Editing Coptic language (section)

==== Verbal grade system ====
Coptic, like Ancient Egyptian and Semitic languages, has root-and-pattern or templatic morphology, and the basic meaning of a verb is contained in a root and various derived forms of root are obtained by varying the vowel pattern. For example, the root for 'build' is ''kt''.  It has four derived forms:
# {{Coptic|ⲕⲟⲧ}} {{IPA|kɔt}} (the absolute state grade)
# {{Coptic|ⲕⲉⲧ-}} ket- (the nominal state grade)
# {{Coptic|ⲕⲟⲧ⸗}} kot= (the pronominal state grade)
# {{Coptic|ⲕⲉⲧ}} {{IPA|kɛt}} (the stative grade)
(The nominal state grade is also called the construct state in some grammars of Coptic.)

The absolute, nominal, and pronominal state grades are used in different syntactic contexts. The absolute state grade of a transitive verb is used before a direct object with the accusative preposition {{IPA|/ən, əm/}}, and the nominal state grade is used before a direct object with no case-marking.  The pronominal state grade is used before a pronominal direct object enclitic. In addition, many verbs also have a neutral state grade, used to express a state resulting from the action of the verb. Compare the following forms:{{sfn|Lambdin|1983|p=39}}

<section begin="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/><div style="display:none;">
ABS:absolute state grade
NOM:nominal state grade
PRONOM:pronominal state grade
</div><section end="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/>

{{fs interlinear |lang=cop |indent=2 |italics3=yes |glossing4=yes
|top='''Absolute state grade'''
|{{Coptic|ⲁⲓϫⲓⲙⲓ}} {{Coptic|ⲙ̀ⲡⲁⲓⲱⲧ}}
|Aijimi əmpaiōt
|a-i-jimi əm-p-a-iōt
|PFV-1SG-find.ABS PREP-DEF:MASC:SG-1SG-father
|'I found my father.'}}

{{fs interlinear |lang=cop |indent=2 |italics3=yes |glossing4=yes
|top='''Nominal state grade'''
|{{Coptic|ⲁⲓϫⲉⲙ}} {{Coptic|ⲡⲁⲓⲱⲧ}}
|Aijem paiōt
|a-i-jem p-a-iōt
|PFV-1SG-find.NOM DEF:MASC:SG-1SG-father
|'I found my father.'}}

{{fs interlinear |lang=cop |indent=2 |italics3=yes |glossing4=yes
|top='''Pronominal state grade'''
|{{Coptic|ⲁⲓϭⲉⲛⲧϥ}}
|Aijəntf
|a-i-jənt{{=}}f
|PFV-1SG-find.PRONOM{{=}}3MSG
|'I found him.'}}

For most transitive verbs, both absolute and nominal state grade verbs are available for non-pronominal objects. However, there is one important restriction, known as ''Jernstedt's rule'' (or the ''Stern-Jernstedt rule'') {{Harv|Jernstedt|1927}}: present-tense sentences cannot be used in the nominal state grade. Thus sentences in the present tense always show a pattern like the first example above (absolute state), never the second pattern (nominal state).

In general, the four grades of Coptic verb are not predictable from the root, and are listed in the lexicon for each verb. The following chart shows some typical patterns of correspondence:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Gloss
! colspan="2"| Absolute state
! colspan="2"| Nominal state
! colspan="2"| Pronominal state
! colspan="2"| Neutral state
|-
| Spread || {{Coptic|ⲡⲱⲣϣ̀}} || {{IPA|poːrəʃ}} || {{Coptic|ⲡⲣ̀ϣ}} || {{IPA|pərʃ}} || {{Coptic|ⲡⲱⲣϣ}} || {{IPA|poːrʃ}} || {{Coptic|ⲡⲟⲣϣ̀}} || {{IPA|poʔrəʃ}}
|-
| Dig || {{Coptic|ϣⲓⲕⲉ}} || {{IPA|ʃiːkə}} || {{Coptic|ϣⲉⲕⲧ}} || {{IPA|ʃekt}} || {{Coptic|ϣⲁⲕⲧ}} || {{IPA|ʃakt}} || {{Coptic|ϣⲟⲕⲉ}} || {{IPA|ʃoʔkə}}
|-
| Comfort || {{Coptic|ⲥⲟⲗⲥⲗ̀}} || {{IPA|solsəl}} || {{Coptic|ⲥⲗ̀ⲥⲗ̀}} || {{IPA|səlsəl}} || {{Coptic|ⲥⲗ̀ⲥⲱⲗ}} || {{IPA|səlsoːl}} || {{Coptic|ⲥⲗ̀ⲥⲱⲗ}} || {{IPA|səlsoːl}}
|-
| Roll || {{Coptic|ⲥⲕⲟⲣⲕⲣ̀}} || {{IPA|skorkər}} || {{Coptic|ⲥⲕⲣ̀ⲕⲣ̀}} || {{IPA|skərkər}} || {{Coptic|ⲥⲕⲣ̀ⲕⲱⲣ}} || {{IPA|skərkoːr}} || {{Coptic|ⲥⲕⲣ̀ⲕⲱⲣ}} || {{IPA|skərkoːr}}
|-
| Build || {{Coptic|ⲕⲱⲧ}} || {{IPA|koːt}} || {{Coptic|ⲕⲉⲧ}} || {{IPA|ket}} || {{Coptic|ⲕⲟⲧ}} || {{IPA|kot}} || {{Coptic|ⲕⲏⲧ}} || {{IPA|keːt}}
|}

It is hazardous to make firm generalisations about the relationships between these grade forms, but the nominal state is usually shorter than the corresponding absolute and neutral forms. Absolute and neutral state forms are usually bisyllabic or contain a long vowel; the corresponding nominal state forms are monosyllabic or have short vowels.