Editing Coptic language (section)

=== Consonants ===
As with the vowels, there are differences of opinion over the correct interpretation of the Coptic consonant letters, particularly with regard to the letters {{Coptic|ϫ}} and {{Coptic|ϭ}}. {{Coptic|ϫ}} is transcribed as {{angle bracket|j}} in many older Coptic sources and {{Coptic|ϭ}} as {{angle bracket|ɡ}}{{sfn|Plumley|1948}} or {{angle bracket|č}}. {{harvtxt|Lambdin|1983}} notes that the current conventional pronunciations are different from the probable ancient pronunciations: Sahidic {{Coptic|ϫ}} was probably pronounced {{IPAblink|tʲ}} and {{Coptic|ϭ}} was probably pronounced {{IPAblink|kʲ}}. {{harvtxt|Reintges|2004|p=22}} suggests that {{Coptic|ϫ}} was pronounced {{IPAblink|tʃ}}.

Beside being found in Greek loanwords, the letters {{angle bracket|φ, θ, χ}} were used in native words for a sequence of {{IPA|/p, t, k/}} plus {{IPAslink|h}}, as in {{Coptic|ⲑⲉ}} = {{Coptic|ⲧ-ϩⲉ}} "the-way" (f.sg.) and {{Coptic|ⲫⲟϥ}} = {{Coptic|ⲡ-ϩⲟϥ}} "the-snake" (m.sg). The letters did not have this use in Bohairic, which used them for single sounds.

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+ Coptic consonants
|-
!colspan=2|
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
!colspan=2| [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
!colspan=2| [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
!colspan=2| [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲙ}}⟩
|colspan=2| {{IPA link|n}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲛ}}⟩
|
|colspan=2| 
|
|-
!rowspan=3| [[Obstruent]]
! <small>[[Aspirated consonant|aspirate]]</small>{{efn|The aspirate series is present only in Bohairic.}}
| {{IPA link|p}}{{IPA link|ʰ}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲫ}}⟩
|colspan=2| {{IPA link|tʰ}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲑ}}⟩
| {{IPA link|t͡ʃʰ}} ⟨{{Coptic|ϭ}}⟩{{efn|name=fn1|The letter {{Coptic|ϭ}} has two values: In Bohairic it represents {{IPAslink|t͡ʃʰ}}, the aspirated counterpart to {{Coptic|ϫ}} {{IPAslink|t͡ʃ}}. In the other dialects it represents {{IPAslink|kʲ}}, the [[Palatalization (phonetics)|palatalized]] counterpart to {{Coptic|ⲕ}} {{IPAslink|k}}.}}
|colspan=2| {{IPA link|kʰ}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲭ}}⟩
| 
|-
! <small>[[Tenuis consonant|tenuis]]</small>
| {{IPA link|p}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲡ}}⟩
|colspan=2| {{IPA link|t}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲧ}}⟩
| {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}} ⟨{{Coptic|ϫ}}⟩
| {{IPA link|k}}{{IPA link|ʲ}} ⟨{{Coptic|ϭ}}⟩{{efn|name=fn1}}
| {{IPA link|k}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲕ}}⟩
|
|-
! <small>[[fricative]]</small>
| {{IPA link|f}} ⟨{{Coptic|ϥ}}⟩
|colspan=2| {{IPA link|s}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲥ}}⟩
| {{IPA link|ʃ}} ⟨{{Coptic|ϣ}}⟩
| {{IPA link|xʲ}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⳋ}} {{Coptic|ⳃ}}⟩{{efn|{{IPAslink|xʲ}} is present only in the minor Coptic dialects ''P'' and ''I'',{{explain|date=January 2022|reason=What is the meaning of ''P'' and ''I''?}} where it is written ⟨{{Coptic|ⳋ}}⟩ and ⟨{{Coptic|ⳃ}}⟩ respectively.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Funk|first=Wolf-Peter|date=1987|title=Die Zeugen des koptischen Literaturdialekts I7|url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/zaes.1987.114.12.117/html|journal=Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde|volume=114|issue=1–2|page=129|doi=10.1524/zaes.1987.114.12.117|s2cid=192659355}}</ref>}}
| {{IPA link|x}} ⟨{{Coptic|ϧ}} {{Coptic|ⳉ}}⟩{{efn|{{IPAslink|x}} is written ⟨{{Coptic|ϧ}}⟩ in Bohairic and Dialect ''P'', and ⟨{{Coptic|ⳉ}}⟩ in Akhmimic and Dialect ''I''.}}
| {{IPA link|h}} ⟨{{Coptic|ϩ}}⟩
|-
!colspan=2| [[Approximant]]
| {{IPA link|v}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲃ}}⟩{{efn|Coptic {{Coptic|ⲃ}} is alternatively interpreted as a [[voiced bilabial fricative]] {{IPAblink|β}}.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Takács|first=Gábor|date=2015|title=Questions of Egyptian Historical Phonology and Afro-Asiatic|url=https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=article&id=3139332&journal_code=BIOR|journal=Bibliotheca Orientalis|volume=72|issue=5–6|pages=565–585|doi=10.2143/BIOR.72.5.3139332|quote=Firstly, as is well-known, Coptic {{Coptic|ⲃ}} had the value {{IPAblink|v}} or less probably {{IPAblink|β}}.|quote-page=569}}</ref> Like the other [[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]] consonants, it belongs to the class of [[sonorant]]s and may occupy the syllable [[Syllable#Nucleus|nucleus]] ({{tooltip|2=Compare|''cf.''|dotted=yes}} Sahidic: {{Coptic|ⲧⲃ̄ⲧ}} {{IPA|/tv̩t/}} "fish").}}
| {{IPA link|r}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲣ}}⟩
| {{IPA link|l}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲗ}}⟩
| {{IPA link|j}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲉⲓ}}⟩
|colspan=2| {{IPA link|w}} ⟨{{Coptic|ⲟⲩ}}⟩
|
|}
{{notelist}}

