英语翻译
Lesson4
TheEgyptianAlphabet
Three-LetterSignsandPhoneticComplements
TheThree-LetterSigns
TheancientEgyptiansalsousedthree-lettersigns,thatrepresentedacombinationofthreeconsonants.Mostofthesesignshavemeaningontheirown,butarealsofrequentlyusedassoundsigns.
Thereexistsawholerangeofthesethree-lettersigns.Thetablebelowgivesanoverviewofthemostcommonones.
PhoneticComplements
Thetwo-andthree-lettersignsoftheEgyptianscriptareoftencomplementedwithone-lettersignsthatrepeatthewholeorpartoftheirsoundvalue.Suchadditionsarecalledphoneticcomplements.Usuallyonlythelastconsonantofthemulti-lettersignisrepeated.Thisishowevernotafixedrule,andmultipleadditionsarenotuncommon.
Thetablebelowgivessomeexamplesoftheuseofphoneticcomplements.
Phoneticcomplementscanbeusedforanumberofreasons.Themorecommononeisthatthecomplementarysignsindicatethatwehavetodowithasoundsign(phonogram),andnotwithasensesign(ideogram).Furthermore,theycanbeusedtoembellishthetext,e.g.byfillingupunusedspace(horrorvacui).
Inversions
OneofthepeculiaritiesoftheEgyptianscriptistherespectfulinversion.Inwordscontainingthepart'god'or'king',thesignforthelatterisplacedinfront,outofrespect.Notethatthisinvolvesonlythewaythewordiswritten,notthewayitispronounced.Someexamplesaregivenbelow.
Vocabulary