New words in Coptic: Neologisms

[CЄTMOCЄ]

Here are some new words in Coptic (as they are used in the Coptic wikipedia ⲃⲓⲕⲓⲡⲁⲓⲇⲉⲓⲁ https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/cop/%E2%B2%A7%CF%A3%E2%B2%89%E2%B2%A3%E2%B2%A1%E2%B2%A5%E2%B2%89%E2%B2%97%E2%B2%93%E2%B2%A5 :

ⲡⲓⲣⲉϥϭⲓⲙⲱⲓⲧ `ⲛϫⲟⲙ رئيس الجمهور president

• ⲡⲓⲣⲉϥϯϩⲟϯ إرهابي terrorist

• ⲡⲓⲕⲁϩⲓ بلد، وطن country, state

• ⲡⲓⲣⲉϥⲕⲱⲧ `ⲛϧⲏ body builder

• ϯⲙⲉⲧⲣⲉϥⲕⲱⲧ `ⲛϧⲏ كمال أجسام body building

• ϯⲁⲇⲇⲓϥⲗⲁ دفلى oleander

• ϯⲙⲉⲧⲣⲉϥⲉⲣⲛⲉϣⲧⲉ رياضة sports

• ⲡⲓϫⲟⲙ حكومة government

• ⲡⲓⲑⲱϣ محافظة governorate

• ⲡⲓⲣⲉⲑⲟ قارة continent

• ⲡⲓϫⲟⲙ دولة state

• ⲡⲓⲣⲉⲙⲡϫⲟⲙ سياسي politician

• ⲡⲓⲥⲉⲣⲙⲏ كوكب planet

• ϯⲙⲉⲑⲣⲏ مجموعة شمسية solar system

• ϯϧⲏ بدن، جسم body

• ϯⲁⲫⲉ [`ⲛϯⲙⲓ] عمدة mayor [of a city]

• ϯϫⲁϫⲃⲁⲕⲓ عاصمة capital

• ⲡⲓⲣⲉⲑⲟ ولاية state (part of another state, like California of USA, Bavaria of Germany)

• ϯⲗⲓⲧⲣⲁ جنيه pound

• ϩⲁϩ مليون million

[CЄTMOCЄ]

Furthermore:
ⲥⲁⲣⲏⲥ `ⲛⲁⲙⲉⲣⲓⲕⲏ = South America = امريكا الجنوبية
ⲥⲁϧⲏⲧ `ⲛⲁⲙⲉⲣⲓⲕⲏ = North America = امريكا الشمالية
ⲑⲉⲣⲏⲥ = Antarctica = انتارتكا، القطب الجوبي

ⲛⲉⲧⲟⲟⲩⲓ = Venus = الزهرة
ⲥⲟⲩⲕⲏ = Mercury = عطارد
ϩⲁⲣⲑⲱϣ = Mars = مريخ
ϭⲗⲟⲓ `ⲛⲧⲱⲣⲓ = handball = كرة يد
ϭⲗⲟⲓ `ⲛⲟⲩⲣⲏⲧⲉ = football = كورة
ⲥⲁ `ⲛϭⲗⲟⲓ `ⲛⲟⲩⲣⲏⲧⲉ = football player = لاعب كرة القدم

[Canis Majoris]

Thank you Ⲥⲉⲧⲙⲟⲥⲉ; are the names of the planets i.e Venus, those of Egyptian gods?

[ⲓⲁϩⲙⲟⲥⲓ]

ⲟⲩⲟⲛⲧⲉ ϯⲃⲓⲕⲓⲡⲁⲓⲇⲉⲓⲁ `ⲛⲣⲉⲙⲛⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲟⲩⲥⲉⲗⲓⲥ ⲉϩⲁⲛⲥⲁϫⲓ `ⲙⲃⲉⲣⲓ (ⲛⲉⲟⲗⲟⲅⲓⲥⲙⲟⲥ)

https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/cop/%E2%B2%A5%E2%B2%81%CF%AB%E2%B2%93_%60%E2%B2%99%E2%B2%83%E2%B2%89%E2%B2%A3%E2%B2%93_%60%E2%B2%9B%E2%B2%A3%E2%B2%89%E2%B2%99%E2%B2%9B%E2%B2%AD%E2%B2%8F%E2%B2%99%E2%B2%93

[Ⲥⲕⲟϯ ⲡ]

So how are new words created? Ive know people to "pull" them from Greek or Arabic. 

[CЄTMOCЄ]

Copts generally have a couple of strategies. Some just take the Arabic word, some rely on (Ancient) Greek, and some try to coin new words from within Coptic and Ancient Egyptian.

