The Nedj Nedj databases 4 Columns and fields 4.2 'Word' group of fields

4.2. ‘WORD’ GROUP OF FIELDS

The next group of fields concentrates on the word (or sentence, or phrase) being looked at. This group is arranged in three tiers:

Fig. 4.21 The word fields

This looks somewhat confused, but a lot is going on here. And the object is to show as much as possible without having to go elsewhere in the database to look for it.

The labels on the top match the fields below both for row and colour. Not all the fields have a label in the top section: to do so would have made it more cluttered than it already is.

sort: blue

The small bright blue {sort} field in the top left of the record is for sorting the records. For example, the records in the following illustration are unsorted, with the {sort} field reading either 11 of 12. 

Fig. 4.22a The bright blue {sort} field at left for the entries aHa and aHA 

The digits 1 and 2 in the {sort} field refer to the vowels in the word. 1 indicates the vowel rendered ¬, and 2 the vowel rendered 3. When a sort is undertaken on this word, those records classified as 11 come first, and 12 second.:

Fig. 4.22b The {sort} field, with sort applied: aHa and aHA

Sounds and writings for /a/ A moment is required for an explanation here. Not only are there are no genuine equivalents for these two sounds /a/ in English, it is not even known what the sounds actually were; but the distinction was very real in Ancient Egyptian. Allen describes these sounds as follows: Allen, James P. 2000, 2001. Middle Egyptian: an introduction to the language and culture of hieroglyphs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: page 15. “3 ⫖ ౩ Uncertain, probably a kind of l or r. This sound began to disappear from the spoken language during the Middle Kingdom. Most words simply lost the consonant, but in some cases, it was replaced by y or by a “glottal stop” (the sound at the beginning of the two vowels of “uh-oh”). ¬ ‘ A sound made deep in the throat, somewhat like the r of modern French and German. It exists in Hebrew and Arabic as the consonant named “ayin.” Originally ¬ probably sounded like English d as in deed, and in Middle Egyptian it may still have had that sound in some words in some dialects.” The characters used in this Allen extract are not those used by Allen himself, because they are not achievable using the set readily available on the computer being used to compile this database description. Instead 3 and ¬ are offered instead, both in this description and in the database, as an approximation in the first instance and as a substitute in the second.

transcription: peach

The {transcription} field in the top tier, which might have been called ‘Egyptian’, shows the way in which the original maker of the record transcribed the word concerned.

respelt: brown

The corresponding {respelt} field (bottom tier) shows the easy-to-read equivalent used in this database. Not only does this make the record easier to read, it enables a vital function to operate. That is, it enables searching and sorting to take place. It can be seen from Fig. 4.23 that the original records even in this very small snapshot used three different ways to record this ‘word’ (seen in the top three examples). But a ‘respelt’ search for ‘aha’ will find them all , the computer not distinguishing between capital and lower case for this purpose. The {respelt} field, however, can display the difference, by using capital /A/ for 3 and lower case /a/ for ¬.

baseline: light brown

The {baseline} field (middle tier) shows the complete record where the {respelt} field and affixes to the right (and sometimes left as well) have divided it up into constituent parts:

Fig. 4.23 The {baseline} field: sedjem...

In each of the four records displayed sedjem (hear) is shown in the {respelt} field. But the actual record is shown in the light-brown {baseline} field above it in each case.

For practical reasons the database has sought to minimise the use of hyphens or other visual breaks in words, because the more these are used the less often will all-important searches be successful (thus sedjemen-ef is preferred to sedjem-en-ef, or the same using spaces instead of hyphens). In the end, hyphens were used only for bound (suffix) pronouns, and spaces for free pronouns (often called dependent, independent, indefinite, compound etc. pronouns according to the precise role).

meaning: grey

The {meaning} field records the meaning attributed to the record by the original source.

meaning subsid: light grey

The {meaning subsid} field is for a secondary or alternative description provided by the original source.

Fig. 4.24 The {meaning article} (left) and {meaning subsid} (right) fields

meaning article: pale grey

The small field to the left of {meaning} is for words such as ‘a’ and ‘the’. By removing these from the {meaning} field, a greater number of possibilities is opened up for matches for this field. For an example of this, see the description connected with Fig. 2.126 Searcher: meaning: ‘strong’ above.

part of speech: blue

Below the {meaning} field is the {part of speech} field. This field records not only classifications such as noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun and preposition, but also sentence and phrase.

