Ancient Egyptian : A Linguistic Introduction

by Antonio Loprieno

• ISBN13: 9780521448499
• ISBN10: 0521448492
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-10-27
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The language of Ancient Egypt has been the object of careful investigation since its decipherment in the nineteenth century, but this is the first accessible account that uses the insight of modern linguistics. Antonio Loprieno discusses the hieroglyphic system and its cursive varieties, and the phonology, morphology and syntax of Ancient Egyptian, as well as looking at its genetic ties with other languages of the Near East. This book will be indispensable for both linguists and Egyptologists.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Major chronological divisions of Egyptian history	xiv
The language of Ancient Egypt
The genetic frame	1	(4)
History of the Egyptian language	5	(3)
A brief look at Egyptological linguistics	8	(3)
Further reading	10	(1)
Egyptian graphemics
Introduction	11	(1)
The basic principles of hieroglyphic writing	12	(6)
Connotational devices in the hieroglyphic system	18	(1)
The historical development of Egyptian writing	19	(5)
The end of the system and its rediscovery	24	(4)
Further reading	27	(1)
Egyptian phonology
Introduction	28	(1)
Heuristic criteria	29	(2)
The prehistory of Egyptian phonology	31	(1)
The phonological system of earlier Egyptian	32	(6)
Consonants	32	(3)
Vowels	35	(1)
Syllabic structures	36	(2)
The phonological system of later Egyptian	38	(2)
Consonants	38	(1)
Vowels	38	(1)
Syllabic structures	39	(1)
The phonological system of Coptic	40	(11)
Consonants	41	(5)
Vowels	46	(2)
Syllabic structures	48	(2)
Further reading	50	(1)
Elements of historical morphology
Introduction	51	(1)
Root, stem, word	52	(3)
Nominal morphology
General features	55	(1)
Compound nouns	56	(1)
The feminine	57	(1)
Plural and dual	58	(2)
Feminine and plural in later Egyptian	60	(3)
Pronouns
Personal pronouns	63	(3)
Personal pronouns in later Egyptian	66	(2)
Deictic, interrogative, and relative pronouns	68	(3)
Numerals	71	(1)
The verb
Introduction	72	(1)
General features of verbal morphology	73	(4)
Verbal morphology in earlier Egyptian	77	(9)
Non-finite verbal forms	86	(3)
Negative verbal forms	89	(1)
Verbal morphology in later Egyptian	90	(9)
Prepositions, conjunctions, particles	99	(4)
Further reading	101	(2)
Nominal syntax
Introduction	103	(1)
Bipartite vs. tripartite patterns
Classifying and identifying patterns	104	(2)
Specifying patterns	106	(3)
Entire clauses as predicate of pw: ``thetic'' statements	109	(3)
Sentences with adjectival predicate and cleft sentences
Qualifying patterns	112	(2)
Identifying (cleft) sentences	114	(4)
Possessive and interrogative patterns
Possessive constructions	118	(3)
Interrogative constructions	121	(1)
Existential sentences and temporal-modal features	122	(3)
Negative patterns	125	(6)
Nominal sentences in later Egyptian	131	(2)
Old and new cleft sentences	133	(4)
Interrogative, possessive, and existential patterns	137	(3)
Negation in later Egyptian	140	(4)
Further reading	142	(2)
Adverbial and pseudoverbal syntax
Introduction	144	(2)
Adverbial and pseudoverbal patterns	146	(4)
Adverbial conversions
Adverbial clauses	150	(5)
Adverbial phrases	155	(3)
Converted vs. unconverted relative clauses	158	(4)
Initial vs. non-initial clauses
General features	162	(4)
The proclitic particles jw and mk	166	(2)
Negation in adverbial and pseudoverbal patterns
Negation in adverbial and pseudoverbal sentences	168	(2)
Negation of adverbial phrases	170	(2)
Adverbial sentences in later Egyptian
The Present I and its conversions	172	(4)
The fate of pseudoverbal patterns	176	(2)
Main vs. subordinate clauses	178	(2)
Later Egyptian negative patterns	180	(3)
Further reading	182	(1)
Verbal syntax
Introduction	183	(1)
The independent verbal sentence	184	(2)
Initial vs. non-initial main clauses	186	(3)
Verbal clauses embedded as adverbial phrases	189	(3)
The Verbal sentence with topicalized predicate
General characteristics	192	(3)
Topicalized vs. adverbialized verbal forms	195	(1)
The ``balanced'' sentence	196	(2)
Other focalizing uses of the topicalized VP	198	(1)
Verbal clauses embedded as noun phrases	199	(3)
Converted relative clauses
General features	202	(2)
Relative conversion of agentless sentences	204	(5)
Negation in verbal clauses
Contradictory negation in main verbal clauses	209	(1)
Modal negation	210	(3)
Contrary negation in verbal clauses	213	(1)
Negation of verbal predicates embedded as AP	214	(1)
Negation of verbal predicated embedded as NP	215	(2)
Negation of adjectival conversions	217	(3)
Verbal syntax in later Egyptian
General features	220	(1)
Initial verbal clauses and parataxis	221	(4)
Non-initial verbal clauses and hypotaxis	225	(4)
Dependent clauses and subordination	229	(2)
From embedding to conversion	231	(5)
Further reading	236	(1)
Epilogue	237	(3)
Notes	240	(39)
References	279	(14)
Index of passages	293	(8)
Index of morphemes	301	(3)
Index of lexemes	304	(9)
Index of topics	313