Abecediary
Encyclopedia
An Abecediary or Abecedary is the full alphabet
carved in stone or written in book form, historically found in churches, monasteries
and other ecclesiastical buildings.
. Each letter would have had a symbolic meaning to the devout.
An example, the first seven letters or so of which were found in 1967, is from the long demolished Church of St Mary of the Grey Friars in Dumfries
, Scotland. In this case the letters are inscribed in the Lombardic
script of the 1260s and the complete structure would probably have stood near the high altar.
One of the oldest examples is now in use as a gravestone in Kilmalkedar, near Dingle
, Co. Kerry. It has the appearance of a standing stone and is known as the Alphabet' stone, displaying as it does an alphabet dating from early Christian times.
Abecedarian psalms and hymns exist, these are compositions in which, like Psalm 119
in Hebrew, distinct portions or verses commence with successive letters of the alphabet.
The New England Primer
, a schoolbook first printed in 17th-century Boston
, includes an abecedary of rhyming couplet
s in iambic dimeter
, beginning with:
Alphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
carved in stone or written in book form, historically found in churches, monasteries
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
and other ecclesiastical buildings.
Purpose
Abecediaries are generally considered to be medieval teaching aids, particularly for the illiterate. The alphabet may have been thought to possess supernatural powers along the lines of the runic alphabetRunic alphabet
The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter...
. Each letter would have had a symbolic meaning to the devout.
An example, the first seven letters or so of which were found in 1967, is from the long demolished Church of St Mary of the Grey Friars in Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, Scotland. In this case the letters are inscribed in the Lombardic
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
script of the 1260s and the complete structure would probably have stood near the high altar.
One of the oldest examples is now in use as a gravestone in Kilmalkedar, near Dingle
Dingle
Dingle is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about 49 kilometres southwest of Tralee and 71 kilometres northwest of Killarney....
, Co. Kerry. It has the appearance of a standing stone and is known as the Alphabet' stone, displaying as it does an alphabet dating from early Christian times.
Abecedarian psalms and hymns exist, these are compositions in which, like Psalm 119
Psalm 119
Psalm 119 is the longest psalm as well as the longest chapter in the Bible. It is referred to in Hebrew by its opening words, "Ashrei temimei derech" . It is the prayer of one who delights in and lives by the Torah, the sacred law...
in Hebrew, distinct portions or verses commence with successive letters of the alphabet.
The New England Primer
The New England Primer
The New England Primer was the first reading primer designed for the American Colonies. It became the most successful educational textbook published in 18th century America and it became the foundation of most schooling before the 1790s....
, a schoolbook first printed in 17th-century Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, includes an abecedary of rhyming couplet
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
s in iambic dimeter
Dimeter
In poetry, a dimeter is a metrical line of verse with two feet. Consider Thomas Hood's "Bridge of Sighs:"In poetry, a dimeter is a metrical line of verse with two feet. Consider Thomas Hood's "Bridge of Sighs:"...
, beginning with:
- In Adam's fall,
- We sinned all.
- Thy life to mend,
- This Book attend.
- The Cat doth play,
- And after slay.
See also
- AbecedariumAbecedariumAn abecedarium is an inscription consisting of the letters of an alphabet, almost always listed in order. Typically, abecedaria are practice exercises....
- A Researcher's Guide to Local History terminology