The Evolution of the

Egyptian Language


Coptic

coptic

1st millennium BCE to (decline beginning in) 1st c. CE

In total, Coptic is written with 24 letters of the Greek alphabet, as well as 7 Demotic signs for sounds that exist in the Egyptian language, but not Greek. There were multiple local variants of Coptic, including Bohairic (in the Western Delta), Fayumic, Oxyrhynchite (also called Middle Egyptian), Akhmimic, Subakhmimic, and Sahidic (dialect of Upper Egypt)

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  • Cleopatra

    Recording

    By 50 CE Greek was almost the exclusive means of recording things in the written record. Until the middle of the 3rd c. CE, Egyptians didn’t have means of recording things in their own language in writing. Coptic was developed by recording Egyptian (demotic) phonetically in Greek, and utilizing the Greek alphabet. Coptic also borrowed from Demotic for sounds that did not exist in the Greek language.

  • Shenoute

    Shenoute

    Saint Shenoute was a Coptic monk who presided over the monastic federation of Pcol, located in Upper Egypt. He was fluent in Coptic, which had become the primary language for Coptic Christianity, and was a prolific writer. He was the leader of the monastery after Pcol, and his writings focused on their monastic practices. Shenoute was one of the many literate monks during this time, many of which were producing religious texts.