Steven Volpp

The Need for a 27th Letter

Bow

Does it mean a decorative knot?  Like a ribbon?

Does it mean the front part of a ship?

Does it mean the act of bending forward in respect or greeting?

The answer is yes, because it is a heteronym, which means it is a word with several meanings.  The reason that record and record and many others words with the same meaning exist is that we only have 26 letters, so we have to re-use them.

Love

Love has just one spelling, but it has infinite meanings.  Why does how you feel about Mom, your child, your favorite sports team, your pet, your job, your spouse or other person in your life, which are all very different feelings, all use just one word? 

Oh love, you must be so tired.  We all make you work so hard for so many different uses.

Our 26 letter alphabet was established in the 17th century.

Adding a 27th letter to the English alphabet would theoretically allow for 3.24 quintillion additional letter sequences (potential words) for lengths 1–15. However, due to phonotactic constraints, meaningfulness, and adoption barriers, only a tiny fraction (likely thousands, not billions) would become actual English words. 

Doesn't it seem like a few thousand words would be a nice addition to how we communicate?

How many more CENTURIES until we move evolve and move forward?

P.S.   I hope you "love" the Wednesday One Thing.