Coptic language

Coptic language is the final stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century. The new writing system became the Coptic script, an adapted Greek alphabet with the addition of six to seven signs from the demotic script to represent Egyptian sounds the Greek language did not have.

History

The Coptic language is recorded as the latest phase of the Egyptian language. It was used from the 2nd to 17th century AD. The language was used as a spoken language until the late 17th century AD, when it was supplanted by Egyptian Arabic following the Muslim conquest of Egypt. It remains in use as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

Dialects

Coptic language has several dialects, including Sahidic, Bohairic, Akhmimic, Lycopolitan, and Fayyumic. The most widely used dialect today is the Bohairic dialect, which is used in the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Writing System

The Coptic alphabet is a slightly modified form of the Greek alphabet, with some letters (which vary between dialects) deriving from demotic. As a result, the Coptic alphabet has more letters than the Greek. The extra letters come from the demotic script and are used to express phonemes that the Greek language does not have.

Modern Use

Today, Coptic is mostly used within the Coptic Church. It is taught worldwide in many prestigious institutions for its importance in understanding ancient Egyptian civilization and its literature.

See Also

• Coptic Alphabet
• Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
• Egyptian language
• Greek alphabet
• Demotic script

Afroasiatic languages

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