A SHORT (AND EMPIRICAL) LIST OF LINGUISTIC FEATURES IN FAYYUMIC DOCUMENTS

1. Dialectal features common to all Fayyumic texts (cf. Till, Koptische Dialektgrammatik, p. 5-10 ;
Funk, Concordances F4 et F5), in comparison to Sahidic texts :
* lambdacism (ⲗ where other dialects have ⲣ):
ⲗⲉⲛ (= ⲣⲁⲛ); ⲗⲱⲙⲓ (= ⲣⲱⲙⲉ) ; -ⲗ- (= -ⲣ- before a Greek verb) ; (ⲉ)ⲗⲁⲃ (= ⲉⲣⲟϥ) ; ϣⲁⲗⲉ- (ϣⲁⲣⲉ-), etc.
N.B. ϣⲁⲣⲉⲡ (idem F4 and F5 ; no lambdacism)
* Vocalism in a stressed syllable:
ⲗⲉⲛ (= ⲣⲁⲛ); ⲛⲉⲓ (= ⲛⲁⲓ); ⲛⲉ ⲓ or ⲛⲏ ⲓ (= ⲛⲁ ⲓ); ⲥϩⲉⲓ (= ⲥϩⲁⲓ); ϣⲉϫⲓ (= ϣⲁϫⲉ); ⲉⲛ (= ⲁⲛ)
ϣⲁⲣⲉⲡ (= ϣⲟⲣⲉⲡ); ϫⲁⲓⲥ (= ϫⲟⲉⲓⲥ); ⲥⲁⲛ (= ⲥⲟⲛ); ⲧⲁⲙⲁ ⲓ (= ⲧⲁⲙⲟ ⲓ); (ⲉ)ⲗⲁⲃ (= ⲉⲣⲟϥ); ⲁⲛ (= ⲟⲛ).
* Vocalism -ⲓ in a non-stressed final syllable:
ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲓ (= ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ); ⲗⲱⲙⲓ (= ⲣⲱⲙⲉ); ϣⲉϫⲓ (= ϣⲁϫⲉ); ϣⲓⲛⲓ (= ϣⲓⲛⲉ).
* ⲙⲉⲧ- as prefix of abstract nouns (= ⲙⲛⲧ-): ⲙⲉⲧϫⲁⲓⲥ, ⲙⲉⲧⲥⲁⲛ, etc.
* ⲉ- before a consonant in a stressed syllable (= supralinear stroke in S)
ϩⲉⲛ- (= ϩⲛ ϣⲁⲣⲉⲡ (= ϣⲟⲣⲡ ϩⲓⲧⲉⲛ (= ϩⲓⲧⲛ
* ϫⲁⲓⲥ, “Lord”, but compendium ⲡ⳪, « the Lord », as in Bohairic.

2. Features specific to non-literary Fayyumic texts:

* ⲙⲉ (preposition) vs ⲙⲛ F4 F5 ; ⲙⲉⲛⲉⲥⲁ (preposition) vs ⲙⲛⲛⲉⲥⲁ or ⲙⲉⲛⲛⲥⲁ F4 F5.
* ⲉ- as morpheme to introduce a genitive or an adjective : ⲡⲗⲉⲛ ⲉ-ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲓ (= ⲡⲣⲁⲛ ⲙ-ⲡⲛⲟⲩⲧⲉ);
ⲡⲁⲙⲉⲗⲓⲧ ⲉ-ⲥⲁⲛ (= ⲡⲁⲙⲉⲣⲓⲧ ⲛ-ⲥⲟⲛ)
* Apocope : ⲗⲁⲃ (= ⲉⲣⲟϥ), ⲙⲁⲃ (= ⲙⲙⲟϥ), ⲙⲁⲛ particle (= ⲙⲙⲟⲛ)
* ⲃ for ϥ, especially for the suffix pronoun of 3rd person singular and the verb ϥⲓ. This feature is not
only found in Fayyumic but in all sorts of non-standardized texts.
*Tendency to neutralize the difference ⲱ / ⲟ (not systematic): ⲗⲟⲙⲓ (vs ⲗⲱⲙⲓ); ϩⲟⲃ (vs ϩⲱⲃ); ⲉϣⲟⲡ
(= ⲉϣⲱⲡⲉ S, ⲉϣⲱⲡ F4, ⲉϣⲱⲡⲓ F5), etc.
* Important variation in the spelling of Greek words : this feature already exists to a certain extent in
literary Fayyumic texts and is widely spread in non-literary texts in general.

3. Lexical features
* Many Fayyumic documents use ⲁϩⲁ, « and » (already attested in the archaic dialectal form F7),
whereas ⲁⲩⲱ is the usual form in F4 and F5 and in other non-literary texts written in this dialect ;
others, less frequent, use both forms.
* Logical connections are often expressed by the Greek word λοιπόν (with many spellings: see
Förster, Wörterbuch); this is also common in texts from Middle-Egypt dating from after the Arab
conquest.
* ⲡⲓⲁⲕⲟⲩ, « the deacon », equivalent to ⲡ-ⲇⲓⲁⲕⲱⲛ or ⲡⲇⲓⲁⲕ (cf. Förster, WB, p. 181et Till, CPR IV,
196) ; this form exists only in Fayyumic documents and probably derives from a form ⲡ-ⲇⲓⲁⲕⲟⲩ
(Crum, Catalogue of the Coptic Manuscripts in the British Museum, p. 520).