Volume 137, Issue 01 -

In this paper, the distribution of Coptic possessive constructions is defined in terms of syntactic constraints: the construction involving the linking element n - requires the obligatory (and simple) definiteness of the possessed noun as well as the strict adjacency of regens and rectum . In relation to a comparison made between this Coptic possessive pattern and the so-called construct state phenomenon, a historical overview of the Egyptian language is given to explore the possible reconstruction of a true construct state formation in the earlier language stages.

This paper briefly proposes a semantic approach to a cross-linguistically well known phenomenon: the use of the expression of space–situation or motion–to express temporal and abstract relations–cause, characterization and finality. The study is the result of a thoroughly analysis of data from the Coffin Texts.

Prepositions are traditionally treated in dictionaries and grammars by giving a list of usages, often corresponding more or less to the way the preposition is translated in the language of the modern work. This paper suggests an alternative way of approaching prepositions, derived from cognitive linguistics where prepositions are regarded as categories centered on a salient prototype from which various peripheral members of the category are derived. This perspective has the advantage of presenting the meaning of each preposition as a unified category with a specific central meaning and various extensions, instead of merely listing a number of unrelated senses. It is argued that Middle Egyptian prepositions can fruitfully be studied in this framework, and the method is exemplified by examining the conceptual structure of the two frequent prepositions m and r .

An agreed upon meaning for the word ama (Wb. I 185, 13) has not yet been satisfactorily established. The present study is an examination and discussion of ama in the context of each text in which it appears. The author offers for consideration the specific meaning “ritually impure” for the term.

The case study presented in this article takes a compositional approach to the reconstruction of an ivory label fragment (Ashmolean E.1262) discovered over a century ago by Flinders Petrie and his team at the Abydos tomb complex ascribed to Qa’a, the last ruler of the First Dynasty. Previous methods applied to the study of labels and other early inscribed objects and the modes used for their reproduction in printed media are discussed and critically assessed. I argue that the pitfalls presented by anachronistic and de-contextualising approaches can be avoided by anchoring analysis in the artefact in tandem with detailed comparative study of contemporary graphical culture. Previous reproductions and reconstructions are thus reviewed and an adjusted reconstruction of the label fragment is proposed from this grounded perspective.