ꜣ

ꜣ U+A723, ꜣ LATIN SMALL LETTER EGYPTOLOGICAL ALEF ← Ꜣ Latin Extended-D Ꜥ →

Translingual

Letter

ꜣ (upper case Ꜣ)

1. (Egyptological transliteration) The lowercase letter alef, used in most Egyptian transliteration schemes to represent the sound of the hieroglyph .

See also

• ʿ
• 3

Egyptian

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /ɑ/
  • Conventional anglicization: a

Etymology 1

Possibly from Proto-Afroasiatic *ʔay- (“bird of prey”). Compare also Proto-Semitic *ʔayy- (“bird of prey”).

Noun

 m

1. the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
   • c. 2289 BCE – 2255 BCE, Pyramid Texts of Pepi I — south wall of the vestibule, line 1, spell 539.1–539.2:

     ḏd-(mdw) tp n(j) mry-rꜥ pn m ꜣ pr.f r.f šwy.f r.f jr pt

     Recitation (of words): The head of this Meryra is as a vulture, so he should go forth, so he should soar up to the sky.

   • c. 2050 BCE – 1950 BCE, Coffin Texts, version B1Bo (outer coffin of Djehutinakht, Boston 20.1822–27) line 323–324, spell 677:

     sḏr.n ḏḥwt(j)-nḫt pn m wr pf ḫr ḥr gs.f wrš.f ꜣ j.snḏw sḫm m tpt.f

     • Translation by Faulkner

       Djehutinakht has spent the night as yonder Great One who fell on his side, he passes the day as the vulture which is feared, being mighty by means of what is on him (i.e. his protective amulets).

2. a bird in general
   • c. 2061–2010 BCE, Stela of Irtisen (Louvre C14), lines 9–10:

     jw(.j) rḫ.kw šmt twt nmtt rpwt ꜥḥꜥw nw ꜣ mḏw-wꜥ

     I know the gait of a male figure, the stride of a female figure, and the stances of the eleven birds.

Inflection

Declension of ꜣ (masculine)

singular	ꜣ
dual	ꜣwj
plural	ꜣw

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣ  

ꜣ

Etymology 2

Particle

 enclitic

1. intensifying or emphasizing particle, indeed
2. (in clauses with a verbal predicate in the perfect) marks a statement as hypothetical or contrafactual
3. (Neo-Middle Egyptian) also, and

Usage notes

This particle is enclitic; it follows the word which it is intensifying or marking as contrafactual. It can also apply its effect to whole phrases. Often the exact nuance imparted by this particle is unclear.

Frequently this particle is found following (and thus adding emphasis to) jsk, ḥwj, m.k, or ḥꜣ, and in the Pyramid Texts it is also found in nominal sentences preceding pw. In Neo-Middle Egyptian it precedes rather than follows (j)sk and js but is often found following jw.

Alternative forms

Neo-Middle Egyptian hieroglyphic writings from Edfu that may also represent yꜣ  

jꜣ	ꜣw	ꜣjw	ꜣwj	ꜣj

Derived terms

Descendants

(possibly:)

• Late Egyptian: yꜣ (see there for further descendants)

Etymology 3

Possibly from Proto-Afroasiatic *ʔa- (“to walk, to go”).

Verb

1. (intransitive, with n) to enter or tread (a place)^?
2. (intransitive, of feet) to tread

Usage notes

Gardiner considers the proper interpretation of this word “impossible in the lack of better evidence”. It is a dis legomenon, with only two certain attested occurrences (but possibly up to four in total).

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of ꜣ  

ꜣ	ꜣ
from Papyrus Westcar 9.16

Etymology 4

Verb

1. Only used in jrj ꜣ r gs; possibly a variant of the verb ‘to tread’ above.

See also

• 𓄿

References

• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, § 16.7, 18.8, pages 196, 234.
• Erman, Adolf, Grapow, Hermann (1926) Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache‎, volume 1, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, →ISBN, pages 1.1–1.10
• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, page 1
• Gardiner, Alan (1948) “The First Two Pages of the Wörterbuch” in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 34, p. 12–13
• Gardiner, Alan (1957) Egyptian Grammar: Being an Introduction to the Study of Hieroglyphs, third edition, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN, § 245, page 184
• Meeks, Dimitri (2010) Dictionnaire égyptien ancien-français, Fascicule 1: ꜣ-ꜣbḏw, Montpellier: Institut d’Égyptologie François Daumas, pages 1–2
• Wilson, Penelope (1991) A Lexicographical Study of the Ptolemaic Texts in the Temple of Edfu, Liverpool: University of Liverpool, pages 1–2
• van der Molen, Rami (2000) A Hieroglyphic Dictionary of Egyptian Coffin Texts, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 1