Elliot Kim
Ancient Egyptian is considered the longest-written language on Earth, with four principal scripts in use at different times: hieroglyphic, hieratic, demotic, and Coptic. While we cannot be certain of what Ancient Egyptian sounded like, historical linguists have relied heavily on Coptic, the modern remnant of the Ancient Egyptian language, to understand and decipher Ancient Egyptian writing and sounds. For example, the scholar Jean-François Champollion became the first to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs using the Rosetta Stone, a certain artifact that bore two Egyptian scripts and a rough translation in perfectly readable Greek. However, the stone provided no clues as to how the language was pronounced.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Language scripts | Hieroglyphic, Hieratic, Demotic, Coptic |
| Language evolution | Old, Middle, Late, Demotic, Coptic |
| Vowels | Not written |
| Consonants | Written |
| Language in movies | Spoken like English with formal diction and Middle-Eastern accents |
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What You'll Learn
The Rosetta Stone and Coptic language
The Rosetta Stone is a large stone slab, or stele, discovered in 1799 during Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt. It bears three inscriptions: the top in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle in the Egyptian Demotic script, and the third in Ancient Greek. The decree is a declaration of the priests of a temple in Memphis, Egypt, in support of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes, and dates to 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty. The decree is written in three scripts, with only minor differences between them, which made the Rosetta Stone key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The Rosetta Stone was discovered by French army officer Pierre-François Bouchard and was soon studied by scholars. Swedish diplomat and scholar Johan David Åkerblad was working on a script that had been found in Egypt, which he called "cursive Coptic" as he believed it was used to record the Coptic language, a direct descendant of Ancient Egyptian. French Orientalist Antoine-Isaac Silvestre de Sacy received lithographic prints of the Rosetta Stone and, with Åkerblad, set to work on deciphering the script. They assumed it was alphabetical and attempted to identify where Greek names would occur by comparing the text with the Greek alphabet.
The scholar Jean-François Champollion became the first person to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, using his knowledge of Coptic. He confirmed the hypothesis that hieroglyphs indicated phonetic sounds and was able to correctly deduce the reading of the hieroglyphic writing of the word “to give birth”. Champollion's work laid the foundations of our knowledge of ancient Egyptian language and culture, and he is considered the "father" of Egyptology.
The Rosetta Stone has become a symbol of shared cultural and national heritage for many Egyptians, and some consider its removal to the British Museum as colonial "theft". The term "Rosetta Stone" has become a generic reference to anything that decodes ciphers or reveals hidden mysteries, and it has been adopted by the business community, such as in the language-learning software of the same name.
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Influence of Arabic and Hebrew
Ancient Egyptian, or r n kmt, meaning 'speech of Egypt', is an extinct branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. It is known from a large corpus of surviving texts, with a written record spanning over 4,000 years, making it the longest-attested human language.
Ancient Egyptian has similarities to Arabic and Hebrew, and it is believed that the Egyptian language influenced Classical Greek, with several Egyptian loanwords surviving into modern usage. The Hebrew Bible also contains words, terms, and names thought to be of Egyptian origin. For example, the name Zaphnath-Paaneah was given to Joseph in the Bible, and this is an Egyptian name.
Egyptian Arabic has been influenced by Coptic, which itself is a successor of Late Egyptian, and Ancient Egyptian. Coptic survived into the 16th century as an isolated vernacular and liturgical language for the Coptic Orthodox and Coptic Catholic Churches. Coptic syntax, vocabulary, and phonology can be observed in Egyptian Arabic.
Linguists have noted that Ancient Egyptian often did not write vowels, and this is a feature shared with Arabic and Hebrew. For example, the name Ramses was written as "r'-ms-sw" without vowels.
The Ancient Egyptian language can be divided into five stages: Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian, Late Egyptian, Demotic, and Coptic. The final stage, Coptic, replaced all earlier stages of the language from around 400 CE onwards. This was after Arabic had started to replace Coptic as the main daily language in Egypt following the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 641 CE.
Egyptian Arabic, also known as Masri, is the most widely spoken vernacular Arabic variety in Egypt, with around 111 million speakers. It is part of the Afro-Asiatic language family and originated in the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt. Egyptian Arabic has influenced other Arabic varieties in North Africa and southern Levantine dialect areas.
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Hollywood's interpretation
The Egyptian language, or Ancient Egyptian, is an extinct branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family that was spoken in ancient Egypt. It is known today from a large corpus of surviving texts, which were made accessible to the modern world following the decipherment of ancient Egyptian scripts in the early 19th century.
