Page:Compendious Syriac Grammar.djvu/71

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§§ 47. 48.
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This ē became to a large extent ī with the West-Syrians: They said ܢܼܐܡܱܪnīmar "says", ܐ̄ܚܪܹܢܳܐḥe̊rīnō "alius", ܪܝܫܳܐrīšō, ܟܹܐܦܴܐkīfō, ܟܹܐܝܢkīn, &c. Yet they keep the ◌ܶ‎ in ܢܶܐܟ݂ܘܿܠ‎ "eats", ܡܶܐܟ݂ܽܘܠܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "food", ܓܶܐܪܴܐ‎ "arrow", &c.; and there are found still in isolated cases ܢܦܷܐܫܳܐ‎ as well as ܢܦܺܐܫܳܐ‎, ܡܷܐܡܳܐ‎ as well as ܡܺܐܡܳܐ‎ (Inf.) "to swear", ܬܷܐܒ݂ܕ݁ܽܘܢ‎ as well as ܬܻܐܒ݂ܕ݁ܽܘܢ‎ "are lost" (2. m. pl.), &c. (§§ 174 A, 175 B). ܐ‎, ܐܝ‎—or the defective form of writing i,—are (even apart from etymology) in these cases almost invariably certain marks of an original ē. The style of writing of the East-Syrians separates ◌ܹē with tolerable consistency from ܝܼī[1].

In the end of a word the West-Syrian transition from ē to ī, except in ܢܹܐ‎ (= Hebr. נָא) appears only in Greek words in η, e. g. ܕܺܝܱܬ݂ܝܩܺܐ‎ or even ܕܺܝܱܬ݂ܝܩܺܝδιαθήκη for ܕܝܵܬܹܝܩܹܐ‎ of the East-Syrians. Otherwise ◌ܶ‎ remains here: ܓܳܠܷܐ‎ "reveals", ܡܱ̈ܠܟܷܐ‎ "kings", &c.

e. § 47. The short ◌ܸ‎ seems to have been ĕ in the West, from ancient times; in the East it was pronounced sometimes as ĕ, sometimes as ĭ. This difference has no grammatical significance.

A short ĕ may often be lengthened in the concluding syllable through the (original) tone: thus ܕܳܚܶܠ‎ "terrifies"; ܩܷܜܠܷܬ‎ "I killed" (in which cases the second vowel is written by the East-Syrians with ◌ܵ‎) should perhaps be pronounced dāḥḗl, qeṭlḗth: It is the same principle with the monosyllabic ܫܷܠܝ‎ (ܡܶܢ‎) "suddenly" and ܫܷܬ݂‎ "six", for which ܫܝܠ‎ and ܫܝܬ‎ are found in very old MSS. Yet this is not certain; and still less certain is it whether such a lengthening was generally practised. But beyond all doubt ܒܷܪܝ‎ "my son" (§ 146) has a long ē.

ō, o. § 48. The ܘܿ‎ (ō) with the West-Syrians at an early date coincided with ܘܼ‎ (◌ܽܘ‎, ū). It has been retained only in the interjections ܐܘّ‎ and ܐܘܿܝ‎ "oi" (for which others say ܐܾܘܝ‎). Thus we have otherwise ܩܳܜܽܘܠܴܐqōṭūlō for ܩܵܜܘܿܠܵܐqāṭōlā "murder"; ܨܠܽܘܬ݂ܳܐṣe̊lūthō for ܨܠܘܿܬ݂ܳܐṣe̊lōthā "prayer", &c. Moreover such an East-Syrian ܘܿ‎ appears not seldom to be only the result of toning down an original ū, especially in the neighbourhood
  1. Now-a-days the East-Syrians pronounce ◌ܹ‎,—both in cases where it corresponds to the ◌ܶ‎ and in those where it corresponds to the ◌ܺ‎ of the West-Syrians,—for the most part very like ī, and yet in another way than the pointed ܝܼ‎.

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