Page:Compendious Syriac Grammar.djvu/67

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§§ 41—43.
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ܡܱܪܩܝܘܿܢΜαρκίων, together with ܡܱܪܩܺܝܘܿܢ‎; ܕܝܱܬܹܝܩܹܐδιαθήκη (along with ܕܺܝܱܬܹܝܩܹܐ‎); ܦܪܷܜܘܿܪܻܝܘܿܢπραιτόριον (and ܦܪܷܜܘܿܪܻܝܢ‎) &c.

ܘ‎ and ܝ‎ as representing the 2nd and 3rd radical. § 41. In Semitic inflection ā appears instead of a theoretical aya, or awa, e. g. qām(a) "stood", like qaṭal(a) "killed"; galāt (Syriac ge̊lāth) "she revealed", like qaṭalat: ī instead of awī, e. g. qīm "stood (part.)" for qawīm, &c.

But in these cases the question turns very little indeed upon actual sound-transitions. Of quite predominant importance here, are those ancient analogical modes of formation, which mount up to a time long before the separation of the several individual Semitic tongues.

2. Vowels.

2. VOWELS.

LONG AND SHORT VOWELS IN OPEN AND CLOSED SYLLABLES.

Long vowels. § 42. Long vowels in open syllables remain unshortened. Syriac however has closed syllables with long vowels, even in the middle of the word, e. g. ܩܳܡܬ݁ܘܿܢ‎ "ye stood" (2. m. pl.), ܐܱܩܺܝܡܬ݁ܘܿܢ‎ "ye raised", and later formations like ܒܪܻܝܟ݂ܬܴ݁ܐ‎ (first from be̊rīkhe̊thā) "benedicta", ܝܴܬ݂ܒܻ݁ܝܢ‎ "sit" (part.), ܐܱܥܻܝܪܬܷ݁ܗ‎ "I awoke him", &c. The East-Syrians have a marked inclination to shorten long vowels in closed syllables, and accordingly they often write straight away ܥܲܠܡ̈ܝܼܢ‎ "eternities", for ܥܵܠܡ̈ܝܼܢ‎, ܥܴܠܡܻ̈ܝܢ‎, &c., and so too in the final syllables of ܐܸܬܲܬ‎ for ܐܸܬ݂ܵܬ݂‎ "she came", (ܐܷܬ݂ܳܬ݂‎), &c. On the other hand they incline to lengthen short vowels in an open syllable, if these are exceptionally retained, and thus, e. g., regularly write ܐܲܪܡܝܵܬܹܗ‎ "she threw it (m.)" for ܐܱܪܡܝܱܬ݂ܶܗ‎.

Rem.—As they have ceased to notice that the ◌ܵ‎, which they perhaps write in ܟܵܬܒܝܼܢ‎ but pronounce short, is a long vowel, they set down now and then ◌ܵ‎ for short a, e. g. ܡܵܠܦܝܼܢ‎ for ܡܲܠܦܝܼܢ‎, ܡܱܠܦܺܝܢ‎ "they teach" (part.).

Short vowels. § 43. A. Short vowels in closed syllables remain; but in open syllables short vowels have, in Aramaic, at a very early stage passed mostly into sheva mobile. This occurrence is precisely what has given the language its characteristic stamp. Thus, for instance, ܩܜܰܠqe̊ṭal from qaṭal "killed"; ܕܗܰܒ݂‎ from dahav (cf. ܕܰܗܒ݂ܳܐ‎) "gold"; ܡܱܡܠܟ݂ܺܝܢ‎ from mamlīkhīn