A Beginners Introduction To Medew Netcher

This is an excerpt from an upcoming book called A

Beginners Introduction To Medew Netcher - The Ancient
Egyptian Hieroglyphic System by Wudjau Men-Ib Iry
Maat.

In print in February 2015.

Visit the website

www.mdw-ntr.com for more information, tools, and

resources on Medew Netcher.

4.2 Monoliteral Phonograms

Middle Ranyakemet (language of Kemet) had twenty-five1
consonants

whose

orthography,

sound

value,

and

recognition must be learned without exception.

An

orthography is a standardized system for using a particular

writing system (script) to write a particular language. It
includes rules of spelling, and may also concern other
elements of the written language such as punctuation and
capitalization. Each consonant could be represented in Sesh
Medew Netcher by a single sign; such signs are called
monoliteral (one-letter) hieroglyphs. In effect, these
monoliteral signs constituted a Kemety alphabet. On their
1

Sometimes listed as 24 due to the exclusion of the doubling of the M17

flowering reed for the /y/.

A Beginners Introduction To Medew Netcher

own, these alphabetical signs would have been adequate for

writing down any word combination but they were never
used as such by the Remetch, only in combination with
other signs. Once you have memorized the alphabetic signs
and their transliterations, you will have all of the known
sounds in the language and you will know all of the special
characters needed to transliterate inscriptions.

A Beginners Introduction To Medew Netcher

Monoliterals.

Signs

Code

Discription

Diacritic

MdC

e
i

G1

Vulture

M17

Reed Leaf

M17+M17

Double Reed
Leaf

D36

Arm

G43

Quail Chick

D58

Foot

Q3

Stool Of Reed
Mat

I9

Horned Viper

G17

Owl

N35

Water Ripple

D21

Mouth

O4

Enclosure

V28

Twisted Flax

Aa1

Placenta?

a
w
b
p
f
m
n
r
R
h
/

A Beginners Introduction To Medew Netcher

Signs

Code

Discription

Diacritic

MdC

F32

Belly and
Udder

O34

Door Bolt

S29

Folded Cloth

N37

Pool

N29

Hill

V31

Basket with
Handle

W11

Jar Stand

X1

Raised Bread
Loaf

V13

Tethering
Rope

D46

Hand

I10

Cobra in
Repose

z
s
.
q

The preceding table shows the monoliteral signs of

Middle Ranyakemet, along with their common Diacritic
and Manuel de Codage transliteration and the names by

A Beginners Introduction To Medew Netcher

which Egyptologists commonly refer to them. These signs

are among the most common of all Kemety signs. Also
included, is a column identifying the Gardiner Codes for
each sign. Egyptologists classify the signs according to a
system developed by Alan H. Gardiner in his Egyptian
Grammar 1927 where the signs are divided into twentyseven categories labeled A to Z and Aa. The signs in each
category are numbered and depict a discrete group of items.
For example, category A includes signs that depict men and
occupations; B gives signs that depict women; M relates to
vegetation; N refers to the sky, earth, and water; U covers
agriculture, crafts, professions, etc. Its important that you
study this table until you can reproduce it and can give both
transliteration schemes of each sign from memory. The
table is arranged according to the sorting order used in
modern dictionaries of the ancient language. It may be odd
at first however, to be able to use the dictionaries, you will
need to memorize this order also.