Page:Compendious Syriac Grammar.djvu/60

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— 22 —
§§ 28—30.
Liquids.

LIQUIDS.

n. § 28. N, as first radical, is almost always assimilated to the consonant immediately following it: ܐܱܦܷ݁ܩ‎ "brought out", from anpeq; ܢܷܦ݁ܘܿܩ‎ "goes out", from nenpoq; ܡܱܚܶܬ‎ "brings down", from manḥeth; ܬܷܨܘܿܒ‎ "plantest", from tenṣov, &c. Exception is made when ܗ‎ follows: ܢܷܢܗܰܡ‎ "roars"; ܢܷܢܗܰܪ‎ "grows clear"; ܡܱܢܗܰܪ‎ "lights", &c. (yet ܢܷܗܰܙ‎ "thrusts" from nenhaz), and in other very rare cases (§ 173 A).

As second radical, n is assimilated in some nouns: ܥܷܩܳܐ‎ "necklace"; ܠܷܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "oppression"; ܐܱܦܷ݁̈ܐ‎ "face"; ܓܰܒܴ݁ܐ‎ "side"; ܐܱܦ݁ܬ݂ܳܐ‎ "occasion"; ܫܷܕ݁ܬ݂ܳܐ‎ "foundation", from ʿenqā &c.,—as against ܟܷܢܫܳܐ‎ "congregation"; ܕܽܘܢܒܴ݁ܐ‎, ܕܽܘܢܒ݁ܬ݂ܳܐ‎ "tail", which originally must have had a short vowel after the n, &c.

Farther, n loses its sound in many cases before ܬܴ݁ܐ‎ of the feminine ending: ܓܦ݂ܶܬܴܐge̊fettā from ge̊fentā "vine"; ܓܒ݂ܶܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "cheese"; ܠܒ݂ܶܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "brick"; ܠܓܶܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "a field-measure"; ܬܹܐܬܴ݁ܐ‎, ܬܹܬܴ݁ܐ[1] "fig"; and with n still written, in ܡܕܺܝܢ̄ܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "town"; ܣܦ݂ܺܝܢ̄ܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "ship"; ܙܒܱܢ̄ܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "a time"; ܫܱܢ̄ܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "year"; and in ܠܒ݂ܘܼܢ̄ܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "incense", the n of which is still pronounced by others.

In ܓܰܢ̄ܒܴ݁ܪܴܐgabbārā "hero", the nasal which serves as compensation for the doubling has been stroked out later.

On the dropping off of the n in the Imperative v. § 171 C, and in certain substantives, § 105.

l. § 29. L falls away when next to another l, in ܡܱܡܠ̄ܠܴܐmamlā "speech", written also in fact ܡܡܠܐ‎; and in ܡܱܜܠ̄ܠܐmaṭlā "covering". Thus most Syrians say ܩܘܿܒܠܠܐqovlā "countenance" (others qovelā).

It farther falls away in many forms which come from ܐܷܙܰܠ‎ "to go" (v. § 183), as also in forms from ܣܠܷܩ‎ (v. same section).

r. § 30. R falls out in ܒܱܪ̄ܬ݂‎ "daughter", construct state—(but not in the emphatic state ܒܱܪܬ݂ܳܐ‎).


  1. Thus, with hard ܬ‎ according to the best tradition. Probably the sing. of ܟܷܣ̈ܢܶܐ‎ "corals" was pronounced as ܟܣܷܬܴ݁ܐ‎ (Talmudic כסיתא).