(1 Jan 2018) LEAD IN: A village in the south of Egypt is teaching children to speak the ancient Coptic language. STORY-LINE: Behind this unassuming door, an ancient language is being kept alive. This is a Coptic class for children in the town of Al Zineya. While their main language may be Arabic, these youngsters are learning to pray, read and write in the language of their ancestors. The Coptic language has been overtaken by Arabic in Egypt but has remained in use in the Coptic Christian churches. During the reign of Pope Krolos IV in the 19th century, there was a project to integrate the Coptic Church in Egypt with the Greek Church with pronunciation being one of the elements. Because of this, the old Coptic pronunciation gave way to the Greek style. However, in Al Zineya, the original pronunciation is still used and cherished by the inhabitants. Eman Noshy, a Coptic teacher and mother to one of the students, says that she began learning the language from a young age. "I was raised learning the Coptic Language so I want to raise my children in the same way, because this will be so important for them and for the future generations. This will be so good and so useful for their life. If the children can speak the Coptic language they can use it in their daily life or while they are praying they can speak it, read it and write it." In the 130-year-old church, youngsters learn the basics of the language from the age of four, attending class twice a week. There are around 600 Christian families in the village with at least one person from each learning the Coptic language. Christians make up 25 percent of the village but their Muslim neighbours do not come for lessons. The church's priest, Daniel Alkoms, says that both languages can be learnt side by side. "The Arabic language is stronger but there are many people speaking the Coptic language," he says. The use of the original pronunciation is also a unique aspect to the village's classes. "We speak the old accent, and this is special for the religious people," says Alkoms. Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population. They have long complained of discrimination in the Muslim-majority nation and claim authorities have often failed to protect them from sectarian attacks. Egypt's Copts have been specifically targeted by militants, who carried out a series of bombings against churches starting in December 2016, killing more than 100 and wounding scores. In December 2017, at least nine people were killed in attacks on a church and a nearby shop owned by a Copt in southern Cairo. But Kamal Faried, a Coptic language expert at the institute of Coptic language in Cairo, explains that the language has long been used in the country, before more recent tensions. "The Coptic language is the Egyptian language, the language that the Egyptian people have spoken for thousands of years," he says. Aside from the discrimination against the community, he says there are also fears that the language itself could be lost. "Now there are Coptology and Egyptology departments in many colleges," he says hopefully. With academic efforts to keep preserve the language, along with local classes like these, it is hoped that the ancient language will be used for thousands more years to come. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c8506ba1b38588ff1b24c75ccf22ed1d

• published: 06 Jan 2018
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