The scribe of the gate

This is an exercise in Allen's book on Middle Egyptian. It's one of five exercises examined this week. Only ten students turned in their work. Their individual interpretations into English are listed below, to show you how much spin must be put on these. Their discussion is technical and based on their meta language about the presumed grammar of other languages.

1) It is the scribe of the gate, Ahanekhet Nekhet’s son who makes these pictures, when he is coming with the quarry overseer, Sobekemhat, to collect alabaster.

2) It is the scribe of the gate Nakht's son, Ahanakht who makes these images.

He is coming in order to bring alabaster together with quarry overseer Sobekemhat.

3) It is the scribe of the gate, Nakht’s son, Ahanakht who makes these pictures,

when he is coming to get alabaster with the quarry overseer, Sobekemhat.

4) It is the scribe of the gate Nakht, son of Ahanakht who make these picture when he comes to fetch alabaster with overseer of the quarry sobeku-em-hat

5) It is scribe of the gate Nakht's son Ahanakht who makes these pictures

when he is coming to get alabaster with quarry-overseer Sebekemhat

6) It is scribe of the gate Nakht’s son Ahanakht who makes these pictures when he is coming to get alabaster with quarry-overseer Sebekemhat

7) It is the scribe of the gate, Nakht’s son, Ahanakht, who makes these pictures

when he is coming to get alabaster with the quarry-overseer, Sebekemhat.

8) It is scribe of the gate Nakht's son Ahanakht who makes these pictures

when he is coming to get alabaster with quarry-overseer Sobekemhat.

9) It is a scribe of the gate, Nakht’s son Ahanakht, who makes these pictures and he (his face) is coming in order to get alabaster together with quarry overseer Sebekemhat

10) It is the scribe of the gate Zanekhet Ahanekhet who makes these pictures, while coming to fetch alabaster with quarry-overseer Sebekumhat.

One of the teachers of one of the groups is taking a break for a few weeks. She's off to Egypt. She writes to the group:

Greetings from Aswan, Egypt!  I just got back from visiting Ramesses II’s temples at Abu Simbel, Hatshepsut’s unfinished Obelisk and the Philae temple.(where our tour-guide misread some hieroglyphs to the group.  I kept my mouth shut), and the Aswan high dam.  Both Abu Simbel and Philae temples would have been submerged in Lake Nasser had not UNESCO moved the temples to higher ground.

I think that's very funny. It tickles me. It makes me think of all the people who think that. Who know that. I think of all the people who know more than the tour guides, and just stand there silently without saying anything.