Coptic Language

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Prayer, Fasting and Worship

10 questions

• QWhy do we need the Coptic language in our church services?
• QHow was the Coptic language influenced by the Greek language?
• QI really enjoy our church Coptic hymns. However, many people, including myself, have a very hard time understanding the language. Why doesn't the church sing all the…
• QWhy is the Coptic Language so important? (Nobody can understand it. To me, it's just another foreign language, like Chinese). Why can't the church just do all the hymns…
• QI am torn by the lack of appreciation, and preservation of our Coptic Language and Heritage. I believe that the Coptic Heritage and Traditions are what make us COPTIC…
• QI am concerned about the emphasis put on the Coptic language; and the assumption that one will get a better understanding of God's message if they know and understand…
• QWhat does 'Coptic' exactly mean?
• QI know that overstrokes are used to change Coptic alphabet characters to numbers (except for "So," or "6."), and that an overstroke can combine letters for an…
• QIs it possible that the alternate spelling of the name of the alphabet character "dzaudzia," should actually be "dzandzia" ? Then, it would (almost) phonetically parallel…
• QI have noticed a growing trend of deacons and priests using unconventional Coptic pronunciations in services, such as Old Bohairic. There are now Facebook sites promoting…

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.