tall letters, then round letters?

K then C since C sometimes makes the K sound, followed by S since C sometimes makes the S sound?

U following Q since that's what it does usually?

The most popular letters at the beginning where they will get used more often?

Or divide the popular letters up more evenly around the alphabet so that our alphabetically organized file cabinets are more evenly arranged?

Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

quote:
So, assuming that you had to power to increase efficiencies by organizing the alphabet into a more consistent, logical order--what would it be...

I would arrange it in a radially symmetrical pattern.

quote:
...and why?

I'm going to go with having gone mad with power.

Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :

"Who put the alphabet
In alphabetical order?"

-TMBG

Posted by ? (Member # 2319) on :

thequickbrownfxjmpsvlazydg

I don't know why, but for some reason I would do it in this order.

?

Posted by EmpSquared (Member # 10890) on :

I'd rearrange it using the qwerty scheme. I used to wonder why keyboards weren't in "alphabetical" order. Now I think that it'd be better the other way around.

Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :

quote:
Originally posted by EmpSquared:
I'd rearrange it using the qwerty scheme. I used to wonder why keyboards weren't in "alphabetical" order. Now I think that it'd be better the other way around.

If I recall correctly, the reason the qwerty keyboard is arranged the way it is was so that people would be more accurate when they type on a typewriter. (Which, if I also remember correctly, typewriter is the longest word you can type on a single line of keys in Qwerty.) By placing the keys in the way they did with spreading out the vowels somewhat and the most used keys, it took more time to press the key, more time to catch yourself go for the wrong key, and minimized mistakes.

Now days, since we have a backspace, the most efficient layout is the dvorak.

That's my input. I could be wrong on some of this, so if someone knows better, please feel free to correct me.

EDIT: I'm happy with the way that the alphabet is arranged, by the way. Mostly 'cause if it was changed I'd have to re-organize so many files. [Smile]

EDIT 2: I wanted to double check the info I gave on the reason behind the qwerty layout, and while it's true that it was made to slow people down, according to the wikipedia entry the real reason wasn't for accuracy but because if someone would type too quickly, it would break the machine.

[ September 13, 2008, 02:31 AM: Message edited by: Vadon ]

Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :

e t a o i n s h r d l c u m w f g y p b v k j x q z

Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :

the qwerty keyboard was designed to slow typists down so that they wouldn't gum up the mechanical workings of early typewriters.

Posted by Shmuel (Member # 7586) on :

Selections from the Book of Remington:

And it came to pass in the End of Days that two great powers arose.

The first were the Disciples of Qwerty, and they saith: the Lord is the Q and the M, the beginning and ending, what was and what will be.

The second were the Acolytes of Dvorak, and they saith: the Lord is the P and the Z, the beginning and ending, and he lovest thou, and wishes not to see you suffer with an antiquated layout.

And the Disciples of Qwerty took up arms against the Acolytes of Dvorak, saying "Tradition must be respected, and, moreover, we have come to embrace our repetitive stress syndrome as a sign of devotion."

And there was war.

Legions of men battled over many scores of years, and they began to despair.

They cried out to the Lord for a sign.

Trumpets blared, lights shone brightly, and an infinite number of monkeys using an infinite number of incompatible keyboards appeared in the skies.

The monkeys bore a golden scroll with an ordering of the language's lexical symbols that was pleasing to the eye, and the ear, and the fingers.

The Disciples of Qwerty looked up, and were awed.

The Acolytes of Dvorak looked up, and tears ran down their faces.

Alas, a rogue squadron of Colemak devotees chose that moment to launch a nuclear strike.

And it came to pass that the few survivors decided to go back to pictographs.

Posted by EmpSquared (Member # 10890) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Samprimary:
the qwerty keyboard was designed to slow typists down so that they wouldn't gum up the mechanical workings of early typewriters.

Hmmmm, interesting. I always thought it was designed for convenience. Our convenience, I mean.

Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :

If the order of the alphabet were changed, I wouldn't have to do anything to my files, since they are arranged numerically. I would have to redo the bookshelves, though, and that would be a monumental task. So I'd just as soon keep it in the current order.

--Mel

Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :

I'd keep it the same, but put U and I together.

Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :

We could follow the Japanese and organize it by which part of the mouth is used to pronounce the letters. As you went through the alphabet the vocalizing portion would move from the back of your throat with vowels, G, and D sounds, to the tip of the tongue and lips, with S, T, and P sounds.

Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :

You know what's funny? Just five minutes before I saw this thread, my daughter was running around singing the song KQ refrenced:

Start at 2:58.

(Although I say start at the beginning. Seven is a great song.)

Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :

quote:
Originally posted by EmpSquared:

quote:
Originally posted by Samprimary:
the qwerty keyboard was designed to slow typists down so that they wouldn't gum up the mechanical workings of early typewriters.
Hmmmm, interesting. I always thought it was designed for convenience. Our convenience, I mean.

Nope. It was designed to keep the mobile keys from getting stuck together. There are a number of systems out there where people can average well over 100wpm easier.However, the cost of refitting and retraining people to use it is so huge that we continue to teach people to use qwerty style typing even though it is inefficient.

Here is an example of a non-QWERTY layout, with a simplified explanation of why QWERTY was developed.

[ September 14, 2008, 11:18 AM: Message edited by: Kwea ]

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Shmuel:
Selections from the Book of Remington:

Steele?

Also, [ROFL]