Peust, Carsten: Egyptian phonology: an introduction to the phonology of a dead language (Göttingen, 1999)

Contents

Preface.....................................................................................................................................±2

1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................±3

1.1 General remarks....................................................................................................i3

±.2 Remarks on the transcription and specific terminology used throughout

this book................................................................................................................15

1.2.1 Notation of Egyptian consonants; l.a.a Notation of Egyptian vowels; 1.2.3 Under-
standing Egyptian examples in this book; 1.2.4 Notation of Coptic; 1.2.5 Further re-
marks on the citation of Egyptian and Coptic words; 1.2.6 Other symbols; 1.2.7 Periods
of Egyptian history

1.3 Phonemes and phonology.....................................................................................18

1.4 Peculiarities of a phonological analysis of Egyptian as an extinct
language................................................................................................................±9

1.5 The Neogrammarian's principles and diachronic phonology............................21

1.6 Refining a synchronic phonological analysis by diachronic evidence............22

1.7 Phonemic versus graphemic representation.......................................................24

1.8 A short history of research in Egyptian phonology............................................26

2 Basic information about Egyptian.................................................................................27

2.1 Diachronic stages of the Egyptian language......................................................27

2.1.1 Ca. 3ioo-i3oobc: a single written language; a.i.a Ca. i3oo—500BC: differentiation
into two written languages; a.i.3 Ca. 500BC — 250AD: three written languages; 2.1.4 Ca.

250 - i70o(?)ad: two/three written languages; 2.1.5 Modern time; a.1.6 Synopsis

2.2 Late Coptic............................................................................................................3o

a.a.i The disappearance of Coptic as a spoken language; a.a.a Coptic as a language of
liturgy in modern Egypt

2.3 Dialects.................................................................................................................33

2.4 Major dictionaries and grammars of Egyptian....................................................36

2.4.1 Dictionaries; 3.4.3 Grammars

2.5 The indigenous Egyptian scripts.........................................................................39

2.5.1 General observations; 2.5.2 Writing styles; 2.5.3 Writing direction; a.5.4 Distinc-
tive features; 2.5.5 Sign color; 2.5.6 Segmentation; 2.5.7 Functional classes within the
hieroglyphic script; 2.5.8 Subtypes of phonograms in Egyptian; 2.5.9 The interaction of
phonograms and semograms; 2.5.10 Different graphemic subsets applied by etymolog-
ical criteria

2.6 Transcribing Pre-Coptic Egyptian.......................................................................46

2.6.1 On the nature of the conventional transcription................................................46

3.6.1.1 General definition; a.6.1.2 Problems connected with the transcription
of certain words; 3.6.1.3 Interpreting transcription symbols

a.6.a The monoconsonantal signs and their transcription...........................................48

a.6.3 Thej-signs...................................................................................................49

a.6.3.i Distribution; a.6.3.a Function; 2.6.3.3 Transcription

2.6.4 Defective writing..........................................................................................50

a.6.5 The Egyptological scholarly pronunciation......................................................52

3.6.5.1 Introduction; 2.6.5.2 Pronunciation of consonants; 2.6.5.3 Vocalic
realization of consonant symbols; 2.6.5.4 e-insertion; 2.6.5.5 The role of
morphology; 2.6.5.6 Exceptions

2.7 The Coptic alphabet.............................................................................................56

3.7.1 Introduction; 2.7.2 The letters and their transcription; 2.7.3 The names of the

Coptic letters; a.7.4 The digraphs £1 and OV; 3.7.5 The superlinear stroke in Sahidic-
Coptic writing

2.8 How to use an Egyptian or Coptic dictionary.....................................................65

2.8.1 Egyptian dictionaries; a.8.3 Coptic dictionaries