In hieroglyphics or hieratic, therefore, one is only likely to encounter either Middle Egyptian or the earlier literary form of the language, Old Egyptian, the language spoken in the Archaic Period (I & II Dynasties, c. That is called 'Middle Egyptian,' and it became the Classical language of Ancient Egypt. But the evidence is for different stages of the Egyptian language.įor most of Egyptian history the language written in actual hieroglyphics or in its cursive counterpart, hieratic, was the literary language initiated in the XII Dynasty (1991-1786) of the Middle Kingdom. Indeed, although the Egyptians did not write vowels in Egyptian words, there is evidence about what the vowels were in many cases. However, we may know what the Egyptian pronunciation was, as discussed below.Īs it happens, the Egyptian dialogue in those movies, reconstructed by Stuart Tyson Smith, avoids that mistake, for anyone who listens carefully but the misconception is perpetuated by the English dialogue, despite Dr.

Well, 'ra' may be Tahitian for 'sun,' but it is not Ancient Egyptian. This is typically not explained to people who are told that their names can be written in such and such a way in hieroglyphics, or who are simply told that the name of the Egyptian sun god is 'Ra' - the pronunciation we find in the entertaining and fun but silly and historically absurd movies Stargate (1994) and The Mummy (1999). For a time French (vowels) and German (no vowels) scholars hotly debated this, but the matter was settled more than a century ago.

The issue of the pronunciation of the Ancient Egyptian language has recently become confused by popular presentations that ignore some of the essential and undoubted characteristics of Egyptian hieroglyphics, most importantly that Egyptian, just as today is usually the case with Arabic and Hebrew, did not write vowels - except in late transcriptions of foreign (mainly Greek) words. Why is this an issue? Who cares? My suspicion is that the 'experts' just want to jerk people around, just as with proprietary claims over many words and names. Many Egyptologists insist that the Egyptian system of writing be called 'hieroglyphic.' In popular usage, however, the Egyptian system of writing is called 'hieroglyphics,' as if from Greek τὰ ἱερογλυφικὰ γράμματα, 'the heiroglyphic letters,' which is in the plural number. In American English, the word 'mathematics' is abbreviated 'math.' In British English, the word 'mathematics' is abbreviated 'maths,' but still used in the singular number.

Ancient egypt each glyph meanings