The linguistic situation in the Egyptian monasteries in 4th-5th centuries CE

Abstract

This contribution merely attempts to make an initial approach to the linguistic situation as found in the Egyptian monastic milieu, during the 4th and 5th centuries. Various kinds of evidence point to the existence of interpreters, of groups set up according to their languages in the monasteries and to a certain pressure exerted on them to learn Coptic. The evaluation of the extension of these sociolinguistic phenomena will enable a more accurate assessment of the value of the documents that have come down to us, both in papyrus form and in literary documents.