Саидский диалект

The present work is an expansion of a series of elementary lessons developed gradually during twenty years of teaching Sahidic Coptic at the college level. The Lessons are designed to provide a carefully graded introduction to the basic grammar and vocabulary of the language. The content of the Lessons and the mode of presentation were dictated by purely practical pedagogical considerations; the book is in no way intended to be a scientific reference grammar. The Reading Selections are furnished with glosses designed to facilitate the transition to unsimplified material. A thorough mastery of these and the Lessons will bring the student to the level at which any Sahidic text of average difficulty can be read with no trouble. The emphasis on basic matters has necessitated the omission of much technical linguistic data not immediately relevant to the needs of the average beginning student. Those who are interested in a detailed study of the phonology, in the relationship of Sahidic to the other Coptic dialects, or in the historical development of Coptic from ancient Egyptian may consult the standard works on these subjects as cited in the Bibliography.