Coptic

Coptic

The Coptic alphabet is variant of the Greek alphabet
containing a number of extra letters for sounds not found in Greek.
The extra letters come from the Demotic
form of the Egyptian script. The Coptic alphabet came into being during
the 3rd century BC after the Greek conquest of Egypt and the subsequent
spread of Christianity.

The name ‘Coptic’ derives from the Greek word for Egyptian: Aigyptioi
which became Qibt in Arabic and then was Latinised to become
Copt

Used to write

Coptic, a member of the Egyptian branch of the Afro-Asiatic
language family and a descendant of the Ancient Egyptian language. Coptic was an
official language in Egypt until around the 13th Century AD, when it was replaced
by Arabic. Nowadays Coptic Christians all speak Arabic as their every day language,
but use Coptic in their religious ceremonies.

Coptic alphabet

Coptic alphabet

Notes

  • veeta = [b] at the beginning of a word, [v] elsewhere.
  • ghamma = [ŋ] after a double seema, [g] elsewhere.
  • delta = [d] in names, [ð] elsewhere.
  • tav = [d] after nei, [t] elsewhere.
  • epsilon = [v] after alpha or ei, [u] after short o, [ɪ] elsewhere.
  • jinkim splits words into separate syllables when attached to the letter ei and followed by a consonant

Source: http://www.copticchurch.net/coptic_fonts/alphabet.html

Numerals

Coptic numerals

Sample text

Coptic sample

Tower of Babel in Coptic

Links

About the Copts and the Coptic language
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/papyrus/texts/coptic/introduction.html
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/copticchristians.htm

The Coptic Studies Corner
http://www.stshenouda.com

Coptic lessons
http://www.stshenouda.com/coptlang/cptlsn1w.htm
http://heh.pl/&pj
http://st-takla.org/Learn_Languages/01_Learn_Coptic-ta3leem-2ebty/Learn-Coptic_00-index_El-Fehres.html

Masters Degree in Coptic Studies at Macquarie University
http://www.coptic.org.au/modules/coptic_studies/

Coptic Churches
http://www.copticchurch.net
http://st-takla.org

Free Coptic fonts
http://www.copticchurch.net/coptic_fonts/
http://babel.uoregon.edu/yamada/fonts/coptic.html
http://www.stshenouda.com/coptsoft.htm
http://heh.pl/&pk
http://greekfonts.teilar.gr

ALPHABETUM – a Unicode font
specifically designed for ancient scripts, including classical
& medieval Latin, ancient Greek, Etruscan, Oscan, Umbrian,
Faliscan, Messapic, Picene, Iberian, Celtiberian, Gothic, Runic,
Old & Middle English, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Old Nordic, Ogham,
Kharosthi, Glagolitic, Old Cyrillic, Phoenician, Avestan, Ugaritic,
Linear B, Anatolian scripts, Coptic, Cypriot, Brahmi, Old Persian cuneiform:
http://guindo.pntic.mec.es/~jmag0042/alphabet.html

Other Ancient Egyptian scripts

Hieroglyphs,
Hieratic,
Demotic,
Coptic

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