Bohairic

Bohairic is a major dialect of the Coptic language, the final stage of the ancient Egyptian language within the Afro-Asiatic family. It developed in the Nile Delta region of Egypt and takes its name from the Bohairis area, the homeland of its speakers. Bohairic became the dominant Coptic dialect for writing and liturgy from late antiquity onward and is closely associated with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

Historically, Bohairic gradually overtook other dialects in ecclesiastical use, while Sahidic remained prominent in literary circles of Upper Egypt. From late antiquity through the medieval period, Bohairic texts—especially liturgical and doctrinal writings—formed a large portion of surviving Coptic literature. Today, Bohairic remains the liturgical language of the Alexandrian church and is a focus of scholarly study for understanding late antique Egypt and early Christian Egypt.

Like other Coptic dialects, Bohairic is written with the Coptic script, which uses a Greek-based alphabet supplemented by Demotic signs. Manuscripts exhibit regional spelling conventions and dialectal phonetic features, helping scholars distinguish Bohairic from other dialects such as Sahidic.

Linguistically, Bohairic preserves core Coptic grammar and shows distinctive regional vocabulary and pronunciation characteristics tied to the Nile Delta. Its texts are important for textual criticism, liturgical studies, and the history of Christian Egypt.

See also: Coptic language, Sahidic, Coptic Orthodox Church, Coptic script.