So what language did the Egyptians speak? | Page 1 | The Lounge | Guild Forums

Shokai

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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 3:31 pm

I was reading a site saying that today we are unsure what they spoke. But The ancient Egyptian inscriptions on the sites mentioned here have a pronounciation...Isnt that not how they would have said the word?

And what is this about alphabets? In the Hieroglyphs sticky, it has signals with its pronounciation, the site said that they did not have and alphabet.

Here is the site: http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.html

This is rather confusing. For example: mk isnt that not how an Egyptian back in the day would say "behold"

Were hieroglyphs correspondent to the spoken language?

This is all really confusing.

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 3:53 am

That is correct, the Egyptians did not have an alphabet, rather a collection of sounds (being 1/2/3-consonant signs).

Somebody said to me at college that the language is Middle Egyptian, either way when people ask me what language it is I just say Ancient Egyptian because that way people know what I'm talking about.

With the consonant signs, there are no vowels. Hieroglyphs were big signs and took up alot of space on temple walls. Therefore vowels were excluded unless it became confusing without them, ie names. Alot of the time when you put 2 consonats together the vowel usually appears ie nb = neb (never be 100% certain that it is, it could be nab, nib, nob or nub).

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Dark_Lady_Jade

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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 10:03 pm

Honestly, no one is really 100% sure. Not even the biggest experts. We can only guess and speculate based on evidence found. Though, it should be noted that, while the Rosetta Stone was translated, the guy who translated it wasn't entirely sure if everything was said the way it was spoken in the past.

The problem is that language in the past wasn't like language today, in that there wasn't as much emphasis placed on things like vowels and pronunciation. Heck, most people couldn't even read back then, so it's no surprise.

*sigh* Just one more reason why I wish we had time machines and stuff. xd

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 6:01 am

Dark_Lady_Jade

Heck, most people couldn't even read back then, so it's no surprise.

Apparently around 10% of the population of Egypt could read and write, they would be the Scribes (duh!), Vizier, Pharaoh, nobels and higher ranked people. Your average commoner was more then likely illiterate.

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Shokai

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Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 2:46 pm

What I also mean is that the hieroglyph "Hetep" would it be said the same way as it would be written? Or Ankh...is that how an ancient Egyptian would say "life" (according as well as to how the hieroglyph would be said too)

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 3:08 pm

Shokai

What I also mean is that the hieroglyph "Hetep" would it be said the same way as it would be written? Or Ankh...is that how an ancient Egyptian would say "life" (according as well as to how the hieroglyph would be said too)

We will never know how the Egyptians spoke during the time as the vowels were rarely added. The name Tuthmosis has many pronounciations:
Thutmose
Tutmose
Tuthmosis
Tutmosis