Demonstrative Adjectives
Introducing Demonstrative Adjectives:
pn and tn "this" & pf and tf "that".
& the position of, "other", "another" ky, kt
In This Lesson, We Learn:
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Demonstrative Adjectives in English & Egyptian
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The Adjective "other" & "another"
Demonstrative Adjectives in English
First, let's look at demonstrative adjectives in English. A demonstrative adjective points to a specific noun (a person, place or thing) to tell you exactly which noun is being talked about. For example, "this boat" here, "that boat" over there, or "those boats" in the distance.
The demonstrative adjectives (or determiners) in English are: this, that, these, and those. They are put before a noun to modify or describe it.
English demonstrative adjectives do not change for masculine or feminine nouns. The same word is used regardless of gender or whether the noun is human. For example, we use "this" for "this man" (masculine), "this woman" (feminine), and "this boat" (neuter, non-human).
English does require that demonstrative adjectives match the number of the noun. When we talk about "number" in grammar, we mean whether a word is singular (one) or plural (more than one). For example, "this" and "that" are used for singular nouns like "this man" or "that man". Meanwhile, "these" and "those" are used for plural nouns, like "these men" or "those men".
Demonstrative Adjectives in Middle Egyptian
In Middle Egyptian, the singular demonstrative adjective ("this" and "that") must match the noun in number (singular) and also agree in gender. This means masculine, singular adjectives pair only with masculine, singular nouns and feminine, singular adjectives with feminine, singular nouns.
In Middle Egyptian, the demonstrative adjective for "this" is:
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pn for masculine (m) and tn for feminine (f).
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pn and tn always follow the noun they qualify.
The demonstrative adjective for "that" is:
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pf for masculine (m) and tf for femine (f).
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pf and tf may either follow or precede the noun they qualify.
Now use the navigational arrows to review demonstrative adjectives.
Plural Demonstrative Adjectives in Middle Egytian
At this time, we are going to focus on the singular forms. Study the following for future study:
For plural nouns ("these" and "those"), Middle Egyptian drops gender distinctions entirely but changes how sentences are structured:
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nn is used for "these".
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nf is used for "those".
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nn and nf always come before the noun.
Additionally, they must be linked to the noun using the word n (meaning "of"). Contrast:
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Singular: sn pn (literally: "brother this")
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Plural: nn n snw (literally: "these of brothers", meaning "these brothers")
The Position of ky, kt "other", "another"
While adjectives follow the noun they modify in Middle Egyptian (and will be discussed more in the next lesson), the adjectives ky (masculine) & kt (feminine) come before the noun. More on this coming up. For now, study the following:
