Phoenician, Hebrew are not alphabets but abjads. Semitic languages (e.g., Phoenician, Hebrew) have a root-based morphology where words are built from consonant roots (e.g., k-t-b for “write”). Vowels often indicate grammatical variations (tense, number, etc.) rather than core meaning. Consonants carried the primary semantic weight, so writing systems prioritized them.
The Phoenician alphabet evolved from Proto-Sinaitic scripts, which were influenced by Egyptian hieroglyphs. These earlier systems often represented consonants or syllables, and the abjad model built on this tradition. Early writing systems, like cuneiform and hieroglyphs, were complex and labor-intensive.
Omitting vowels reduced the number of symbols needed, making the system more efficient for scribes and traders, as the Phoenicians had only 22 characters.
Fluent speakers of Semitic languages could infer vowels from context and their understanding of grammar and vocabulary.
Sentence structure and surrounding words provided hints about vowel placement. Such as verb or noun placement.
I tried learning Hebrew once but gave up and retreated to the familiarity of Indo European languages. My mind could not wrap around Semitic languages.
Today we prounce HWH as Yahweh but we cannot be 100% sure those are the correct vowel sounds.
From what I understand when the Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet they ended up with unused letters so those became the symbols for vowels.
Do not forget the “Egyptian Hieratic developed as a cursive form of hieroglyphic script in the Naqada III period of Ancient Egypt, roughly 3200-3000 BC.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieratic
Thanks. Since my youth I’ve considered trying to learn a language, but the truth is, I barely speak English. ;^)