While this interpretation may add a sense of authenticity to Hollywood films set in ancient Egypt, it is important to note that it may not be entirely accurate. The ancient Egyptian language has undergone significant changes over thousands of years, and modern Middle-Eastern languages have also evolved. As a result, the pronunciation and grammar of ancient Egyptian are likely to be quite different from their modern counterparts.
Additionally, the process of reconstructing ancient languages is complex and relies on various sources of information, including written records, comparative linguistics, and historical context. Hollywood productions may simplify this complexity to present a more accessible interpretation of the ancient Egyptian language for audiences.
Despite the uncertainties and interpretations, the study of ancient Egyptian language and its Hollywood portrayal highlights the ongoing fascination with ancient Egypt and the importance of language in understanding ancient cultures.
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Rhyme and poetry
Ancient Egyptian is an extinct branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family that was spoken in ancient Egypt. It is one of the earliest known written languages, first recorded in hieroglyphics in the late 4th millennium BC.
The discovery of rhyming poetry can help us understand the sounds of ancient languages. For example, Ancient Greek retained the sound of "βebe" (pronounced "bebe"), as we know that sheep make that sound. Similarly, poetry with rhyming words can tell us a lot about the sounds of a language, as it indicates that two words sound the same, even if that is not obvious from their spelling.
Ancient Egyptian poetry is believed to be the earliest surviving evidence of rhyme. Moustafa Gadalla, in his book The Ancient Egyptian Culture Revealed, writes that the Egyptians perceived language and music as two sides of the same coin. Both poetry and singing followed similar rules for musical composition. Ancient Egyptian poems, praises, hymns, and songs were rhythmic, with uniform meters and structured rhyme. They were likely performed with musical accompaniment and followed a recurring pattern of accented and unaccented syllables.
While China's Book of Songs, compiled in 600 BC, is often cited as the earliest evidence of rhyming, some believe that Ancient Egyptian poems may predate this collection. The Book of Songs is China's earliest collection of poetry, believed to span about 600 years, with the earliest poems possibly dating back to 1200 BCE.
In conclusion, the study of rhyme and poetry provides valuable insights into the sounds of ancient languages, including Ancient Egyptian. The discovery of rhyming poetry in different cultures suggests a connection between language and music, with Ancient Egyptian poetry showcasing structured rhyme and rhythmic patterns.
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Comparison to Shakespearean English
Ancient Egyptian, or r n kmt, meaning "speech of Egypt", is an extinct branch of the Afroasiatic language family. It is known from a large corpus of surviving texts, with a lifespan of more than 4000 years, making it the world's longest continuously attested language.
Like Shakespearean English, Ancient Egyptian evolved over time, and today, there are many competing theories about how it sounded. Egyptologists have created an "Egyptological pronunciation" in English, in which the consonants are given fixed values, and vowels are inserted according to arbitrary rules. However, this artificial pronunciation should not be mistaken for how Egyptian was ever pronounced.
The discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799 provided a breakthrough in understanding Ancient Egyptian. The stone bore two Egyptian scripts and a translation in Greek, allowing the scholar Jean-François Champollion to become the first to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Champollion believed that the Coptic language, a descendant of ancient Egyptian, could provide clues about spoken ancient Egyptian, but he could not determine the accurate pronunciation.
Coptic sounds and grammar can offer insights into spoken ancient Egyptian, but it does not provide a complete picture. For example, Coptic has a three-vowel system (/a i u/), but ancient Egyptian did not write vowels. Instead, linguists have inferred the pronunciation of vowels in ancient Egyptian based on context and comparison with other languages.
In comparison to Shakespearean English, Ancient Egyptian may have sounded more formal and akin to a liturgical language. It likely had a range of accents, reflecting the diverse influences on the language, including Aramaic and Ancient Greek.
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Frequently asked questions
We don't know exactly how Ancient Egyptian sounded, but we can make educated guesses. Coptic, the modern remnant of Ancient Egyptian, has been used to help decipher Ancient Egyptian writing and sounds. Ancient Egyptian often did not include vowels in their writing, which makes it harder to know the precise pronunciation.
The Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799, bore two Egyptian scripts and a Greek translation. This helped the scholar Jean-François Champollion become the first to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
There are uncertainties in our knowledge of Ancient Egyptian due to the lack of recorded vowels and differing views on the precise sound of consonants. However, there is broad agreement on the consonantal structure of the language.
Yes, poetry with rhyming words can provide clues about pronunciation. Additionally, sound clips and experiments in pronunciation, such as those contributed by Okasha Eldaly and others, offer insights into how Ancient Egyptian may have sounded.
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