DOI article:
Gunn, Battiscombe G.: "To have recourse to" in egyptian
DOI article:Gunn, Battiscombe: A note on the verb WRS
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12742#0112
A NOTE ON THE VERB WRS
BY
BA.TTISCOMBE GUNN.
It is generally agreed that the primary meaning of the verb ^™ is "to spend
the daytime", and that when followed by the préposition hr and the infinitive it
means "to do something in the daytime", "to do sotnething by day"W. A study of
the word in varions contexts has, however, led me to the conclusion that the normal
meaning of wrs is somewhat différent, namely, "to spend the whole waking lime",
"to do something ail day"; êdr, the corrélative of wrs, I take to mean similarly "to
spend the whole sleeping time", "to do something ail night". Thus —* |
T"â! means' as will be shown by the examples I shall quote, "he talks ail day
long"; an Egyptian wanting to say merely "he talks in the daytime" wonld probably
write |T3l^l.>0-
Now, to say in a customary sensé that a man spends the whole of bis waking time
in doing something is nsually the same as saying that he spends ail his time in doing
that thing; just as, conversely, if we hear that X spends ail his time in reading we
do not infer that X never sleeps. While, then, to say with référence to a particular
day —T I "T"2î means "ne taïks during the Avhole of the day (in question)",
to niake such a statement in a customary sensé is exactly the same as saying "he is
always talking", and this is just hovv we should often translate in sentences contain-
ing wrs. The foliovving examples will bring out thèse points.
1. —^,^^Q,Î^ "His Majesty spent the whole day in holiday",
Westcar, 6, i3.
M <^ ï ~ ' * ' Vi k ?^ ^* ra^ o» "He spent the
whole day searching for it and relaxed (his efforts) in the evening", d'Orbiney, i3, 7.
MH>£7~ÎJKft .7,1 "Z ? : m . t i\ "A»* we to spend the whole day
carrying wheat and white barley? The granaries are full and overflowing", Paheri
(1895), 5, U9.
* • — i T X — J Wi — ^ A H il + > * 1 ^ " The carrying-pole is not
always on my shoulder (i.e., I carry my load quickly and then go back for another);
how strenuous I am!" Ibid., 5, t2.
(1) The word lias been discussed principally by Scuafer, Agypiische ZeilscJirift, vol. 3i, pp. 5i folï., and
Ekman, Silzungsberichte der kgl. preuss. Akacl. der Wissenschaften, 1912, pp. 908-909.
BY
BA.TTISCOMBE GUNN.
It is generally agreed that the primary meaning of the verb ^™ is "to spend
the daytime", and that when followed by the préposition hr and the infinitive it
means "to do something in the daytime", "to do sotnething by day"W. A study of
the word in varions contexts has, however, led me to the conclusion that the normal
meaning of wrs is somewhat différent, namely, "to spend the whole waking lime",
"to do something ail day"; êdr, the corrélative of wrs, I take to mean similarly "to
spend the whole sleeping time", "to do something ail night". Thus —* |
T"â! means' as will be shown by the examples I shall quote, "he talks ail day
long"; an Egyptian wanting to say merely "he talks in the daytime" wonld probably
write |T3l^l.>0-
Now, to say in a customary sensé that a man spends the whole of bis waking time
in doing something is nsually the same as saying that he spends ail his time in doing
that thing; just as, conversely, if we hear that X spends ail his time in reading we
do not infer that X never sleeps. While, then, to say with référence to a particular
day —T I "T"2î means "ne taïks during the Avhole of the day (in question)",
to niake such a statement in a customary sensé is exactly the same as saying "he is
always talking", and this is just hovv we should often translate in sentences contain-
ing wrs. The foliovving examples will bring out thèse points.
1. —^,^^Q,Î^ "His Majesty spent the whole day in holiday",
Westcar, 6, i3.
M <^ ï ~ ' * ' Vi k ?^ ^* ra^ o» "He spent the
whole day searching for it and relaxed (his efforts) in the evening", d'Orbiney, i3, 7.
MH>£7~ÎJKft .7,1 "Z ? : m . t i\ "A»* we to spend the whole day
carrying wheat and white barley? The granaries are full and overflowing", Paheri
(1895), 5, U9.
* • — i T X — J Wi — ^ A H il + > * 1 ^ " The carrying-pole is not
always on my shoulder (i.e., I carry my load quickly and then go back for another);
how strenuous I am!" Ibid., 5, t2.
(1) The word lias been discussed principally by Scuafer, Agypiische ZeilscJirift, vol. 3i, pp. 5i folï., and
Ekman, Silzungsberichte der kgl. preuss. Akacl. der Wissenschaften, 1912, pp. 908-909.