View source for Modern Coptic

== Introduction ==
Modern Coptic (natively, '''''ⲙⲧ̀ⲣⲙⲙⲛⲕⲏⲙⲉ ⲃⲣ̀ⲣⲉ Metremmenkeeme Verre''''' ''[mətrm̩mn̩ˈkeːmə ˈvr̩rə]'') is a revitalized vernacular version of Coptic, made to be a lingua franca for all varieties.

The language is written formally using the Coptic alphabet, however, since modern times a phonetic transliteration into the Latin Alphabet is preferred by the younger generations

== Phonology ==

=== Consonants ===
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Labial
!Alveolar
!Post-Alveolar
!Palatal
!Velar
!Glottal
|-
!Nasal
|m
| colspan="5" |n
|-
!Fricative
|f
|s
| colspan="2" |ʃ
|(x)
|h
|-
!Plosive
|p
|t
|tʃ
|(c)
|k
|(ʔ)
|-
! rowspan="2" |Approximant
| rowspan="2" |β
|l
| colspan="2" rowspan="2" |j
| rowspan="2" |w
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|r
|}

* /x/ and /c/ are minimal phonemes, while included in the standard and writing, they are free to merge with /h/ and /tʃ/, respectively
* /ʔ/ isn't phonemic and can only occur before a vowel, or to separate them
* /β/ is most often realized as [v], and c can range between actual [c] and [kʲ]
* the sequence /kj/ never occurs and colloquially changes to /c/ whenever it appears
* /n/ assimilates to the place of articulation of the next sound, becoming /m/, [ɲ] or [ŋ] depending on the sound
* /r/ is pronounced [ɾ] between vowels

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable"
!
! colspan="3" |Front
! colspan="2" |Back
|-
!High
| colspan="2" |i
|(y)
| colspan="2" |u
|-
!Mid
|e
|eː
|ə
|o
|oː
|-
!Low
| colspan="5" |a
|}

* y only occurs in Greek and French borrowings and unrounds to /i/ freely.
* The sequences /əl/, /ər/, /əm/ and /ən/ are pronounced [l̩], [r̩], [m̩] and [n̩].
* /a/, /i/, /y/ and /u/ are allophonically long when stressed.

* Stress isn't phonemic, but normally occurs in either one of the long vowels (eː and oː) or the (3rd to) last vowel.
* ə normally doesn't bear the stress unless it is the only vowel in a word.
* Greek borrowings normally bear the stress 2nd to last instead.

== Orthography ==
Modern Coptic uses mostly the Latin Alphabet, although for formal and religious texts the Coptic Alphabet is preferred
{| class="wikitable"
!Latin
!Coptic
!Sound
! colspan="2" |Example
|-
|m
|ⲙ
|m
|ⲙⲟⲩⲉ
|mue
|-
|n
|ⲛ
|n
|ⲗⲉ̀ϭⲟⲛ
|lékjon
|-
|l
|ⲗ
|l
|ⲗⲁⲃⲟⲧⲉ
|lavote
|-
|r
|ⲣ
|r
|ⲣⲣⲟ
|erro
|-
|f
|ϥ
|f
|ϥⲉⲛⲧ
|fént
|-
|s
|ⲥ
|s
|ⲥⲱⲃⲉ
|soove
|-
|x
|ϣ
|ʃ
|ϣⲁϣϥ
|xaxf
|-
|kh
|ϧ
|x
|ⲥⲁϧ
|sakh
|-
|h
|ϩ
|h
|ϩⲗⲗⲟ
|hello
|-
|p
|ⲡ
|p
|ⲡⲣⲱ
|proo
|-
|t
|ⲧ
|t
|ⲧⲟ
|to
|-
|c
|ϫ
|tʃ
|ϫⲓ
|ci
|-
|kj
|ϭ
|c
|ϭⲱⲃⲉ
|kjoove
|-
|k
|ⲕ
|k
|ⲕⲁϣ
|kax
|-
|v
|ⲃ
|β
|ⲃⲉⲛⲓⲡⲉ
|venipe
|-
| rowspan="2" |w
|ⲟⲩ
| rowspan="2" |w
|ⲟⲩⲣ̀ⲧ
|wert
|-
|ⲩ
|ⲥⲛⲁⲩ
|snaw
|-
|j
|ⲓ
|j
|ⲓⲱ
|joo
|-
|ps
|ⲯ
|ps
|psit
|ⲯⲓⲧ
|-
|ks
|ⲝ
|ks
|aksios
|ⲁⲝⲓⲟⲥ
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!Latin
!Coptic
!Sound
! colspan="2" |Example
|-
|a
|ⲁ
|a
|ⲁϥ
|af
|-
|eC
|⳿
|əC
|ⲧ̀ⲃϥ̀
|etvef
|-
|e
| rowspan="2" |ⲉ
|ə
|ⲥⲁϫⲉ
|sace
|-
| rowspan="2" |é
| rowspan="2" |e
|ϣⲉⲙϣⲉ
|xémxe
|-
|ⲉ̀
|ⲧⲉϣⲉ̀
|texé
|-
|ee
|ⲏ
|eː
|ⲏⲓ
|eej
|-
|i
|ⲓ
|i
|ⲓⲣⲉ
|ire
|-
|y
|ⲩ
|y
|ⲡⲩⲥⲓⲥ
|pysis
|-
|o
|ⲟ
|o
|ⲟⲓⲕ
|ojk
|-
|oo
|ⲱ
|oː
|ⲱⲛϧ
|oonkh
|-
|u
|ⲟⲩ
|u
|ⲟⲩⲛⲟⲩ
|unu
|}

