What Ancient Egyptian Sounded Like - and how we know
NativLang・7 minutes read
Egyptian scribes wrote hieroglyphs for 3,500 years until they ceased, with the last known inscription in a temple before Rome's fall. The rediscovery of Ancient Egyptian involved the Rosetta Stone, deciphered by Champollion and Young, leading to the restoration of the language.
Insights
- The decipherment of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs was achieved through the work of Champollion and Young, who utilized Coptic language elements for understanding, marking a significant milestone in linguistics and historical preservation.
- Comparative linguistic analysis, including interactions with other languages in the Afroasiatic family, aided in tracing Egyptian's roots to Proto-Afroasiatic, showcasing the intricate evolution of the language's sounds and pronunciations over millennia.
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Recent questions
How long did Egyptian scribes write hieroglyphs?
3,500 years
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Summary
00:00
Deciphering Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A Linguistic Journey
- Egyptian scribes wrote hieroglyphs for 3,500 years until they ceased, with the last known inscription in a temple before Rome's fall.
- The rediscovery of Ancient Egyptian involved the Rosetta Stone, deciphered by Champollion and Young, leading to the restoration of the language.
- Champollion believed Coptic was the Egyptian language, learning from Abuna Yuẖanna, and used Coptic sounds and grammar for decipherment.
- Internal reconstruction using Coptic helped decipher hieroglyphs, revealing a language where roots were filled with vowels to form words.
- Linguistic clues from Egyptian interactions and comparisons with languages like Omotic and Arabic in the Afroasiatic family aided in understanding Egyptian's evolution.
- Egyptian's position within the Afroasiatic family was traced back to Proto-Afroasiatic, allowing for sound comparisons between Coptic and Ancient Egyptian.
- Scrutinizing sound changes revealed shifts in pronunciation over time, such as Aten's name being /jaːtin/ and Egypt's name evolving from /kuːmat/ to /keːmə/.
