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Thursday, April 24, 2014

Night #131 - A General Overview Part 2 - The Legacy of the Language

I'm speaking, of course, of Egyptian, which, like Latin, has a nice, long legacy via the Church. In this case, Coptic, the living language in question, is the official liturgical language of Egyptian Christianity. It followed a process of evolution aided by the Greek alphabet, but at its core, Coptic Egyptian is essentially Egyptian. It's had an influence on Arabic forms over the years, while at the same time sustaining external influences, as well.

I've said that Coptic is the official language of Egyptian Christianity. It's really the language of the Copts, who are a Christian people native to Egypt, and specifically there is a dialect which serves as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. In this way it's very much like Latin, except it seems to have more staying power. To my knowledge, Latin is not the one and only liturgical language of Catholics everywhere anymore, and I think it's been that way for quite some time.

Revitalization efforts for Coptic as a lay language are currently underway.

For more information (and also qualifies as a source):

Coptic language.

Next on "For the Love of Night at the Museum": The Throwback: A look at the children's book that started it all, Milan Trenc's Night at the Museum.

Countdown: 242 Days to NATM 3.

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