Coptic A [ LGLOR2731 ]

The 'initiation' syllabus and the matter covered in the second term are available on the iCampus server. It also serves as platform for practical communications.

For beginners, none, but a knowledge of Egyptian, Greek or possibly Arabic is useful.

Study of Coptic, the historic language of Christian Egypt.

Alternately with LGLOR 2732, this course is taught to students of two different levels, but with one part in common.

In the first term (15 hours), it gives beginners an initiation into the Sahidic dialect, while students who have already started, continue with the translation of texts in this same dialect.

In the second term, all the students continue their reading of Sahidic texts and in addition start to study Boharic, by means of a commented reading of a number of texts written in this dialect.

At the end of this course, the student will be capable of reading, translating a text of average difficulty. To achieve this goal, he will have learnt the script, a basic vocabulary, the use of Crum's dictionary and the bases of the grammar.

There will be a written exam in the June session. However, a partial exam will be organised in January for the "initiation".

The "initiation" consists of lectures, which include practical exercises.

The second part consists of an introduction followed by reading and guided translation exercises. In addition, a number of academic  studies on the thematic being studied will be introduced.

For the beginners, the 15 hours initiation into the Sahidic dialect will allow them to learn the script and reading, a basic vocabulary, the morphology and syntax; it will continue with a commented translation of the New Testament. The other students will translate, on their own, a selection of texts.

All the students will be together in the second term, to read Sahidic and Boharic texts, belonging essentially to the domain of hagiography and ecclesiastical historiography.

Initiation into Sahidic :
- Cl. Obsomer, Initiation au copte, LLN, 2008, 38p.

Dictionary :
- E.W. Crum, A Coptic Dictionary, Oxford, 1939.

Grammar of reference for Sahidic :
- B. Layton, Coptic in 20 Lessons, Introduction to Sahidic Coptic with Exercises and Vocabularies, Leuven : Peeters, 2007.
- B. Layton, A Coptic Grammar, Second Edition revised and expanded, Wiesbaden : Harrassowitz Verlag, 2004.

Grammar of  reference for Bohaïric :
- A. Mallon, Grammaire copte, bibliographie, chrestomathie et vocabulaire, Beyrouth : Imprimerie catholique, 1956.

Texts : extracts from the New Testament in the Coptic version;  hagiographic and historiographic texts;  documentary sources: to be distributed via iCampus.

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