Page:Compendious Syriac Grammar.djvu/65

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§ 40.
— 27 —

produce the natural calls of these birds. Other words beginning with ܘ‎ like ܘܱܪܕܳܐ‎ "rose" are foreign or uncertain.

B. ܘ‎ and ܝ‎ have both of them too much of the nature of vowels to be able to stand as true consonants in the end of a syllable; they always form in that case simple vowels or diphthongs, thus: ܫܽܘܘܕܳܝܴܐ‎ "promise" (with ܫܱܘܕܺܝšaudī "promised") šūdāyā, not šuvdāyā, for it was frequently even written with just one ܘ‎)[1]; ܠܱܘlau "not", not lav (from lā-ū, lāhū § 38); ܘܪܱܘ‎ (East-Syrian ܘܪܵܘ‎) "called" qe̊rau; ܓܰܠܺܝܘ‎ "revealed" (3 pl.) gallīu (not gallīv)[2]; ܒܱܝܬܴܐ‎ "house" baitā; ܩܳܝܡܺܝܢ‎ "rise" qāimīn; ܐܘܿܪܗܳܝܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "Edessena" Orhāitā, &c.

C. ܝ‎ without a full vowel always becomes ī in the beginning of the syllable. In the beginning of a word ܐܝ‎ is often written for it; thus ܝܺܬܷܒ‎, ܐܺܝܬܷܒīthev "sat", from יְתֵב; ܝܺܕܱܥ‎, ܐܻܝܕܰܥīδaʿ "knew", from יְדַע; ܝܺܕܰܥܬ݂ܳܐ‎, ܐܝܕܥܬܐ‎ "knowledge"; ܝܺܪܱܚ‎, ܐܻܝܪܱܚ‎ "month" (emphatic state ܝܱܪܚܳܐ‎); farther, ܘܺܝܬܷܒ‎ or ܘܐܝܬܒ‎, ܕܝܕܥܬܐ‎ or ܕܐܝܕܥܬܐ‎ &c. In later times the ܐ‎ is not so often written in such cases as it was in earlier days. But still the ܐ‎ is always found in ܐܻܝܩܳܪܴܐ‎ "honour", ܐܻܝܕܳܐ‎ "hand", ܐܻܝܡܳܡܳܐ‎ "day", and thus in ܒܺܐܝܕܳܐ‎, ܠܻܐܝܡܳܡܳܐ‎ &c. On ܝܽܗ̄ܘܕܳܝܴܐ‎ along with ܝܺܗܽܘܕܳܝܳܐ‎, and ܝܱܗ̄ܒ‎ instead of ܝܺܗܰܒ‎ v. § 38.

So too, within the word, ܢܷܬ݂ܺܝܗܶܒ‎ "is given", from נֶתְיְהֵב;‎ ܚܰܕܺܝܗܘܿܢ‎ "their breast", from הַדְיְהוֹן (ܚܰܕܝܴܐ‎); ܟܽܘܣܺܝܬ݂ܳܐ‎ "cap", from כוּסְיְתָא; ܫܓ݂ܽܘܫܺܝܗܘܿܢ‎ "their commotion", from ܫܓܽܘܫܝܳܐ‎, &c.

In a closed syllable ye or yi becomes ī in ܐܻܝܬ݂‎ "exists", and in the foreign names ܐܻܣܪܴܝܷܠ‎ or ܝܺܣܪܴܝܷܠ‎ "Israel"; ܐܻܫܡܱܥܷܝܠ‎ "Ismael" (both with orthographic variants); ܐܻܝܙܰܪܥܷܝܠ‎ (for יִזְרְעַאל); and ܐܻܝܣܚܳܩ‎. Quite exceptionally, other forms are found, v. § 175 A, Rem.

For ܝܷܫܽܘܥ‎ "Jesus" the Nestorians say ܝܼܫܘܿܥĪšōʿ.


  1. Vice versâ,—because ܫܘܘ‎ was pronounced like ܫܘ‎, the words pronounced šukōnō, šudōlō were in later times written ܫܘܘܟܢܐ‎, ܫܘܘܕܠܐ‎, where the doubled ܘ‎ had no etymological foundation, since these words in their fundamental form are šukkānā, šuddālā, and belong to šakken "presented", and šaddel "enticed".
  2. The barbarous custom of pronouncing ו in the end of a syllable like a German w or indeed an f, instead of giving it a vowel sound (e. g. אביו aβīu, מלכיו me̊lākhāu), should be given up in Hebrew too.