* /əl/, /ər/, /əm/ and /ən/ should be written ⲙ̀,  ⲛ̀, ⲗ̀ and ⲣ̀  but the accent is removed before another consonant and only used when disambiguating
* əw and əj can't occur, they are normally ew and ej
* ow is written ⲟⲟⲩ (ϩⲟⲟⲩ how) and éj is written ⲉⲉⲓ (ⲥⲉϣⲉⲉⲓ sexéj)

== Morphology ==

=== Pronouns ===
(Modern) Coptic distinguishes between 3 persons, 2 numbers and in the 2nd person and 3rd person singular distinguish masculine and feminine forms

==== Independent Pronouns ====
They are not used much, but are used for emphasis
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" |
!Singular
!Plural
|-
! colspan="2" |1st
|anak
|anan
|-
! rowspan="2" |2nd
!M
|entak
| rowspan="2" |entooten
|-
!F
|ento
|-
! rowspan="2" |3rd
!M
|entof
| rowspan="2" |entaw
|-
!F
|entos
|}

==== Pronoun suffixes ====
Used on verbs and prepositions to mark the object and auxiliary and main verbs use similar affixes to mark the subject
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" |
!Singular
!Plural
|-
! colspan="2" |1st
| -i/j* (-t)
| -n
|-
! rowspan="2" |2nd
!M
| -k
| rowspan="2" | -ten
|-
!F
| -(e)
|-
! rowspan="2" |3rd
!M
| -f
| rowspan="2" | -u/w* (-se)
|-
!F
| -s
|}

* -t and -se are used for verbal and prepositional objects, in other cases, -i/j and -u/w are used
* -(e) is more often a null suffix, only actual -e in verbal object suffixes

==== Reflexive pronoun ====
Normally the word hoo is supleted with pronoun suffixes, but since it has an irregular way of suffixing, it's considered its own kind of pronoun
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" |
!Singular
!Plural
|-
! colspan="2" |1st
|hoo
|hoon
|-
! rowspan="2" |2nd
!M
|hook
| rowspan="2" |hoot
|-
!F
|hoote
|-
! rowspan="2" |3rd
!M
|hoof
| rowspan="2" |hoow
|-
!F
|hoos
|}

=== Nouns ===
Nouns inflect for definiteness (undefinite, definite and indefinite) and sometimes number (singular and plural).

They can also be preceded by possession prefixes, and a couple of them (although nowadays archaic) can take the pronominal suffixes to mark possession

Some of them also have a special "construct form", only used when compounding
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Singular
!Plural
|-
!Undefinite
| colspan="2" | -
|-
!Definite
|p/t(e)-*
|n(e)-*
|-
!Indefinite
|u/w-
|hen-
|}

* p(e)- is used for masculine nouns while t(e)- is used for feminine ones
* An epenthetic e is inserted when before a consonant that isn't h, when prefixed with consonants, h elides
The possessive prefixes are used in place of the definite article: they consist of the definite stem (p- for masculine, t- for feminine, n- for plural) + "é" + pronominal suffix, except in the case of the 1st person singular (pa-, ta-, na-) and the 3rd person plural (pu-, tu-, nu-).
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3" |
!Masculine
!Femenine
!Plural
|-
! rowspan="5" |Singular
! colspan="2" |1st
|pa-
|ta-
|na-
|-
! rowspan="2" |2nd
!M
|pék-
|ték-
|nék-
|-
!F
|pé-
|té-
|né-
|-
! rowspan="2" |3rd
!M
|péf-
|téf-
|néf-
|-
!F
|pés-
|tés-
|nés-
|-
! rowspan="3" |Plural
! colspan="2" |1st
|pén-
|tén-
|nén-
|-
! colspan="2" |2nd
|péten-
|téten-
|néten-
|-
! colspan="2" |3rd
|pu-
|tu-
|nu-
|}

=== Verbs ===

Modern Coptic has a copious amount of verb tenses, however only 2 tenses are ever inflected with affixes, the rest are made via auxiliary verbs

{| class="wikitable"
!Tense 
!Explanation
!English 
|-
!Infinitive
|Infinitive
|to V
|-
!Present
|Main present tense
|I(‘m) V(-ing)
|-
!Future
|Main future tense
|I’ll V
|-
!Imperfect 
|Ongoing action in the past 
|I was V-ing
|-
!Future Imperfect 
|Ongoing action in the future
|I will be V-ing
|-
!Past
|Main past tense / Perfect
|I V-ed / I have V-ed
|-
!Habitual
|Habitual (present) tense
|I normally V
|-
!Past Imperfect 
|Ongoing action before a finished action
|I had V-ed
|-
!Habitual Imperfect 
|Habitual past tense
|I used to V
|-
!Jussive
|Giving orders (not 2nd person)
|I should V
|-
!Subordinate Present 
|Subordinate clauses in the present
|that I V
|-
!Subordinate Future 
|Subordinate clauses in the future
|that I’ll V
|-
!Subordinate Past 
|Subordinate clauses in the past
|that I V-ed
|-
!Subordinate Habitual
|Subordinate clauses in the habitual
|that I normally V
|-
!Conditional
|Conditional tense
|I would V 
|-
!Conjunctive
|Same time as the main clause
|also I V/V-ed
|-
!Resultative
|Result of the main clause
|so I V/V-ed
|-
!Imperative
|Giving orders (only 2nd person)
|V!
|}

==== Base Form ====

Whenever the subject of the sentence is not a pronoun, the verb stops being inflected for person and number. Instead any auxiliary verb is putted in the "base form" and moved before the subject.

naf woom - he was eating

nare pejoot woom - the father was eating