It is possible that Coptic has a [[glottal stop]], {{IPAblink|ʔ}}, though there is no definitive evidence. Supporters of this theory have posited that the glottal stop was represented with {{Coptic|ⲁ}} word-initially, with {{Coptic|ⲓ}} word-finally in monosyllabic words in northern dialects, and {{Coptic|ⲉ}} in monosyllabic words in Akhmimic and Assiutic. In Sahidic, it has been postulated that it represented the second of a doubled vowel.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Depuydt |first1=Leo |title=On Coptic Sounds |journal=Orientalia |date=1993 |volume=62 |issue=4 |pages=338–375 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43077997?casa_token=oZxDeM5HaJgAAAAA%3AOD5uZ3zPezgeokIORGzxc5voGNQLITKj9q8pn5GlIpdEFegCQSwIo-g4jgv25yh8JWO8PIeOgsThGyCvqYcVpqJ0gFaMCHaVSvvVxxlW6rW70AF5k4Om&seq=8 |issn=0030-5367}}</ref>

In Late Coptic (ca. 14th century), Bohairic sounds that did not occur in Egyptian Arabic were lost. A possible shift from a tenuis-aspirate distinction to voiced-tenuis is only attested from the alveolars, the only place that Arabic has such a contrast.

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+ Late Coptic consonants
|-
! Original<br />pronunciation
! Late<br />pronunciation
|-
| {{IPA link|β}} || {{IPA link|w}} (final {{IPAblink|b}})
|-
| {{IPA link|p}} || {{IPA link|b}}
|-
| {{IPA link|pʰ}} || {{IPA link|b}} ~ {{IPA link|f}}
|-
| {{IPA link|t}} || {{IPA link|d}}
|-
| {{IPA link|tʰ}} || {{IPA link|d}} 
|-
| {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}} || {{IPA link|ɟ}}{{NoteTag|{{IPAblink|ɟ}} is the local equivalent of Cairene {{IPAblink|ɡ}}.}}
|-
| {{IPA link|t͡ʃʰ}} || {{IPA link|ʃ}}
|-
| {{IPA link|k}} || {{IPA link|k}}
|-
| {{IPA link|kʰ}} || {{IPA link|k}}
|}

Earlier phases of Egyptian may have contrasted voiceless and voiced bilabial plosives, but the distinction seems to have been lost. Late Egyptian, Demotic and Coptic all interchangeably use their respective graphemes to indicate either sound; for example, Coptic for 'iron' appears alternately as {{Coptic|ⲡⲉⲛⲓⲡⲉ}}, {{Coptic|ⲃⲉⲛⲓⲡⲉ}} and {{Coptic|ⲃⲓⲛⲓⲃⲉ}}. That probably reflects dialect variation. Both letters were interchanged with {{Coptic|ⲫ}} and {{Coptic|ϥ}} to indicate {{IPAslink|f}}, and {{Coptic|ⲃ}} was also used in many texts to indicate the bilabial approximant {{IPAslink|w}}. [[Coptology|Coptologists]] believe that Coptic {{Coptic|ⲃ}} was articulated as a [[voiced bilabial fricative]] {{IPAblink|β}}. In the present-day Coptic Church services, this letter is realised as {{IPAslink|v}}, but it is almost certainly a result of the [[Coptic pronunciation reform|pronunciation reforms]] instituted in the 19th century.

Whereas Old Egyptian contrasts {{IPAslink|s}} and {{IPAslink|z}}, the two sounds appear to be in [[free variation]] in Coptic, as they were since the Middle Egyptian period. However, they are contrasted only in Greek loans; for example, native Coptic {{Coptic|ⲁⲛⲍⲏⲃ}} (''anzēb'') and {{Coptic|ⲁⲛⲥⲏⲃⲉ}} (''ansēbə'') 'school' are homophonous. Other consonants that sometimes appear to be either in free variation or to have different distributions across dialects are {{IPAblink|t}} and {{IPAblink|d}}, {{IPAblink|ɾ}} and {{IPAblink|l}} (especially in the Fayyumic dialect, a feature of earlier Egyptian) and {{IPAblink|k}} and {{IPAblink|ɡ}}, with the voiceless [[stop consonant]]s being more common in Coptic words and the voiced ones in Greek borrowings. Apart from the [[liquid consonant]]s, this pattern may indicate a [[sound change]] in Later Egyptian, leading to a neutralisation of voiced alveolar and velar plosives. When the voiced plosives are realised, it is usually the result of [[Consonant voicing and devoicing|consonant voicing]] in proximity to {{IPAslink|n}}.

A few early manuscripts have a letter {{coptic|ⳋ}} or {{coptic|ⳃ}} ''ç'' where Sahidic and Bohairic have {{coptic|ϣ}} ''š''. and Akhmimic has {{coptic|ⳉ}} ''x''. This sound seems to have been lost early on.