Linguistics

Most alphabets evolved by accident; this one was deliberately designed in 1443

Nearly every writing system developed gradually over centuries, but Korea's Hangul alphabet was invented on purpose by King Sejong and his scholars, then published in 1446 with an official document explaining the logic behind it. Its consonant shapes were engineered to sketch the mouth's position when making each sound — the letter for 'm', for instance, is a square representing closed lips.

King Sejong of Joseon and court scholars, Hunminjeongeum (The Correct Sounds for the Instruction of the People) — 1446; UNESCO Memory of the World register

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