Semitic Words in Egyptian Texts of the New Kingdom & Third Intermediate Period [Hardcover]

James E. Hoch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0691037612 | ISBN-13: 978-0691037615

Semitic words and names appear in unprecedented numbers in texts of the New Kingdom, the period when the Egyptian empire extended into Syria-Palestine. In this book, James Hoch provides a comprehensive account of these words - their likely origins, their contexts, and their implications for the study of Egyptian and Semitic linguistics and Late-Bronze- and Iron-Age culture in the eastern Mediterranean. Unlike previous word catalogs, this work consists of concise word studies and contains a wealth of linguistic, lexical, and cultural information. Hoch considers some five hundred Semitic words found in Egyptian texts from about 1500 to 650 B.C.E. Building on previous scholarship, he proposes new etymologies and translations and discusses phonological, morphological, and semantic factors that figure in the use of these words. The Egyptian evidence is essential to an understanding of the phonology of Northwest Semitic, and Hoch presents a major reconstruction of the phonemic systems. Of equal importance is his account of the particular semantic use of Semitic vocabulary, in contexts sometimes quite different from those of the Hebrew scriptures and Ugaritic myths and legends. With its new critical assessment of many hotly debated issues of Semitic and Egyptian philology, this book will be consulted for its lexical and linguistic conclusions and will serve as the basis for future work in both fields.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This very substantial volume is a major contribution to our understanding and interpretation of the wide variety of Semitic words ... to be found in ancient Egyptian texts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 600 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (May 27, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691037612
• ISBN-13: 978-0691037615
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,911,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A linguistic hoard, January 29, 2001

By 

Justinus "Justinus" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Semitic Words in Egyptian Texts of the New Kingdom & Third Intermediate Period (Hardcover)

I apologize for the silly title on my review, but it does describe the book well; it is chock full of nugets of information abotu Egyptian and the Semitic languages. I consider this book the best authority on the Egyptian New Kingdom Syllabary, and Semitic loans in Egyptian. Now of course these are highly technical subjects, so if you don't know what I'm talking about, this is probably not the book for you.

5.0 out of 5 stars For serious students of ancient Egyptian, January 23, 2007

By 

Wadjet "W.W." - See all my reviews

This review is from: Semitic Words in Egyptian Texts of the New Kingdom & Third Intermediate Period (Hardcover)

The author of this book, which is a publication of this doctoral dissertation, won awards for his scholarship. If you are seriously interested in studying ancient Egyptian language, this is highly recommended. Beginners might want to start with his Middle Egyptian Grammar book, which is well worth the hunt online.

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review, May 19, 2000

By 

Debra - See all my reviews

This review is from: Semitic Words in Egyptian Texts of the New Kingdom & Third Intermediate Period (Hardcover)

I give this book a 4 mostly because this wasnt what I was looking for in the book. If you are interested in hieroglypics and language this book was for you. The language seems so complicated I havent even tried to do this yet.