The feminine plural-forms of the finite verb and of the predicative adjective take ◌̈, e. g. ܟܬܱܒ̈ܝ‎ "they (fem.) wrote", ܢܷܟܬ̈ܒܳܢ‎ "they (fem.) write" (Impf.), ܛܳܒ̈ܳܢ‎ "are good (f.)". Only, these points are generally wanting, when the 3^rd pl. fem. in the perfect is written like the 3^rd sing. masc. (§ 50 B).

With the numerals there is a good deal of fluctuation. The rule that only feminine numbers of the second decade,—because they end in the plural in ē,—are to be supplied with ◌̈, is seldom strictly followed. Numerals with ܪ‎ generally take ◌̈; farther, all which end in ܢܢ‎,—in particular ܬܪ̈ܢܢ‎, ܬܱܪ̈ܬܷܢܢ‎ "two". The plural sign is the rule in numerals which have a possessive suffix (§ 149).

C. Generally speaking, a tolerable uniformity is found,—and that in old manuscripts,—only in cases under A; in cases under B, these manuscripts often omit the sign ◌̈, where it should stand, and employ it instead in other cases, but without consistency, e. g. in the masc. of the finite verb, as ܐܫܟ̈ܚܘ‎ "they (masc.) found"; ܕܢܬܩ̈ܕܫܘܢ‎ "that they (masc.) may be sanctified".^[1]

D. The position of the points ◌̈ was not thoroughly determined: most frequently they were permitted to rest upon the third or fourth letter from the end of the word. Much depends here on the fancy of the writer; the position most favoured is over those letters which do not rise high above the line. With the point of the letter ܪ‎ the plural sign generally blends into ܪ̈‎, e. g. ܡܳܪ̈ܘܳܬܴܐ‎ "lords" ; ܫܱܪܻܝܪ̈ܐ‎ "true" ; still there are found also ܝܱ̈ܩܺܝܪܱܝ‎ "revered", ܥܷ̈ܣܪܻܝܢ‎ "twenty", ܩܾ̈ܘܪܝܴܐ‎ "villages", and many others.

Upper and under line. § 17. Here and there a line over the letter is found as a sign of the want of a vowel, e. g. ܦ̄ܠܸܓܘ‎ pe̊leγ "were divided", as contrasted with ܦܱܠܷܓܘ‎ "distributed"; ܠܲܚ̄ܡܝ‎ laḥm "my bread". Oftener this ◌̄ stands as a sign that a consonant is to be omitted in the pronunciation, e. g. ܡܕܝܼܢ̄ܬܵܐ‎ me̊δītā "town", ܒܲܪ̄ܬ݂‎ bath "daughter", ܗ̄ܘܵܐ‎ wā "was". The West-

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