Chronology
A proposed donor form must be attested early enough, or its earlier existence argued independently. A later manuscript copy can preserve an older word, so distinguish object date from composition date. Borrowing direction is difficult when both communities shared a region for centuries; state competing explanations.
Distribution
Track where a candidate form appears: royal inscriptions, school texts, private letters or everyday objects. A word restricted to administrative documents may reflect a technical register rather than ordinary speech. Multiple independent tokens are stronger than one uncertain reading.
Scripts and speakers
Changing script does not prove a language was replaced. Coptic’s Greek-derived letters and Demotic-derived additions show script adaptation within Egyptian. Conversely, an administrative language may change while households continue speaking other languages. Keep language genealogy, writing practice and social domain as separate questions.
Modern-language examples on this page clarify a linguistic pattern. They do not establish unattested sounds or forms for an ancient language. Follow the cited sources below and keep editorial readings separate from the surviving trace.