Page:Compendious Syriac Grammar.djvu/59

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§ 27.
— 21 —

An ܜ‎ or ܕ‎ falls away before the ܬ݁‎ of a suffix in cases like ܥܱܒܻ݁ܝܜܬܴ݁ܐʿabbītā (or ʿabbittā?; West-Syr. doubtless ʿabītō) "thick (f.)"; ܦܫܺܝܜܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "simple (f.)"; ܫܳܜܬ݁ܘܿܢ‎ "ye despised"; ܠܴܜܬ݁‎ "thou didst curse", ܐܱܫܠܷܜܬܴ݁ܝܗ̄ܝ‎ "gavest him power"; ܥܹܕܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "Church"; ܡܨܺܝܕܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "net"; ܥܒ݁ܕܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "work"; ܐܷܒ݂ܰܕܬܷ݁ܝܢ‎ "ye (f.) perished"; ܦܱܩܷܕܬ݁ܟ݂ܘܿܢ‎ "I commanded you"; ܥܟܱܕܬ݁‎ "didst", and many others. In just the same way a pair of ܬ‎'s coalesce, in words like ܐܱܒ݂ܗܶܬ݁ܬ݁avhet or avhetht "madest ashamed"; ܐܱܒ݂ܗܶܬ݁ܬܴ݁ܢ‎ "madest us ashamed" &c. The marking with R. and Q. varies; in effect, in all these cases only hard ܬ‎ remains. For ܚܕܰܬܬܴ݁ܐḥe̊δattā "nova", one writes ܚܕܰܬܴ݁ܐ‎ straight away, and ܚܕܽܘܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "bride" for ܚܕܽܘܬ݂ܬܴ݁ܐ‎.

Radical ܕ‎ falls away before ܬ‎ in ܚܰܕ݂ܬ݂ܳܐ‎, ܚܱܿܕ݂ܬ݂ܳܐ‎, ܚܰܕ݂ܬ݂ܽܘܬ݂ܳܐ‎: pronounce ḥathā &c., "novus" &c.

C. A final ܬ‎ has early dropped off in the absolute state of Feminines: ā coming from ath, ū from ūth, ī from īth, e. g. ܜܳܒ݂ܳܐ‎ "bona"; ܜܳܒ݂ܽܘ‎ "bonitas"; ܬܱܘܕ݁ܺܝ‎ "confession"; in their construct state the ܬ‎ remains: ܜܳܒ݂ܰܬ݂‎, ܜܳܒ݂ܽܘܬ݂‎, ܬܱܘܕܺܝܬ݂‎; and so also in the singular cases of ܘܠܴܢܺܝܬ݂‎ "a certain (f.)", and in many adverbs (§ 155).

D. Unusual is the assimilation found in ܓܶܦܴܐ‎ "wing" from geδpā, as also the falling out in ܗܳܢܳܐ‎ from hāδĕnā, and in other pronouns (§§ 67 Rem. 1; 68 Rem. 2).

LABIALS.

Labials. § 27. ܦ݂ܬ‎ and ܒ݂ܬ‎ are sometimes interchangeable. Thus ܙܶܒ݂ܬܴ݁ܐ‎ frequently occurs for ܙܶܦ݂ܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "pitch"; and occasionally on the other hand e. g. ܜܘܦܬܢܐ‎ is found for ܜܽܘܒ݂ܬ݂ܳܢܳܐ‎ "happy", and ܥܪܘܦܬܐ‎ for ܥܪܽܘܒ݂ܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "Friday". The East-Syrians have, from remote times, pronounced ܒ݂‎ quite like ܘ‎ (w, u); av accordingly becomes au, uv, ū, e. g. ܫܘܼܒ݂ܚܵܐšūḥā. They also pronounce ܦ݂‎ like ܘ‎, in cases where they leave it unusually soft and do not turn it into p (§ 23 A). Generally this transition is found in ܪܱܘܪ̈ܒ݂ܺܝܢ‎ "magni", ܪܱܘܪ̈ܒ݂ܳܢܶܐ‎ "magnates"; ܪܱܘܪܷܒ‎ "made great", for רַבְּֿרְבִין,‎ רַבְֿרְבָנֵי,‎ רַבְֿרֵב‎ (§ 146). Compare ܫܱܘܫܡܳܢܳܐ‎ "an ant" from ܫܱܡܫܡܳܢܳܐ‎ (§ 31).