Page:Compendious Syriac Grammar.djvu/69

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§ 44.
— 31 —

from ܡܱܠܟܳܐ‎ + ܕ‎ + ܘ‎; ܘܱܠܕ݂ܰܒ݂ܩܷܜܠܴܐ‎ "and to him that is involved in murder", from ܩܷܜܠܴܐ‎ + ܒ‍‎ + ܕ‎ + ܠ‍‎ + ܘ‎; ܘܱܒ݂ܕ݂ܰܩܜܰܠ‎ from ܩܜܰܠ‎ + ܕ‎ + ܒ‍‎ + ܘ‎, &c. (but of course ܠܕ݂ܰܒ݂ܩܷܜܠܴܐ‎, ܒܕ݂ܰܘܩܜܰܠ‎, &c.).

If the second consonant of such a word is an ܐ‎, then the prefix usually takes the vowel: ܘܱܡܳܐܐ‎ "and a hundred" wamā from wamʾā = מְאָא‎ + ו;‎ ܕܰܠܻܐܝ‎ "who wearied" dalī from dalʾī; ܘܱܐܣܱܐܢ‎ "and put on thy shoes" wasan from wasʾan, &c. And yet, along with these are also found, though ignoring the ܐ‎, forms like ܘܫܷܐܒ‎ "and demanded" we̊šel = we̊ + šʾel (along with ܘܱܫܷܐܠ‎); thus, in particular, we most frequently have ܘܡܱܐܣܷܐ‎, ܘܢܰܐܣܷܐ‎, ܠܡܱܐܣܴܝܽܘ‎, and other forms from ܐܱܣܺܝ‎ "to heal".

When two such prefixes stand before initial ܐ‎, the ܐ‎ is generally neglected, e. g. ܘܒܱܐܝܢܳܐ‎ "and in whom or what?", from ܐܱܝܢܳܐ‎ + ܒ‍‎ + ܘ‎; ܘܠܷܐܡܳܟ‎ "and to thy mother"; ܠܕ݂ܶܐܬ݁ܕ݁ܰܟ݂ܪܱܢ‎ "to him who remembered us"; ܘܠܱܐܠܴܗܳܐ‎ "et Deo", &c.—More rarely with ◌ܰ‎: ܠܱܕ݂ܰܐܗܡܺܝ‎ "to him who neglected", from ܐܱܗܡܺܝ‎ + ܕ‎ + ܠ‍‎; ܕܰܒܽܐܘܪܚܳܐ‎ "he who is on the way", &c. The same fluctuation is found with ܐܻܝ‎, ܝܻ‎, from ye: ܕܒ݂ܺܐܝܕ݂ܳܐ‎ "who or what is in hand"; ܘܼܒ݂ܺܐܝ̈ܕ݂ܰܝܟ݁ܘܿܢ‎, with ܕܰܒ݂ܺܐܝ̈ܕ݂ܰܘܗ̄ܝ‎, ܕܿܠܝܼܫܘܿܥ‎ (East-Syrian § 40 C); ܕܰܒܺܝܕܰܥܬܷܗ‎, &c.

Rem. The old poets express themselves in all these cases either with or without the a according to the requirements of the verse.

An ܝ‎, originating according to § 40 C, yields with such a prefix the forms ܠܻܝ‎, ܒܺܝ‎, &c., e. g. ܘܺܝܕ݂ܰܥ‎ or ܘܐܻܝܕܰܥ‎ "and knew", from ܝܺܕܰܥ‎, ܐܻܝܕܰܥ‎ (= יְדַע) + ܘ‎.

Rem. The Nestorians oddly give the vowel a to the prefixes before ܝܗܘܕܐ‎, ܝܗܘܕܝܐ‎, &c., "Judah, Jew", thus ܠܲܝܗ̈ܘܼܕܵܝܹܐ‎, ܒܲܝܗܘܼܕ‎, ܘܐܲܝܗܘܼܕܵܐ‎, &c.

Some of the most important vowel-changes. ā.

SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT VOWEL-CHANGES.

§ 44. The ā is retained with the East-Syrians, but has become ō with the West-Syrians. The former also set down ◌ܵ‎ for the most part to represent the Greek α, particularly in an open syllable,—for which the West-Syrians prefer to keep ◌ܰ‎.

Before n the transition from ā to ō is partly found even earlier; thus in the sporadically occurring ܬܡܘܢ‎, ܬܡܘܢܐ‎, ܒܣܡ̈ܘܢܐ‎, ܟܦܣܘܢܝܬܐ‎, &c., for ܐܱܡܳܢ‎ "there", ܬܡܳܢܶܐ‎ "eight", ܒܷܣ̈ܡܳܢܶܐ‎ "spices", ܟܷܦܣܴܢܺܝܬܴܐ‎ "menstruans"; in