PofS descriptor 1 and 2

There are two part-of-speech subsidiary fields, entitled {descriptor 1} and {descriptor 2}. These are used to differentiate, say, pronouns: e.g. suffix pronouns and independent pronouns. The second descriptor field may be used for a related comment of some sort.

‘Respelt’ row of the Word group of fields: Analysis

This is one of the most significant parts of the database. It is where the record is analysed. 

Fig. 4.25a The analysis fields

The fields featured here are from left to right:

prefix 1: pink: deep

prefix 2: pink: light

fn prefix 1: sea green: deep

fn prefix 2: sea green: light

respelt JS: brown

sfx DFX 1: blue: dark

sfx DFX 2: blue: light

sfx tense: blue: navy

postfix 1: green: dark

sfx pronoun nom: purple

sfx pronoun acc: pink: bright

fn sfx 1: blue: dark

fn sfx 2: blue: light

postfix 2: green: light

pronoun nom: brown: russet

pronoun acc: brown: light

These fields are may be grouped:

prefixes and postfixes	pronouns	explanations
prefix 1: pink: deep prefix 2: pink: light sfx DFX 1: blue: dark sfx DFX 2: blue: light sfx tense: blue: navy postfix 1: green: dark postfix 2: green: light	sfx pronoun nom: purple sfx pronoun acc: pink: bright pronoun nom: brown pronoun acc: brown: light	fn prefix 1: sea green: deep fn prefix 2: sea green: light fn sfx 1: blue: dark fn sfx 2: blue: light

In the following example, the word sedjemeten-ef is analysed.

Fig. 4.25b Analysis of a record: sedjemeten-ef

transliteration / respelt	English	EngJSM	source	page / line	glyph names	glyphs
(sdmt.n=f: sedjem-et-en-ef)	"hear (past) he: what"	hear did what he	Col/Man	[147:17]	<ear: ox owl bun water viper>

Table 3: sedjemeten-ef: hear what did he

The -et-en-ef suffixes are respectively a relative (‘what is’), a past tense marker (was / did), and a bound pronoun 3sgNOM (third person singular, nominative: he, she, it).

The last blue field says ‘rel’ as an explanation of the first of these suffixes.

Another example of the use of the analysis fields is the following:

Fig. 4.26 Analysis of a record: meseKHen(et)

This also reveals how it is possible to look at, and analyse, a word in more than one way. So meseKHen(et) might be analysed:

me- se- KHen

or

me- seKHen- et

The question can be argued either way.

The prefix me- appears to denote ‘place’.

The prefix se- is a causative indicator.

transliteration / respelt	English	EngJSM	source	page / line	glyph names	glyphs
(msḫn: me-se-KHen)	"resting place"	alight place make	Gardiner	[570.1:17]	<abacus-M cloth string water house>
(msḫnt: ma-seKHen-et)	"bearing-stool"	swelling place what is	Faulkner Concise	[117:19]	<abacus-M cloth string water bun stone>

Table 4: meseKHen(et)

KHen can mean ‘alight’ among other things

seKHen can mean ‘hug’, ‘tie (up)’, ‘swelling’

So one might ‘alight’ at a ‘resting place’; or ‘rest’ in the case of a ‘bearing stool’. The fact that mes means ‘to give birth’ provides another view on the matter. If one could only have a conversation with a scribe of those far-off times, the matter would be quickly resolved. Alas ...

Two additional examples show these analysis fields in operation.

postfix fields: green

The postfix fields are useful when there are more than the usual number of what might be regarded as suffixes following the stem, as in the example below featuring mes, which means ‘give birth’:

Fig. 4.27 Analysis of meretiyuti

transliteration / respelt	English	EngJSM	source	page / line	glyph names	glyphs
(mstywty: mes-et-i-yu-ti)	"offspring"	give birth what is [offspring]	Faulkner Concise	[118:13.21]	<abacus-M eagle-like bun pair mummy CROUCH>

Table 5: mesetiyuti: give birth what is

The additional green postfix fields enable these suffixes to be accommodated in the analysis. Sometimes the postfix fields also make it possible for a suffix to be placed after the tense marker and before the pronouns.

In the example of din-ef wi below, in addition to the last tense indicator -n- in the navy-blue field there is a bound 3sgNOM pronoun -ef (he), and a free 1sgACC pronoun wi (me)

Fig. 4.27 Analysis of din-ef wi

(di.n=f-w(i): di-n-ef-wi)

"place did he / me"

put did he me

Col/Man

[86:1.31]

<arm: teepee water viper quail>

Table 6: din-ef wi: put did he me