Lesson 2
COPTIC ALPHABET
ebolhiten
Rafyk Nacyf
THE COPTIC ALPHABET The Coptic Alphabet â–ª The Coptic alphabet consists of 32 letters and can be divided as follows:
Coptic Alphabet
24
1
7
Greek Letters
Numerical Letter
Demotic Letters
THE COPTIC ALPHABET The Coptic Alphabet â–ª The Coptic alphabet consists of 32 letters and can be divided as follows:
Aa
Bb
Gg
Dd
Ee
^
Zz
Yy
:;
Ii
Kk
Ll
Mm
Nn
Xx
Oo
Pp
Rr
Cc
Tt
Uu
Vv
<,
"'
Ww Ss
Ff
Hh
Jj
{[
}]
THE COPTIC ALPHABET The Coptic Vowels ▪ The Coptic alphabet, like most languages can be divided into consonants and vowels. ▪ We will start our study to the Coptic alphabet with the vowels as they can help us read and pronounce Coptic words. ▪ Vowels in the Coptic alphabet can be divided into 3 categories:
‘a’ sound: ‘e’ sound: ‘o’ sound:
a e → i → y (u) o → w → ou
THE COPTIC ALPHABET The Coptic Vowels
Aa
‘a’ sound:
a
‘e’ sound:
e → i → y (u)
‘o’ sound:
o → w → ou
(A) ▪ Always pronounced ‘a’ as in ‘Father’
Alpha
agioc
saint/ holy
r
gioc
as sh
ran
What?
n
nan n
name
n
to us/ for us
THE COPTIC ALPHABET The Coptic Vowels
Ee
‘a’ sound:
a
‘e’ sound:
e → i → y (u)
‘o’ sound:
o → w → ou
(E) ▪ Always pronounced ‘e’ as in ‘Pen’
Ei
nem n
ke k
and/ with
neman n m
m
and (Gr)
n
menre m n r
with us/ to us
love (v)
THE COPTIC ALPHABET The Coptic Vowels
Ii
(I) ▪ In general, it is pronounced ‘i’ as in ‘Pin’
‘a’ sound:
a
‘e’ sound:
e → i → y (u)
‘o’ sound:
o → w → ou
(Y) ▪ If followed by a vowel at the beginning of a word ▪ if it comes at the end of a word after a vowel
Iota
nim n
Who?
m o
river
a r o
m
moi
iaro
give (v)
nai n a
mercy/ have mercy (v)
THE COPTIC ALPHABET The Coptic Vowels
Yy
‘a’ sound:
a
‘e’ sound:
e → i → y (u)
‘o’ sound:
o → w → ou
(EE) ▪ Always pronounced ‘ee’ as in ‘Feel’ ▪ Unlike i, y is never pronounced as ‘y’
Eeta
yrp
wine
r
r p
myt m
ry]
t
Ten (10)
manner/ likeness
ti
Yl l
God (Hebrew)
THE COPTIC ALPHABET The Coptic Vowels
Oo
‘a’ sound:
a
‘e’ sound:
e → i → y (u)
‘o’ sound:
o → w → ou
(O) ▪ Always pronounced ‘o’ as in ‘not’
O/ Omicron
ohi
stand (v)
s
hi
rompi r
mpi
con
year
brother
n
mosi m sh i
walk (v)
THE COPTIC ALPHABET The Coptic Vowels
Ww
‘a’ sound:
a
‘e’ sound:
e → i → y (u)
‘o’ sound:
o → w → ou
(OA) ▪ Always pronounced a long ‘o’ as in ‘broad’
Oo/ Omega
iwt i
father
s
t
wmc mc
cwni
baptism/ to be submerged
n i
,w k
sister
put (v)/ leave
THE COPTIC ALPHABET The Coptic Vowels
ou
‘a’ sound:
a
‘e’ sound:
e → i → y (u)
‘o’ sound:
o → w → ou
(OO) ▪ Omicron-Epsilon is a syllable that is pronounced ‘oo’ as in ‘food’
Omicron-Epsilon
wou
glory/ honour
mwou
water
m o
o
ouro r o
king
noub n
b
gold
THE COPTIC ALPHABET Additional Examples
Iycouc c
c
Jesus
‘a’ sound:
a
‘e’ sound:
e → i → y (u)
‘o’ sound:
o → w → ou
Emmanouyl mm
n
nai nan
moi nan
Have mercy on us
Give us
mosi neman walk with us
l
Emmanuel
THE COPTIC ALPHABET Lesson Vocabulary
agioc
ran
‘a’ sound:
a
‘e’ sound:
e → i → y (u)
‘o’ sound:
o → w → ou
as
nan
nem
ke
nim
moi
iaro
nai
ry]
myt
Yl
ohi
con
rompi mosi
iwt
cwni
wmc
Iycouc
mwou noub
,w
Emmanouyl
neman menre
yrp wou
ouro