Coptic

Coptic is the final stage of the ancient Egyptian language, written in an alphabet derived primarily from Greek instead of hieroglyphs. It borrows some vocabulary from ancient Greek, and it was used primarily for writing Christian scriptures and treatises. There is no uniform Coptic language, but rather six major dialects.

Unlike previous grammars that focus on just two of the Coptic dialects, this volume, written by senior Egyptologist James P. Allen, describes the grammar of the language in each of the six major dialects. It also includes exercises with an answer key, a chrestomathy, and an accompanying dictionary, making it suitable for teaching or self-guided learning as well as general reference.

“The simultaneous grammar of six major Coptic idioms by James P. Allen is a singular work. It is a must for the teaching of Coptic dialect diversity.”—Helmut Satzinger, Bibliotheca Orientalis

James P. Allen is Charles Edwin Wilbour Professor of Egyptology at Brown University. His research focuses on ancient Egyptian religion and on the grammar and literature of the ancient Egyptian language. He has served as Curator of Ancient Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and as President of the International Association of Egyptologists and is the author of A Grammar of the Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, vol. 1: Unis, also published by Eisenbrauns.

Preface

1. Writing and Phonology

2. Nouns and Adjectives

3. Pronouns

4. Numbers and Particles

5. Prepositions and Adverbs

6. Nominal and Adjectival Sentences

7. Verbs

8. The Bipartite Construction

9. The Tripartite Construction

10. Dependent Forms

11.Second Tenses

12.Complex Sentences

Answers to the Exercises

Chrestomathy

Dictionary

Bibliography

Abbreviations and References

Index

Download a PDF sample chapter here: Chapter One