— 18 —
§ 23.
F. The quite peculiar Q. of ܫܬܴ݁ܐ, ܫܬܻܳܝܢ (along with ܐܷܫܬܴ݁ܐ, ܐܷܫܬܻ݁ܝܢ) "six", "sixty" points to the loss of a sheva in remote times [v. D].
G. Like ܚܶܡܬ݂ܳܐ "anger" we also have ܚܶܡܬ݂ܝ, ܚܶܡܬ݂ܗܘܿܢ "my, their anger"; here farther, analogy in this way breaks through the old law, that Q. must stand immediately after a consonant [v. C]. Thus ܕܰܗܒ݂ܝ, ܕܰܗܒ݂ܗܘܿܢ "my, their gold", following ܕܰܗܒ݂ܳܐ "gold" (from dahăvā), and many others. Thus the ܬ of the 3. sing. fem. in the Perf. (at least according to the usual pronunciation) remains always soft: ܩܜܰܠܬ݂ܶܗ "she has killed him", ܩܜܰܠܬ݂ܰܢܝ "she has killed me" (as against ܩܜܰܠܬܷ݁ܗ "I have killed him", &c.). On the other hand the ܬ of the 2. pers. in the Perf. is kept hard in all circumstances, thus ܩܜܰܠܬ݁ "thou hast killed" (and ܐܱܢ̄ܬ݁ "thou"), as well as ܓܰܠܻܝܬ݁ "thou hast revealed", ܓܰܠܻܬ݁ܝ "thou (f.) hast revealed"; ܓܰܠܻܝܬ݁ܘܿܢ, ܓܰܠܻܝܬܷ݁ܝܢ "Ye (m. and f.) have revealed" &c.
In other respects too we find remarkable deviations from the fundamental rules, e. g. in ܐܱܪ̈ܒܳܥܼܬ݁ܝܗܶܝܢ (§ 149) "they four (f.)" or "the four of them", where ܬ݂ might have been expected. Although the fundamental rules are still clear, they became practically ineffective even at an early stage; and thus it came about that entirely similar cases often received dissimilar treatment. Besides, fluctuations of all kinds in the dialects and in the school-tradition, manifest themselves in the matter of R. and Q.[1]
- ↑ Even the best MSS. are not entirely free from error in their use of these points.—And in one or two cases, a distinction, founded upon R. and Q., has been established between words consisting of the same letters,—just through arbitrary pre-