Coptic Language is an Afro-Asiatic language that was spoken in Egypt from the 2nd century AD until the 17th century AD. It was the language of the Coptic Orthodox Church and was used for religious and literary purposes. The Coptic language is derived from the ancient Egyptian language, but it was influenced by Greek, Latin, and Arabic. Coptic was written using the Coptic alphabet, which is based on the Greek alphabet with the addition of seven letters that do not exist in Greek. The Coptic alphabet has 32 letters in total. The oldest known Coptic text dates back to the 3rd century AD and is written in a dialect known as Sahidic.Coptic is the descendant of the ancient Egyptian language from the Pharaonic era, but it underwent significant changes over time due to the influence of Greek, Armenian, and Arabic languages. Here were several dialects of Coptic, including Bohairic, Sahidic, Akhmimic, Fayyumic, and Subakhmimic. Bohairic was the most widely used dialect in the Coptic Orthodox Church and is still used today in the liturgy. – Coptic was an important language for early Christian scholarship, as it was used by theologians and scholars in Egypt to write theological works and commentaries on the Bible. – The study of Coptic language and literature was revived in the 19th century, thanks to the efforts of European scholars who were interested in the origins of Christianity and the ancient Egyptian language. Despite its decline as a spoken language, there are still some communities in Egypt who preserve some Coptic words and phrases in their dialects, especially in Upper Egypt where the Coptic influence was stronger. Today, Coptic is considered a dead language, meaning it is no longer spoken as a first language by any community. However, it is still used by the Coptic Orthodox Church for liturgical purposes. Additionally, there are efforts to revive the language and teach it to a new generation.
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