Page:Compendious Syriac Grammar.djvu/73

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§ 50.
— 35 —

oculo = coram) even in an open syllable ܠܥܹܝܢܘ̈ܗ̄ܝ‎, ܠܥܹܢܘ̈ܗ̄ܝ‎ &c. coram eo; but only in the prepositional use; for example, otherwise, ܠܥܱܝ̈ܢܱܘܗ̄ܝ‎ "to his eyes".

ܡܱܘܬ݁ܗܘܿܢ‎, ܡܱܘܬ݁ܝ‎ "their, my death", ܥܱܝܢܟ݂ܘܿܢ‎ "your eye", &c. form no exception, for in these cases it was only in the last development that the syllable became a closed one. Thus also is explained perhaps the retention of the ai before suffixes, in forms like ܡܱ̈ܠܟܱܝܟ݁‎ (from malkaikā), ܡܱ̈ܠܟܱ݁ܝܢ‎ (from malkainā) "thy, our kings", and in verbal forms like ܓܠܱܝܬ݁‎ and ܓܠܱܝܢ‎ (from ge̊laitā, ge̊lainā) "thou didst reveal", "we revealed". In ܠܱܝܬ݁‎ "is not", from ܠܴܐ ܐܻܝܬ݂‎, the diphthong is of more recent origin. On the other hand we have simplification in ܬܘܿܪܬܴ݁ܐ‎, ܬܽܘܪܬ݁ܐ‎ "cow", from taure̊thā, and in East-Syrian ܠܹܠܝܵܐ‎, ܠܸܠܝܵܐlēlyā, lelyā, West-Syrian ܠܠܝܳܐ‎, usually ܠܻܠܝܳܐ‎ from laile̊yā "night". So too in ܒܹܝܥܬ݂ܳܐ‎, ܒܹܥܬܴܐ‎ "egg" from baiʿe̊thā, pi. ܒܹ݁ܥܷܐ‎, ܒܹ̈ܝܥܷܐ‎.

B. The East-Syrians for the most part write ◌ܵܘ‎ for ◌ܰܘ‎, and much more rarely ◌ܲܘ‎. So also in cases where the w is virtually doubled, as in ܚܵܘܝܼ‎ = ܚܰܘܺܝחַוִּי "pointed out"; ܬܩܵܘܹܐתְקַוֵּא "thou remainest"; ܟܵܘܹ̈ܐ‎ = ܟܱܘܷ̈ܐ‎ "windows", &c. Thus too in ܡܵܪ̈ܵܘܵܬܵܐ‎ = ܡܳܪ̈ܰܘܳܬܴܐ‎ "Lords", and other plurals of that kind; farther in cases like ܐܲܫܩܵܐܘܼܗ̄ܝ‎ = ܐܱܫܩܱܬܾܘܗ̄ܝ‎ "give ye him to drink"; ܙܟ݂ܵܐܘܼܢܝ‎ = ܙܟܱܐܾܘܢܝ‎ "they overthrew me" (§ 192).

Sometimes on the other hand they write ◌ܲ‍ܝ‎ for ◌ܳ‍ܝ‎, e. g. serto‎ for serto‎ "barefooted", and always in the Imperative ܩܜܘܿܠܲܝܗ̄ܝ‎ = ܩܜܽܘܠܴܝܗ̄ܝ‎ "kill him".

The West-Syrians also write an au produced by ā and u coming together,—with the vowel-sign ◌ܰ‎, e. g. ܡܱܠܟܱܐ ܗ̄ܘmalkau "is king", although the separate members are ܗܽܘ‎ + ܡܱܠܟܳܐ‎. With them indeed ܡܱܠܟܳܐ ܗ̄ܘ‎ would have the sound malkōu.

Loss of vowels.

LOSS OF VOWELS.

§ 50. A. Final vowels coming immediately after the original tone-syllable have all fallen away. This happened to ā even before the settlement of the orthography, thus ܠܱܢ‎ from lánā "to us" ; ܐܱܢ̄ܬ‎ from á(n)tā "thou" ; ܩܜܰܠܬ݁‎ from qe̊ṭáltā "hast killed", &c. (but ܡܱܠܟܳܐmalkā "king", &c). Other final vowels too have at quite an early date thus fallen away,

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