Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2007 18:16:01 -0500 (GMT-05:00)
From: Grant and Lucia Hicks <ghicks02@sprynet.com>
To: Ancient Egyptian Language List <AEgyptian-L@rostau.org.uk>
Subject: AEL query:  placement of pw in 'A pw' and 'A pw B' sentences

Dear list participants,

There hasn't been much traffic on this list since I joined several weeks ago, 
but I'm hoping there's someone listening who can help me with a few questions 
regarding the placement of "pw" in "A pw" and "A pw B" sentences.

Both Gardiner and Allen say that in an "A pw" sentence, the pw stands as close to 
the beginning of the sentence as possible.  Allen specifically says, "in some cases, 
pw can stand 'inside' A if A is a noun phrase with parts that can be separated".  
As far as I can see, the only example either author gives of "parts that _cannot_ be separated" 
are the components of a direct genitive.

Q1:  Can a prepositional nisbe and its object be separated?  For example,

	jmt pw jb.j	it is what is in my heart

Allen 8.7 says that adjectives can come between the nisbe and its object to prevent 
ambiguity, so strictly they're separable, but pw seems somehow different.  This may 
simply be because a word-for-word translation of a sentence like "sxtj pw n sxt-HmAt" 
almost works as an English sentence ("A peasant, he is, of the Wadi Natrun") whereas 
"jmt pw jb.j" does not (x"that which is in, it is, my heart"), in which case I should 
probably just ignore my intuition.

Q2:  In a noun phrase consisting of ntt plus an adverbial phrase, is there any reason 
not to slip a pw in after ntt?  I'm thinking of a phrase like

	ntt pw m jb.j	it is what is in my heart

Again, I may be having trouble with this because x"what exists, it is, in my heart" doesn't 
work in English. and not for any reason having to do with Egyptian grammar itself.

Q3:  Is the placement of pw any different in A pw B sentences?

	jmt pw jb.j Ddt.n.j	what I said is what is in my heart
	ntt pw m jb.j Ddt.n.j	"

Q4:  Do "jmt" and "ntt m" differ at all in meaning or usage?

Many thanks for whatever help anyone can provide.

Grant Hicks
ghicks02@sprynet.com
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