Egyptology | Chapter 15: Sign Phonetic Values {The Hieroglyphic Alphabet}
Sign Phonetic Values {The Hieroglyphic Alphabet}
Timeline of the Ancient Egyptian Language
The ancient Egyptian language spanned several major periods: Old Egyptian (roughly 4000–2000 BC), Middle Egyptian (roughly 2000–1000 BC), Demotic/Greek (around 0 / beginning of the Common Era), Coptic (from around 1000 AD), and Arabic (from around 1000–2000 AD). The scripts used across these periods included Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Hieratic, Demotic, Greek, Coptic, and Arabic.
The Hieroglyphic Alphabet and Its Phonetic Values
| Sign | Phonetic Value | Pictorial Meaning | Notes / English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 𓄿 | A | Vulture | a (as in "father") |
| 𓇋 | i | Reed leaf | i (as in "machine") |
| 𓏭 / 𓇌 | y | Two oblique strokes / two reed leaves | y (as in "yes") |
| 𓂝 | ʿ | Forearm | ayin (a guttural sound) |
| 𓅱 | w | Quail chick | w (as in "water") |
| 𓃀 | b | Foot / leg | b |
| 𓊪 | p | Stool / seat | p |
| 𓆑 | f | Horned viper (cerastes) | f |
| 𓅓 | m | Owl | m |
| 𓈖 | n | Water ripple | n |
| 𓂋 | r | Mouth | r |
| 𓉔 | h | Courtyard / enclosure | h (as in "house") |
| 𓎛 | ḥ | Twisted flax / rope of linen | emphatic h |
| 𓐍 | ḫ | Placenta / sieve | kh (as in Scottish "loch") |
| 𓄡 | ẖ | Animal belly with teats | softer kh |
| 𓋴 / 𓊃 | s | Folded cloth / door bolt | s |
| 𓈙 | š | Pool of water | sh (as in "ship") |
| 𓈎 | ḳ | Hill slope / sandy hill | emphatic k (q) |
| 𓎡 | k | Basket with one handle | k |
| 𓎼 | g | Jar stand | g (hard, as in "go") |
| 𓏏 | t | Bread loaf | t |
| 𓍿 | ṯ | Tethering rope / hobble | ch (as in "church") |
| 𓂧 | d | Hand | d |
| 𓆓 | ḏ | Cobra | j (as in "judge") |
| 𓃭 | l | Lion |
The Hieroglyphic Alphabet and Its Phonetic Values
Module Key Takeaways
- Five major linguistic periods: The Egyptian language evolved through Old, Middle, Demotic/Greek, Coptic, and Arabic stages, each associated with different scripts.
- Phonetic hieroglyphic alphabet: A set of about 25 uniconsonantal signs represented individual sounds, each with a pictorial origin and a specific phonetic value.
- Scriptural succession: Writing moved from monumental hieroglyphs to cursive hieratic and demotic, then to the Coptic and Arabic alphabets that marked the language's final phases.