alfabetici

Alfabetici is the plural form of alfabetico in Italian, used as an adjective meaning related to the alphabet or alphabetic. It can also function as a noun in some contexts to refer to things that are alphabetic in character. In linguistic and writing studies, alfabetico describes writing systems that represent language primarily through individual phonemes with corresponding graphemes, i.e., alphabetic writing. This contrasts with logographic systems, where symbols represent words or morphemes, and syllabic systems, where symbols denote syllables. The most common example of an alphabetic system is the Latin alphabet, which forms the basis of many modern languages.

Etymology: alfabetico derives from alfabeto, which traces to Latin alfabetum, from Greek alphabētos, itself from the first two Greek letters alpha and beta. The Italian plural alfabetici thus preserves the gender and number for adjectives and, in rare cases, for nouns.

Usage: The phrase ordine alfabetico means "alphabetical order," used to arrange entries in dictionaries, catalogs, or lists. Alfabeto refers to the set of letters; alfabetico describes anything related to that set. In education, alfabetizzazione denotes literacy and the process of teaching reading and writing, closely connected to alphabetic knowledge.

Notes: The use of alfabetici as a standalone plural noun is uncommon; more often it appears as the plural form of the adjective, as in alfabetici principi or alfabetici caratteri. See also: alfabeto, alfabetizzazione, scrittura alfabetica, ordine alfabetico.