0
Hieroglyphs are a complex writing system with many different types of signs.
Some are called ideograms; these mean exactly what they depict. For example a standing man holding both arms up in front, as if praising is the verb i3w, to praise. Ideograms are often followed by a single short, vertical line.
Some signs represent a single consonant sound. For example a semicircular loaf represents t.
Some signs represent a group of two consonants. For example the ground plan of a building stands for p+r, pr.
Other signs represent a group of three consonants. For example the familiar ankh symbol stands for 3+n+x, 3nx. (The 3 represents a glottal stop, for which English has no letter).
Still other signs are used to indicate numerals, plurals, feminine endings and negatives.
Another group of signs have no sound value, but they indicate the general meaning of a word. They are called determinatives. For example a sign showing a papyrus roll tied with cord represents abstract ideas, the sign of a kneeling man indicates words associated with men and so on.
Note that vowels were not written in hieroglyphs, just as they were not written in ancient Hebrew, Phoenician and Arabic. The people of the time knew exactly which vowels to say when they read the written words, but today we only know the consonants, not the vowels. This means that we can never know how each word was actually said.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What is the difference between hieroglyphic drawings and characters?
characters can sometimes stand for letters, but hieroglyphs stand for whole words.
What did hieroglyphs begin as standing for whole words?
Only a very few hieroglyphs stand for whole words. The huge majority are phonemes (sound-signs) with values of 1, 2 or 3 consonants. Other signs are not pronounced at all, but serve to modify or explain the meaning in some way.All hieroglyphs are pictures of something: birds, animals, humans, pottery, furniture, canals, towns and so on, but in most cases it is their sound that is important, not what they represent.
How were hieroglyphs read?
the Hieroglyphs were translated by the Rosetta stone which was a great discovery unlocking all Egypt's history.
What are the symbols used in pictures writing called?
If you were asking about Egyptian picture writing the symbols are called hieroglyphs.
What were the forms of Egyptian writing and when were they used?
Hieroglyphs, hieratic and demotic. Hieroglyphs were only for statues, tombs, temples and important documents, and were not used every day. The other two are like simpler versions of hieroglyphs and were used everyday.
What is the difference between hieroglyphic drawings and characters?
characters can sometimes stand for letters, but hieroglyphs stand for whole words.
How do you spell hyrogliffs?
The correct spelling is "hieroglyphs".
What is the plural of hieroglyphs?
Hieroglyphs is already plural. The singular is hieroglyph.
What was the name of picture writing used by Egyptians?
Hieroglyphs.
Where is the first hieroglyphs for build-a-bear?
the first hieroglyphs are found in fastpaw
How do you spell hieroglyphs?
Hieroglyphics, you got it right.
What was the Egyptian hieroglyphic uniliteral for the letter G?
The Ancient Egyptian Jar Stand hieroglyph, Gardiner sign listed no. W11 is a side view of a "jar stand and base". The jar stand hieroglyph is used in the Ancient Egyptian language hieroglyphs for the alphabetic consonant letter g.
What year was hieroglyphs discovered?
The Rosetta Stone, which held hieroglyphs, was discovered in 1799 by French Soldiers.
What was Cleopatra's name in hieroglyphs?
Our computers cannot reproduce hieroglyphs. To be honest, by the time of Cleopatra, hieroglyphs had been out of style for hundreds of years. Cleopatra did all her communicating in Greek. However if you want to see Cleo's name in hieroglyphs, just use your browser and type in "Cleopatra/cartouche" and you will come up with several sites that will show you her name in hieroglyphs.
What did hieroglyphs begin as standing for whole words?
Only a very few hieroglyphs stand for whole words. The huge majority are phonemes (sound-signs) with values of 1, 2 or 3 consonants. Other signs are not pronounced at all, but serve to modify or explain the meaning in some way.All hieroglyphs are pictures of something: birds, animals, humans, pottery, furniture, canals, towns and so on, but in most cases it is their sound that is important, not what they represent.
When were the first hieroglyphs written?
Nobody knows when the first hieroglyphs were written, but they were fairly common by 4000 BCE
Why are the pharaohs so big in hieroglyphs?
The pharaohs in hieroglyphs are large because they were considered very important by the Egyptians.
