In a sense, perhaps the letters of the alphabet are to words what atoms are to molecules. And while the theories of particle physics explain how sub-atomic particles make up atoms, what explanation do we have for the origins of letters in our English alphabet? The article linked below attempts to explain the evolution of markings that eventually became letters that, in turn, eventually became our alphabet.
I don’t have the technical background to assess this history of the alphabet, but it does make for a short, interesting read. Meanwhile, we can whimsically point out that the letters of the alphabet, like gold, are not distributed equally from one part of the world to another. Hawaii and the South Pacific, for example, seems to have an abundance of vowels but not very many consonants. Eastern Europe, on the other hand, has plenty of consonants but maybe not enough vowels. Maybe we can work out some kind of trade? Regardless, a little bit of gentle humor is good for the soul.
A Cup of Brouhaha 