Pseudoparticiple

The pseudoparticiple (also tripod , in English Old Perfective ) is a finite verb form of the Egyptian language , which is used in all language levels from the Old Kingdom to Coptic (called "qualitative" there).

terminology

Other names are (Egyptian) "tripod" and in English "Old Perfective". The Coptic form, which goes back to the pseudo-participle, is called “qualitative”. These names each emphasize different aspects of the complex application of the form. The term pseudoparticiple is the oldest in research history and comes from Adolf Erman . The term “tripod” is imported from non-Egyptological linguistics (Indo-European tripod, Akkadian tripod, etc.) and is the most recent.

The pseudoparticiple is the only conjugation pattern of Egyptian that has relatives in the genetically related Semitic and Berber languages and that can be traced back to Proto- Afro-Asian . The name "Old Perfective" comes from the assumption that the other conjugation patterns are Egyptian innovations.

to form

The endings in Ancient and Middle Egyptian are:

	Singular	Plural
1.	-kw (older -kj , sometimes -kwj )	-wjn
2.	-tj	-twnj
3. m.	-w	-w
3. f.	-tj	-tj , -w

The ending set of the pseudoparticiple is not used in any other grammatical forms. The stem of the pseudoparticiple was formed by superimposing a sequence of vowels on the consonant root, for example * pắrj˘w "he has gone out" (pseudoparticiple) to * pī́r˘t "the coming out" (infinitive).

In New Egyptian , this set is greatly reduced, so -w is used for all people, but also others from the above set, especially the ending -tj . The person can only be recognized via a pronoun or noun, which must form the subject of the sentence in which the pseudoparticiple forms the predicate. This is similar to the predicative, endingless adjective in German: She is rich. instead of † She is rich.

In Coptic the pseudoparticiple, where it is referred to as qualitative , appears fossilized; in most verbs the qualitative goes back to the earlier forms of the 3rd person with -w . The form of the qualitative cannot be predicted from the infinitive, compare eire (infinitive; 'make' <Middle Egyptian jr.t ) → o (qualitative; 'is / to be' <Middle Egyptian jr.w ). The root ablaut -ē- is often found in qualitative terms and is a typical distinguishing mark in practice. In dictionaries, the qualitative form is indicated by a cross ( eire: make, † o ). The qualitative is always preceded by a person and tense symbol. Example: af- pōt 'he fled' (a = perfect + f = 3rd sg. + Pōt = verb stem) vs. f- pēt 'he is fleeing, better: he is on the run, is constantly fleeing' (f = 3.Sg. + pēt = qualitative verb stem).

application

Often the pseudoparticiple has passive meaning in transitive verbs, active in intransitive verbs (especially in verbs of movement). The pseudoparticiple gave rise to the question of whether Egyptian had ergative structures or had in prehistoric times. In Coptic, the meaning of a qualitative form is always resultative or essive, i.e. it describes a state or a property: it is evil, it is gone, it is on the run. This also applies to transitive verbs (rarely): Here the meaning is always passive, but also only describes the result and not the process: It is given (= in the state of being possessed by another).

literature

• Éric Doret: The narrative verbal system of Old and Middle Egyptian. In: Cahiers d'Orientalisme. No. XII, Cramer, Geneva 1986.
• AH Gardiner : Egyptian Grammar. 3. Edition. Oxford University Press, London 1957.
• Bentley Layton: A Coptic Grammar with Chrestomathy and Glossary. Sahidic dialect. Porta Linguarum. New series, Volume 20, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2000, ISBN 3-447-04240-0 .
• Wolfgang Schenkel: Tübingen introduction to the classical Egyptian language and writing. Pagina, Tübingen 2005, ISBN 3-938529-00-8 .