The latter strategy requires profound knowledge in historical linguistics, though. But if you know Ancient Egyptian (especially Demotic), you can introduce wonderful real Egyptian words. Sometimes, you can also take words from other Coptic dialects. For example: No genuine Bohairic word for "hieroglyphs" has survived. Some Copts just take (ϩ)ⲓⲉⲣⲟⲅⲗⲩⲫⲟⲥ from Greek. But in one of the Nag Hammadi texts (in Sahidic), a phrase ⲥϩⲁⲓ ⲛ̄ⲥⲁϩ ⲡⲣⲁⲛ︦ϣ︦ is attested. This can easily be rendered in Bohairic as: ⲥϧⲁⲓ `ⲛⲥⲁϧⲫⲣⲁⲛϣ.

Or take ⲁⲛϣⲱϫⲓ for gym. Bohairic has ϣⲱⲓϫ for 'athlete, gladiator'. This is derived from ϣⲱϫⲓ (not attested in Bohairic I think but in Sahidic and other dialects) which is a verb which means "fight" and anything an athlete/gladiator/hero does. Thus, we could take ϣⲱϫⲓ has the verb 'to play sports' and as a noun 'sport'. Because ⲁⲛ- is a prefix which creates places (see ⲁⲛⲍⲏⲃ school), you can create ⲁⲛϣⲱϫⲓ for 'gym'.
This is an awesome way to express things in "real" Coptic, but it requires a thorough knowledge of ancient texts and historical phonology (sound changes).

[Anaksunamun]

Copts generally have a couple of strategies. Some just take the Arabic word, some rely on (Ancient) Greek, and some try to coin new words from within Coptic and Ancient Egyptian.

The latter strategy requires profound knowledge in historical linguistics, though.

Maybe looking into Modern Hebrew would help. The institute of the Hebrew Language uses historical roots to conjure up new words that don’t exist in Classical Hebrew. I wouldn’t say that I entire agree with some of the roots they’ve used for some words though, they’re kind of odd, but the procedure could help in Coptic. Other words that you’re just not able to dig into historical Coptic or Ancient Egyptian to find the proper word for, I’d say to use Arabic or Hebrew and adjust the word to fit the syllabic and vocalic system of Coptic. I don’t know if I’d use Greek, just because there’s already an influx of some Greek words automatically intertwined into Coptic. Just my two cents on the subject.

[bashandy]

While neologisms occur in living languages. It is uncommon to occur in a dead language. Since, the 1860 emergence of Greco-Bohairic Pronunciation, there has been an unwritten message that Coptic became like a constructed language, and anyone can just add a word. The first Coptic-Arabic dictionary contained neologisms, and since then, everyone is adding their own neologisms to the language with no regulation, and in most occasions with no qualifications in linguistics, phonetics or phonology. Some proponents of neologisms do not have adequate command of the language. The only exception is the words coined by Dr Emile Maher Ishak (PhD, Oxford), as he is a qualified linguist who is also interested in that field. Otherwise, it is usually ill-formed, grammatically incorrect, showing anglicisation or arabisation.
It would be helpful to think whether Copts named objects for their shape, or function or colour or texture, and whether they used loanwords, or coined new words, whether they created new terms or repurposed words. In essence, one should ask the question of How would have Copts named this object/concept?.

For example, ⲡⲓϫⲟⲙ which was used here to mean country, it means power not country or state, or government and the word is actually feminine not masculine

ϯⲙⲉⲧⲣⲉϥⲕⲱⲧ `ⲛϧⲏ كمال أجسام body building This neologism shows possible bias against Greek loanwords as the commonly used word for body is soma σωμα and the concept of building a body is an Anglicim (influence of how a construct is built in English), for example, the Arabic word mentioned could be translated as body perfection. We are also not sure how Copts would have thought of the concept.


ⲡⲓⲣⲉϥϭⲓⲙⲱⲓⲧ `ⲛϫⲟⲙ رئيس الجمهور president: this acutally mean power guide not president, and there are many words that serves the purpose better than that.

ⲡⲓⲣⲉⲙⲡϫⲟⲙ سياسي politician the term means the man who of/came from power. It is a vague term that does not specify clearly what is meant.The examples of neologisms that are not properly discussed is that they end up nowhere. My worry is that there lists like that on Coptic Wikipedia incubator, possibly others on various social media groups (Facebook, Instagram etc.) and on instant messaging apps eg (telegram, and WhatsApp).
Instead of asking for the input of experts like Dr Emile Ishak or Ibrahim Saweros or Gawdat Gabra, many people are just making up workd. This will eventually lead to chaos