The Meroitic language and writing system

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THE MEROITIC LANGUAGE AND WRITING SYSTEM
Title
Copyright
Contents
Maps, Figures, and Tables
Preface
I Introduction: History and Texts
	A. HISTORICAL SETTING
	B. PREVIOUS RESEARCH
	C. HISTORY OF THE MEROITIC LANGUAGE AND SCRIPT
		1. The Script
	D. PHONETIC VALUES AND THE PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEM
	E. FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS OR EPITAPHS
		1. Invocation
		2. Nomination
		3. Filiation
		4. Description
		5. Description of Relatives
		6. Formulas of mlo-l-o
		7. Benedictions
			a. Formulas A to X
				Formula A
				Formula B
				Formula C
				Formula C
				Formula D
				Formula E
				Formula F
				Formula G
				Formula H
				Formula I
				Formula J
				Formula K
				Formula L
				Formula X
			b. The Order of the Benedictions
		8. ROYAL TEXTS
		9. ICONOGRAPHIC TEXTS
		10. PROSCYNEMES AND GRAFFITI
		11. COMMEMORATIONS OF FUNERARY OFFERINGS
		12. SPELLS
		13. ORACULAR AMULETIC DECREES
		14. INSCRIPTIONS OF DEDICATIONS
		15. OSTRACA WITH NUMBERS
II Meroitic Writing
	A. THE SYLLABIC NATURE OF THE SCRIPT
	B. CONVENTIONS
		1. Vowels in Initial Position
		2. Vowel Series and the Notation of Long Vowels
		3. Notation of Diphthongs
		4. Consonant Clusters and the Elision of Nasals
		5. Haplography
		6. Word Separation
		7. Orthographic Variations
	C. ORTHOGRAPHIC MISTAKES
	D. GRAPHIC INCOMPATIBILITY AND READING MISTAKES
	E. PALEOGRAPHY
		1. The Paleographic Description of the Cursive Script
		2. Form and Evolution of the Hieroglyphic Signs
		3. The Paleographic Tables and the Dating of Texts
		4. Additional Signs
		5. Numerals
		6. Units of Measurement
III Linguistic Affiliation
	A. THE FIRST HYPOTHESES
	B. THE NILO-SAHARAN HYPOTHESIS
	C. THE NILO-SAHARAN LANGUAGES
		1. Songhay (Songhai, Songay, Sonay)
		2. Saharan
		3. Maba
		4. Fur (or For, Called “Kondjara” in the North)
		5. Eastern Sudanic
			a. North Eastern Sudanic
				i. Nubian Group
				ii. Taman Group
				iii. Nara
				iv. Nyima Group
			b. South Eastern Sudanic
				i. Surmic
				ii. Jebel
				iii. Temein
				iv. Daju (or Dadjo)
				v. Nilotic
			WESTERN NILOTIC
				Northern Group
				Luo Group
				Dinka-Nuer Group
			EASTERN NILOTIC
				Bari
				Lotuko-Maa Group
				Teso-Turkana Group
			SOUTHERN NILOTIC
				Omotik-Datoga Group
				Kalenjin Group
		6. Central Sudanic
			a. Sara-Bagirmi Group
				i. Subgroup Sara
			i. Subgroup Sara
			b. Bongo
			c. Modo-Baka Group
			d. Moru-Madi Group
			e. Mangbutu-Éfé Group
			f. Mangbetu-Asua Group
			g. Kresh-Aja Group
			h. Lendu Group
		7. Berta
		8. Kunama
		9. Koman
		10. Gumuz
		11. Kuliak
		12. Kado
		13. Shabo (?)
	D. LEXICAL CORRESPONDENCES
		1. Supplementary Correspondences
IV Meroitic Phonology: Meroitic Phonology: Facts and Reconstruction
	A. THE CONSONANT SYSTEM
		1. Stops or Plosives
			a. Bilabials
			b. Apicals: The Problem of Prenasalization
			c. Velars: Labialized Velars
		2. Fricatives
			a. Apical /s/
			b. Velars
		3. Approximants
			a. Lateral /l/
			b. Palatal /y/ (?)
			c. Labiovelar /w/
		4. Trill /r/
		5. Nasals
			a. Bilabial /m/
			b. Apical /n/ and Possible Other Nasals
	B. THE VOWEL SYSTEM
		1. The Phoneme /a/
		2. The Schwa /ә/
		3. The Phoneme /e/
		4. The Phoneme /i/
		5. The Phoneme /u/
		6. The Understanding of the Vocalic System
	C. PHONETIC CORRESPONDENCES
V Grammar: Facts and Hypotheses
	A. GENERAL STRUCTURE
		1. Segmentation of the Elements: What Is Separated by the Separator?
		2. General Typology of the Meroitic Language
		3. Problems with Identifying the Grammatical Categories
		4. The Nominal or Noun Phrase
			a. The Determinant
			b. The Forms of the Determinant
			c. The Historical Derivation of the Determinant
			d. The Roles of the Determinant
			e. Other Possible Determinants
		5. The Adjective
		6. The Apposition
		7. The Genitive
			a. The Synthetic Genitive
			b. The Analytic Genitive
		8. The Use of the Two Genitives
		9. The Genitive Alternative with -o
		10. The Suffix -(y)ose
		11. The Locative
		12. The Plural of Nouns
			a. The Historical Derivation of the Suffix Plural -b-
		13. The Vocative
		14. Case Markers and Postpositions
		15. The Pronominal Object Suffix -x(e)/-bxe (“Verbal Dative”)
		16. Postpositions
	B. THE PRESENTATIVE CONSTRUCTION
		1. The Presentative Construction without Topicalization
		2. The Copula -o/-kwi
		3. Presentative Clauses with Topicalization
		4. Pronouns and Complex Pronouns
		5. Verbal Morphology
		6. The Verbal Structures
		7. The Negative Marker m-
		8. Coordination and Subordination
VI Conclusions
Glossary
List of the Rulers of Kush
Appendix
References
Author Index
Subject Index