Bayoumi Andil

Who was Bayoumi Andil?

Bayoumi Andil was an Egyptian linguist, thinker and writer who authored many books on Egyptian culture and Modern Egyptian language. He is one of the most renowned researchers and linguists on the topic of modern Egyptian language.

In his most important book, The present State of Culture in Egypt, Andil points out that Egyptians have attempted to change their national identity and language as well as their national religion since embracing Christianity in the 1st century AD and again after the Arab conquest of Egypt in 641 AD. Andil claims that Egyptians have Egyptianized both Christianity and Islam and argues that the true Egyptian spirit survived only in the oral culture of the illiterate Egyptians, whose illiteracy has protected them and their national identity from annihilation. Andil also published many articles and books, in which he proposed that Modern Masri Egyptian language is nothing but the fourth stage of the languages of the Egyptians, and should not truly be considered a variety of Arabic, but rather a linguistic evolution of the Coptic language and the Ancient Egyptian language.