A language learners’ forum

I'd really like to join in as well but simply have too many other commitments on my plate this year. I look forward, however, to following your progress here in this thread, and wish you all plenty of Aw.t-jb (joy) while working through Hoch's textbook and digging deep into the mysteries of Middle Egyptian together.

Teango wrote:I'd really like to join in as well but simply have too many other commitments on my plate this year. I look forward, however, to following your progress here in this thread, and wish you all plenty of Aw.t-jb (joy) while working through Hoch's textbook and digging deep into the mysteries of Middle Egyptian together.

Thanks for the message. I've already got way too much on my plate, but I couldn't resist squeezing in another language. Maybe you can join us down the track when you have less on your plate.

Some resources in French from Éditions Safran (Belgium):
Égyptien hiéroglyphique. Série pédagogique
Comment dessiner les hiéroglyphes
I have not studied Egyptian Hieroglyph, so I have no experience with these resources.

Thanks Aravinda!


I printed out and bound the Hieroglyphic Calligraphy booklet published by the Met today. Looks super helpful. Wasn't really sure how I was going to draw that vulture over and over

IronMike, you're right about the ABC document (Karen). Having a story makes memorization worlds easier.

I've had a an Egyptian print/painting on my wall since I was a little kid. Funny story -- my dad was in the process of getting pickpocketed when the print caught my eye. I stopped short and made everyone on the side walk bump into one another. My dad then realized what was happening and was able to get his wallet back in time. He was so happy he bought me this print. Just pulled it out of storage recently and hung it back up in my house. Really looking forward to finding out if the hieroglyphics in it are real & readable

If anyone is wondering about the caligraphy book, it is available as a free download here. It was recommended to those of us in the class who might not be the most artistic, but would want to still draw the glyphs.

Excuse me butting in - like Teango I'd love to join in but just cannot commit the time at the moment.

However I do have a question which I think is on topic. When I was studying hieroglyphs a few years ago, I decided that the best way to learn to write was in cursive hieroglyphs, but I could find very little to help me. I did find Terry Donnelly's page (now defunct but thankfully archived), but the rest was comparing facsimile papyruses with transcripts. I managed to learn the uniliterals and some of the common determinatives but never got much further than that.

Do you (a) think it's a good idea to learn cursive? (b) know of a better resource for doing so?

Neurotip wrote:Excuse me butting in - like Teango I'd love to join in but just cannot commit the time at the moment.

However I do have a question which I think is on topic. When I was studying hieroglyphs a few years ago, I decided that the best way to learn to write was in cursive hieroglyphs, but I could find very little to help me. I did find Terry Donnelly's page (now defunct but thankfully archived), but the rest was comparing facsimile papyruses with transcripts. I managed to learn the uniliterals and some of the common determinatives but never got much further than that.

Do you (a) think it's a good idea to learn cursive? (b) know of a better resource for doing so?

Well.. I''m literally just starting so I really can't answer your question with anything of a decent response, but there are some negative comments about learning to write in a cursive instead of learning to draw the glyphs in the beginning of that book published by the Met and linked above. Of course I doubt you can get more one side than the author of a book of Hieroglyphic Calligraphy . On the study group, all homework is done in a computer transcription so instead of drawing vultures, you're just typing A. You could probably just use the Roman alphabet letters most of the time.

Ani wrote:Well.. I''m literally just starting so I really can't answer your question with anything of a decent response, but there are some negative comments about learning to write in a cursive instead of learning to draw the glyphs in the beginning of that book published by the Met and linked above.

So there are! Well, de gustibus I suppose and it doesn't really matter that much. For my money, since I'm more likely to be writing on paper than carving on stone, I'd rather use the writing style that the scribes used for that purpose ... obviously modern writing materials are different but it makes more sense to me. I also reasoned that if I learned to write cursive I'd have no difficulty reading formal hieroglyphs, while the reverse might not be so easy.

You pays your money, you takes your choice.

Wow, I'm really tempted to join, but I guess I have too much on my plate already, as I'm already dealing with Sanskrit, Ancient Greek, and Biblical Hebrew. However, I'm just reading Toby Wilkinson's Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt and it really makes me want to go into the language.

So, I won't join, but I wish you all the best of luck and success in your journeys. I hope I'll get around to Ancient Egyptian (or is Middle Egyptian the correct term?) rather sooner than later.

Josquin wrote:Wow, I'm really tempted to join, but I guess I have too much on my plate already, as I'm already dealing with Sanskrit, Ancient Greek, and Biblical Hebrew. However, I'm just reading Toby Wilkinson's Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt and it really makes me want to go into the language.

So, I won't join, but I wish you all the best of luck and success in your journeys. I hope I'll get around to Ancient Egyptian (or is Middle Egyptian the correct term?) rather sooner than later.

Love Wilkinson's book!

Middle Egyptian, as opposed to Old Egyptian and the later versions, culminating in Coptic. It is fun so far!