The data discussed in the preceding chapters, and summarized at the end of Chapters 3 and 4, provide the basis for analyzing the probable phonological values of the Egyptian consonantal phonemes and their development from Old Egyptian to Coptic. Those data are not all of equal weight for the purposes of such an analysis. The evidence from Semitic correspondences must be considered of lesser value than that from within Egyptian itself, because it is tinged with greater uncertainty. Egyptian renditions of Semitic words should be regarded as more reliable than cognates, since they are contemporary with Egyptian itself, but they offer insights into the nature of the Egyptian consonantal phonemes only from the Middle Kingdom onward. Internal evidence includes not only the correspondence between Egyptian phonemes and their Common Coptic descendants but also the indications of consonantal incompatibilities in word roots, variants, alternations, and historical changes.

The consonants

This section discusses the probable values of the Egyptian consonants as well as their historical development. More general historical questions are considered in Sections 5.2–5.4.