- Independent pronouns
- Demonstrative pronouns
- Vocative demonstratives
- Archaic plural demonstratives
- Summary
- Vocabulary
- Exercises
Independent Pronouns
The third set of pronouns are the independent pronouns, which will be important in nominal sentences, beginning in the next lesson. These do not need to follow other words in a sentence as the dependent ones do.
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | ๐ท๐๐ฐ๐ก๐ธ๐ฑ๐ jnk | ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฑ๐ท๐๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ธ jnn |
| 2nd masc. | ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐ก ntk | ๐ท๐๐ฐ๐๐ธ๐ฑ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ธ ntแนฏn or ๐ท๐๐ฐ๐๐ธ๐ฑ๐ท๐๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ธ nttn |
| 2nd fem. | ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ ntแนฏ or ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฑ๐ ntt | |
| 3rd masc. | ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐ ntf | ๐๐ฐ๐๐ด๐๐ฐ๐ฅ or ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฅ ntsn |
| 3rd fem. | ๐๐ฐ๐๐ด or ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฐ๐ nts |
Demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns “demonstrate” which of all the possible entities are being discussed; for example, narrowing “a river” down to “this river”. In English, the demonstratives are “this, that, these, those”.
Many lessons ago we met the first masculine/feminine pair of demonstratives, ๐ช๐ฐ๐ pn and ๐๐ฐ๐ tn. But there are four sets of demonstrative pronouns in Middle Egyptian, each having a masculine, feminine, and plural form.
| Masc. sing. | Fem. sing. | Neutral |
|---|---|---|
| ๐ช๐ฐ๐ pn | ๐๐ฐ๐ tn | ๐, ๐๐ฐ๐ nn |
| ๐ช๐ฑ๐ ฑ pw | ๐๐ฑ๐ ฑ tw | ๐ท๐๐ฐ๐๐ธ๐ฑ๐๐ฑ๐ ฑ nw |
| ๐ ฎ, ๐ ฎ๐ฑ๐ฟ p๊ข | ๐๐ฑ๐ฟ t๊ข | ๐๐ฑ๐ฟ n๊ข |
| ๐ช๐ฐ๐ pf, ๐ท๐ช๐ฐ๐๐ธ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ pf๊ข | ๐๐ฐ๐ tf, ๐ท๐๐ฐ๐๐ธ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ tf๊ข | ๐๐ฐ๐ nf, ๐ท๐๐ฐ๐๐ธ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ nf๊ข |
When used to modify nouns:
- pw, pn, tw, and tn follow their nouns: ๐ง๐ฐ๐๐ฑ๐ค๐๐ฐ๐ แธrt tn “this hand”.
- p๊ข and t๊ข precede their nouns.
- pf(๊ข) and tf(๊ข) can precede or follow their nouns.
Each series is used slightly differently in Middle Egyptian: the –n series is typical, meaning “this/that” or “these/those”. The –๊ข series is more colloquial, but it does appear in literary texts as well. The –w series is older and more formal, usually only seen in religious or other special texts.
The -f(๊ข) series are used to contrast with the -n series. When this happens, the -f(๊ข) means is more distant (“that/those”), while the -n then means “this/these”: ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฐ๐๐ฑ๐ค๐ช๐ฐ๐ zt tn, z pf “this woman, that man”. In the absence of an -f(๊ข) pronoun, though, the other three series can all be translated “these” or “those” depending on context.
The neutral demonstratives are used for duals or plurals of either gender, and are often used without nouns, in sentences like ๐๐ณ๐ง๐๐ฐ๐๐ แธd.n.f nn “He said this.” But when used to modify nouns, the neutral pronouns come before the nouns as an indirect genitive with the genitival adjective always being n:
๐๐๐ฐ๐๐น๐น๐น nn n nแนฏrw
“these/those gods”
๐๐๐ฐ๐๐
๐
ฑ๐๐๐ช nn n mjwwt
“these/those mothers”.
Because the genitival adjective is always n with these pronouns, the neutral pronouns are grammatically masculine and singular in themselves: “these gods” is literally “this-thing of gods”.
Vocative demonstratives
pw/tw can have the sense of invocation, or direct address. The exact translation will vary by context.
๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฑ๐๐ช๐
ฑ h๊ฃ nแธซt pw
“Oh, Nakht!”
(lit. “Oh, this Nakht!”)
When used with nouns, they are sometimes written ๐ช๐ ฑ๐ pwy and ๐๐ ฑ๐ twy.
Archaic plural demonstratives
The neutral n- demonstratives were originally only used by themselves, without a noun. Plural nouns used a different set:
| Gender of noun | -n series | -w series |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | ๐๐ช๐ฐ๐ jpn “these/those” | ๐๐ช๐ ฑ jpw “these/those” |
| Feminine | ๐๐ช๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ jptn “these/those” | ๐๐ช๐ฐ๐๐ ฑ jptw “these/those” |
In Middle Egyptian, these were archaic/religious, but still used. Like pn/tn/pw/tw, they follow their nouns as modifiers:
๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ช๐๐ช๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ zwt jptn “these women”
๐๐ฐ๐๐ฑ๐ค๐ช๐๐ช๐
ฑ zw jpw “these men”
And the -w pair can be used vocatively, as we saw with pw/tw above:
๐น๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐๐ช๐๐ช๐ฐ๐๐
ฑ nแนฏrwt jptw
“O goddesses!”
(lit. “These goddesses!”)
Summary: Independents and demonstratives
- The independent pronouns are used mainly with nominal sentences, as we shall soon see.
- The basic demonstrative pronouns for singular nouns are pn/tn, which follow their nouns. Also following their nouns are pw/tw (more formal).
- The more colloquial p๊ข/t๊ข precede their nouns.
- Finally, pf/tf or pf๊ข/tf๊ข can precede or follow their noun, and they contrast with the -n pronouns, making the -n ones proximal (“this, these”) while the -f(๊ข) ones are distal (“that, those”).
- In the plural, the “neutral” demonstratives nn, n๊ข, nw, nf(๊ข) are used, but they precede their noun in an indirect genitive phrase, always using n as the genitival adjective: nn n แธฅjmwt “those women”.
- The neutral demonstratives can also be used without nouns, like in แธd.n.f nn “He said this“.
- The demonstratives can also be used as a direct address or invocation: h๊ฃ nแธซt pw “Oh, Nakht!”.
- An archaic set of demonstratives, jpn/jptn, jpw/jptw, are still used in the Middle Kingdom. They follow their nouns like pn/tn/pw/tw do, and jpw/jptw can be used vocatively as pw/tw can be.
Vocabulary
- ๐๐๐๐๐ jb(j) “(be) thirsty”
- ๐๐๐๐๐ jty “king, sovereign, lord”
- ๐๐๐ฐ๐ w๊ขst “Thebes”
- ๐๐ด๐๐ฐ๐ก wsr “(be) powerful, strong”
- ๐ ฑ๐๐๐ด๐ wลกb “to answer”
- ๐๐๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ mjtt “the same (thing)”, “the like”
- ๐ ๐ฐ๐ mn “remain, endure, be established”
- ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฐ๐ mnแธซ “effective”, “excellent, splendid”
- ๐๐๐ฑ แธฅ๊ขb “festival” (usually written without the ๊ข)
- ๐๐๐ฐ๐๐ แธฅqr “(be) hungry”, “hunger” (n.)
- ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ แธซpr “to come into being; to become; to occur; to evolve”
- ๐ ๐ฐ๐ค s๊ข “the back, the back (of something)”
Exercises
(to be written)