ARTH 7114: Introduction to Coptic Language and Culture

Meeting Times (and Place): MW 1:002:25 pm; Jo 212

Instructor: Dr. Mariam Ayad
Email: mayad@memphis.edu
Office hours: M 4:155:15 pm; T 10:00am12:00 pm; W 8:00-10:00 am, or by appointment Office:
Jones 201D

Course Description
Coptic, the last stage of the ancient Egyptian language, was written with essentially Greek alphabetic
characters. This course offers an introduction to the Sahidic dialect, which is perhaps the best
representation of the Coptic dialects, and the closest to the earlier stages of the language. Sahidic
grammar will be explained, and some texts, mainly of a biblical and patristic nature, will be read. Audio
and visual recordings will be utilized to bring this stage of Egyptian to life. We will also examine how
Coptic iconography utilizes text and discuss the current revival of Coptic language and art.

This class is open to undergraduates with the consent of the instructor. Knowledge of Middle Egyptian
and/or Greek would be helpful, but not required.
No prerequisites.

Textbook:
Bentley Layton. Coptic in 20 Lessons: Introduction to Sahidic Coptic with Exercises and Vocabularies.
Leuven: Peeters, 2007.

Recommended:
Thomas Lambdin. Introduction to Sahidic Coptic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986.

Class Requirements
Quizzes 30%
2 Midterms (Oct 21 and Nov 25) 25 % ea
Book Report/ article review 10%
Presentation of Book report 10%

Class Schedule

Aug 31 Introduction to Coptic Language and Culture

Lesson 1: The Alphabet: Coptic. The Alphabet. Regular Replacements. Simplifications.
Abbreviations.

Sept 2 Lesson 2: Articles and what they express. Noun. Proper noun. Omission of Article. Article
phrase. And, Or, and Of.

Sept 7 LABOR DAY-NO CLASS

Sept 9 Quiz 1 on the Coptic Alphabet

Lesson 3: Possessive Article. Simple Nominal Sentence.

Sept 14 Lesson 4: Adjective. Attributive Construction. Adjectival Predicate.

Sept 16 Lesson 5: Nominal Sentences with Three Members

Sept 21 Quiz 2 on Coptic nouns and adjectives (including basic vocabulary)

Lesson 6:Specifiers. Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
Sept 23 Lesson 7: Preposition. Personal Suffixes. Possessed Noun.
Compound Preposition. Combinative Adverb.

Sept 28 Lesson 8: Possessive Pronoun. Survey of Articles and Pronouns.

Sept 30 Lesson 9: Durative Sentence. Infinitive and Stative.

Adjectival meaning: Comparative and Superlative.
Direct Object. Additional Predicate after a Direct Object.

Oct 5 Quiz 3 on Coptic numbers, articles, and personal & possessive pronouns
Lesson 10: Non-Durative Conjugation: Main Clause Conjugation Bases. To Be in Coptic.

Oct 7 Lesson 11: Bound States of the Infinitive. Direct Object Constructions. Compound
Infinitives. Imperative. Vocative.

Oct 12 Quiz 4 on the Coptic infinitive and the stative

Lesson 12: Non-Durative Conjugation: Subordinate Clause Conjugation Bases. Inflected
Modifier. Some Stylistic Devices.

Oct 14 Lesson 13: Causative Infinitive. Verboids. To Have. Dynamic Passive.

Oct 19 No Class. FALL BREAK

Oct 21 Midterm 1 (Lessons 1-13)

Oct 26 Lesson 14: Impersonal Predicates. The Four Conversions. Preterit Conversion.
How Conversion Works.

Oct 28 Lesson 15: Asyndetic Connection of Clauses. Adverb. Circumstantial Conversion.

Nov 2 Quiz 5 on the Impersonal Predicate, Preterit and Circumstantial Conversion

Lesson 16: Relative Conversion.

Nov 4 Lesson 17: Relative Conversion (continued)

Nov 9 Lesson 18: Focalizing Conversion

Nov 11 Lesson 19: Cleft Sentence. Reported Discourse and Thought.

Nov 16 Quiz 6 on the relative and foaclizing conversions & the cleft sentence construction
Lesson 20: Conditional Sentences. Purpose and Result. Correlated Comparison.

Nov 18 Textual Readings I: Layton, pp. 177-81

Nov 23 Textual Readings II: Layton, pp.181-84

Nov 25 Midterm 2 (Lessons 14-20)

Nov 30 Textual Readings III: Layton, pp.184-86

Dec 2 Textual Readings IV: Lambdin pp.149-51

Dec 7 Textual Readings V: Lambdin, pp.152-55

Dec 9 Textual Readings VI: Lambdin, pp. 171-73