Cultures and Religions

The course aims at providing an introduction to the Coptic language, focusing on phonetic, morphosyntactic and basic linguistic aspects (with particular attention to the Saidian dialect, but not exclusively). During the lessons, students will come into contact with a large textual corpus that includes, among other things, the Nag Hammadi literature and magical texts. The course also introduces students to the essential tools for the study of Coptic: dictionaries, grammars and digital humanities resources. The primary aim is to acquire a conscious understanding of the evolution of the Egyptian language, also as a case study among Afro-Asian languages.