jn

See also: Jn and .jn

Central Mazahua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n̥/

Letter

jn (upper case Jn)

1. A letter of the Mazahua alphabet.

Egyptian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /in/
  • Conventional anglicization: in

Particle

 proclitic

1. indicates interrogativity

Usage notes

This particle comes at the beginning of an interrogative sentence. It can be used alongside the interrogative particle tr or by itself as the sole such particle.

In adverbial sentences with jn, the particle jw regularly follows jn, and nominal sentences with jn can also have it followed by jw. Verb forms that use jw as an initial particle in main clauses also usually have jn followed by jw in yes/no questions.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of jn  

jn	n	n

Preposition

1. introduces the agent of a passive construction, when not a personal pronoun; by
2. introduces the agent of an infinitive, when not a personal pronoun
   • c. 2000 BCE – 1900 BCE, Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (pHermitage/pPetersburg 1115) line 1:

     ḏd jn šmsw jqr

     Recitation by an excellent retainer: […]

   • c. 1550 BCE – 1295 BCE, Great Hymn to Osiris (Stela of Amenmose, Louvre C 286) line 1:

     dwꜣ wsjr jn jmj-r mnmnt [n(t) jmn jmn-]ms nbt-pr nfrt-jrj […]

     Worship of Osiris by the overseer of the cattle [of Amon, Amen]mose, and the mistress of the house Nefertari […]

3. introduces an emphasized subject (one that serves as the rheme of the clause), when not a personal pronoun
   1. introduces the emphasized (non-participial) element in a participial statement, when not a personal pronoun

Usage notes

Introduces the subject or topic of the sentence. The agent it introduces cannot be a personal pronoun.

Allen considers this preposition to be ‘probably the same word’ as the above interrogative particle.

Derived terms

• .jn
• jn (quotative particle)

Etymology 2

Univerbation of j (“to say”) +‎ (.w) (third-person masculine singular stative ending) +‎ jn (“by”, the preposition above). The feminine form is a univerbation of j (“to say”) +‎ .t(j) (third-person feminine singular stative ending) +‎ jn (“by”, the preposition above), and the plural and dual are derived from the perfect of the verb j (“to say”) with a third-person plural or dual suffix pronoun (.sn or .snj, respectively).

Pronunciation

• (modern Egyptological) IPA^(key): /in/
  • Conventional anglicization: in

Particle

 quotative

1. (with following noun indicating the speaker) marks a non-future direct quotation; says, said

Usage notes

Like the other quotatives kꜣ, ḫr, and ḫrw.fj, this word either follows the entire quotation that it marks or is inserted near its start (but never at its start).

This quotative is common in Old and Late Egyptian but restricted to archaic religious texts in Middle Egyptian.

Inflection

Reflecting its verbal origin, this particle’s form can vary depending on the person and number of the speaker:

Declension of jn

	masculine	feminine
singular	, , etc. jn, j-jn	j.t-jn
dual	j.n.snj	j.n.snj
plural	j.n.sn	j.n.sn

With the plural form j.n.sn and the dual form j.n.snj, the following noun indicating the speaker is optional.

Alternative forms

Alternative hieroglyphic writings of the masculine singular of jn  

j-jn	j-jn	j-jn	j-jn

References

• James P[eter] Allen (2010) Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 2nd edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, pages 78, 86, 90, 128–129, 165, 185, 193, 319–320, 338, 395.
• Faulkner, Raymond Oliver (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Oxford: Griffith Institute, →ISBN