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  Hieroglyphics

  Egyptian hieroglyphs, a formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt, combined logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic elements, employing about 1,000 distinct characters. Originating in the Early Bronze Age, it evolved into a mature writing system during the Middle Kingdom period, persisted through various dynasties, and survived into the Roman period until its decipherment in the 1820s by Jean-François Champollion, revealing a rich corpus of approximately 5 to 10 million words in Ancient Egyptian texts.

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  Hieratic

  Hieratic, named from the Greek hieratikos ("priestly"), originated during the late period when it exclusively served sacred texts; it evolved to be written from right to left, initially in vertical lines and later horizontally, while continuing to be the script of choice for both commonplace and religious documents, persisting until the 7th century BCE when it yielded to demotic in offices but lingered for religious texts, showcasing a structural correspondence with hieroglyphic writing and adapting hieroglyphic signs for swifter ink-based inscription on surfaces like pottery and papyrus.

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  Demotic

  The demotic script, derived from the Greek "dēmotikos" meaning "for the people," emerged as a cursive form of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing in the early 7th century BCE, becoming prevalent for secular documents by the 5th century BCE. Used extensively for business, literary, and religious purposes, the demotic script, known as "sekh shat" to the Egyptians, faced displacement by Greek during the Ptolemaic period (304–30 BCE), and despite its prevalence in various domains, it garnered a reputation for its difficulty, which, coupled with its association with a perceived era of decline, deterred aspiring learners, flourishing predominantly under foreign dominion such as the Persians, Greeks, and Romans.

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  Coptic

  The term "Coptic," originating from the Latin word "Coptus" and the Greek word "aiguptios" meaning "Egyptian," encompasses various dialects, notably Sahidic and Bohairic. While Coptic experienced a decline with the ascendancy of Arabic, its influence persists in Egyptian Arabic, with numerous Coptic words embedded in daily life, exemplified by terms such as "Ah," "Shebsheb," and "Fouta," reflecting a linguistic heritage that endures through diverse expressions in modern Egypt.

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  Arabic Designers

  In conjunction with the written language, diverse regional vernaculars and dialects of Arabic, collectively termed al-ʿammiyyah or "common" Arabic, exhibit significant variations both from the literary form and among themselves. Within the broad category of Egyptian colloquial, distinct vernacular groups are identifiable, each displaying a degree of homogeneity yet harboring additional layers of variation, with the Cairo dialect extending, with variations, across delta towns while rural communities possess their unique vernacular expressions.