The ruling class of Meroe (Kush) spoke a Cushitic language

[Defendant]

R Haaland (2014)

Source: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...WMAB6BAgAEAE&usg=AOvVaw0B8nQ65dMQksqRertBhZI1

 

[James Dahl]

I don't think anyone has successfully translated enough Meroitic to determine the language family. The hypothesis of the modern Beja being the descendants of Meroe is a strong theory that I personally subscribe to but Meroitic has not been translated, that's the facts.

 

[Defendant]

I don't think anyone has successfully translated enough Meroitic to determine the language family. The hypothesis of the modern Beja being the descendants of Meroe is a strong theory that I personally subscribe to but Meroitic has not been translated, that's the facts.

Some of it has been deciphered and translated and that's what we are going by. There has been attempted classifications of it being Cushitic or Nilo Saharan in the past with the most up to date leaning towards Cushitic.

 

[Grant]

I don't think anyone has successfully translated enough Meroitic to determine the language family. The hypothesis of the modern Beja being the descendants of Meroe is a strong theory that I personally subscribe to but Meroitic has not been translated, that's the facts.

Have you seen this?

https://www.academia.edu/36487882/TOWARDS_THE_TRANSLATION_OF_MEROITIC_TEXTS_PROSPECTS_AND_METHODS

 

[James Dahl]

No can you give me the gist of it?

 

[Grant]

No can you give me the gist of it?

He says Meroitic is an eastern Sudanic language, related to Eastern (Nara, Nubian, Meroitic), Taman and Nyima.



"Trigger’s hopes that Meroitic could be at last related to a definite
African language family have been fulfilled
3
. The present paper aims at determining theimpact of this discovery on the study of Meroitic texts. How does this comparative methodwork ? How can it help for the translation of Meroitic texts ? Will it make the use of the
philological method (Trigger’s “contextual analysis”)
obsolete ?
1
Bruce Graham Trigger was to pass away on December 1
st
, 2006, hardly two months after the Warsawconference. This paper is dedicated to the memory of this brilliant scholar, whose work in our field, though tooshort in time, has had a lasting impact on the progress of Meroitic studies. Among other achievements, he wasthe first to suggest that Meroitic was an Eastern Sudanic language, although, according to his own words, thisassumption was based on uncertain evidence (Trigger 1973, 262-263). I extend my thanks to Janice Yellin forkindly editing my English text.
2
The comprehensive publication of the
Répertoire
did not begin before 2000. These three volumes include onlyan illustrated catalogue of the texts, with archaeological descriptions and complete bibliographical lists (Leclant
et al.
2000). Three further volumes are currently in preparation, including for each text its transcription, dating,analysis and tentative translation whenever possible. The last volume will include an updated version of the
REM Index
. Several copies of this index, including 6602 « words », were printed in 1975 and handed out to the participants of the third Conference for Nubian studies at Chantilly.
3
In a personal communication to the author (30/01/04), Bruce Trigger commented the first account of this
discovery (Rilly 2003c) by saying: “In my opinion, you make a very strong and convincing case for the linguistic
affinities of Meroitic. I hope this will lead you quickly to the breakthrough in the informed translating of
Meroitic texts that everyone has been hoping for.”

 

[James Dahl]

Word glossary identification? That's really sketchy, especially without a syntax match, this is no translation of Meroitic it's just another theory.

I doubt the East Sudanic theory, the Nubians invaded what became Nubia and conquered it from the Kasu, this is confirmed in both Roman and Ethiopian historical records, moving from the Nuba mountains into the upper Nile Valley. While it is theoretically possible that the Kasu also spoke an Eastern Sudanic language, I think the Beja theory is stronger.