Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Breakfast argument

This discussion happened at the breakfast table, with no reference works to hand, apropos of nothing.

Michael: Dad, the Coptic capital letter hori looks just like a backwards S. And so does the little hori. Actually, they don't have capitals.
Marcus: [scathingly] None of the hieroglyphics have capitals.
Michael: Coptic isn't heiroglyphics. There is, uh, ... demodit ...
Me: Demotic?
Michael: Yeah, demotic and hieratic.
Marcus: Demotic was the one that everyone had to know.
Michael: No - it was just scribes and stuff.
[After a break to get dressed and argue a bit about other things]
Michael: Look - it says here that demotic was used for legal texts and mummy inscriptions.
Marcus: Yeah, but you smell.

2 comments:

Wendy said...

Your boys constantly amaze me. What planet are they from again?

Chris Rees said...

I have since found out that is in fact another boy in Michael's class who is leading the drive to master the Coptic alphabet. Why, I do not know. It is kind of cool-looking.