Language

   The ancient Egyptian language belongs to the AfroAsiatic group of languages and has affinities with both North African and Semitic languages and possibly devolved before these two groups separated. The language did not remain unchanged but rather went through five linguistic stages. Old Egyptian was used during the Old Kingdom and expressed in written form by hieroglyphic and hieratic writing. The next phase, Middle Egyptian, was first used during the Middle Kingdom and later regarded as the classical form of the language by subsequent generations. Late Egyptian was in use during the New Kingdom but was replaced by demotic during the Late Period, which used new grammatical and written forms until it also died out as a written language during the Roman Period. Coptic was introduced during the Christian period. Regional variations only become apparent during the Coptic period but must have existed in earlier times. During its long history, the Egyptian language borrowed many words from Semitic languages during the New Kingdom and later from Greek languages.

Historical Dictionary Of Ancient Egypt by Morris L. Bierbrier