DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1167#0201
5.2 The interpretation of the Coptic vowel graphemes
5.2.1 Overview
All seven vowel signs of the Greek alphabet are used in Coptic: &. (= Greek a), € (= e), H
(= t]), 1 (= 1), 0 (= o), (0 (= (o) and V (= u). Among these, 7F used in isolation has a marginal
status and appears mainly in Greek loanwords where it renders v or t\ of the source
language.
The vowel inventory of Coptic short stressed vowels can be sketched as follows:
low
H[e]
e,[e]
Ma]
OH
©[o]
high
(e)i |il
Otfful
front
back
In addition, there is a set of long vowels which are written by doubling the vowel
grapheme. For these US' § 5.2.3.
I do not discuss the question here which distinctions are phonologically relevant; on this
issue 03P §5.3.
5.2.2 High vs. low vowels in Coptic
5.2.2.1 General remarks
The difference between £ and 0 on the one hand and H and ft) on the other is traditionally
understood as one of vowel quantity (e.g. Sethe 1899-1902: I, §§ 22ff.). However
there is actually very little evidence for this claim. The main argument seems to be the
fact that the respective Greek letters indicate vowel quantity in Classical Greek. I will
argue below that the difference between the signs in question rather is one of vowel
quality.
possible one.
Aro (1953: 18 and 1971: 250) considers the possibility that at least the "abnormal
plene-writings" may indicate word stress. Fecht (i960: §72) shows that
plene-writing in transcriptions of Egyptian words clearly coincides with Egyptian
word stress rather than with vowel length. Knudsen (1980) argues that Akkadian
plene writing in general does not indicate length but accentual pitch. He calls
attention to the fact that the last syllable of a question sentence is often written
plene, including words that are never written plene in other contexts (Knudsen 1980:
11). It is indeed very common for questions in languages around the world to be
marked by a raising intonation at the end.
We can conclude that Akkadian plene-writing is probably related to stress or
intonational features rather than to vowel quantity.
5.2.1 Overview
All seven vowel signs of the Greek alphabet are used in Coptic: &. (= Greek a), € (= e), H
(= t]), 1 (= 1), 0 (= o), (0 (= (o) and V (= u). Among these, 7F used in isolation has a marginal
status and appears mainly in Greek loanwords where it renders v or t\ of the source
language.
The vowel inventory of Coptic short stressed vowels can be sketched as follows:
low
H[e]
e,[e]
Ma]
OH
©[o]
high
(e)i |il
Otfful
front
back
In addition, there is a set of long vowels which are written by doubling the vowel
grapheme. For these US' § 5.2.3.
I do not discuss the question here which distinctions are phonologically relevant; on this
issue 03P §5.3.
5.2.2 High vs. low vowels in Coptic
5.2.2.1 General remarks
The difference between £ and 0 on the one hand and H and ft) on the other is traditionally
understood as one of vowel quantity (e.g. Sethe 1899-1902: I, §§ 22ff.). However
there is actually very little evidence for this claim. The main argument seems to be the
fact that the respective Greek letters indicate vowel quantity in Classical Greek. I will
argue below that the difference between the signs in question rather is one of vowel
quality.
possible one.
Aro (1953: 18 and 1971: 250) considers the possibility that at least the "abnormal
plene-writings" may indicate word stress. Fecht (i960: §72) shows that
plene-writing in transcriptions of Egyptian words clearly coincides with Egyptian
word stress rather than with vowel length. Knudsen (1980) argues that Akkadian
plene writing in general does not indicate length but accentual pitch. He calls
attention to the fact that the last syllable of a question sentence is often written
plene, including words that are never written plene in other contexts (Knudsen 1980:
11). It is indeed very common for questions in languages around the world to be
marked by a raising intonation at the end.
We can conclude that Akkadian plene-writing is probably related to stress or
intonational features rather than to vowel quantity.