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§§ 31—33.

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Unusual Abbreviations with Liquids. § 31. We have unusual abbreviations in several nouns which are formed from the doubling of a short root ending in r, l, n, m: thus ܫܹܫܱܠܬܴ݁ܐ‎, ܫܹܝܫܱܠܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "chain", from šelšaltā (cf. ܫܽܩ̈ܫܠܷܐ‎ "tape-worms"); ܓܺܝܓ݂ܠܴܐ‎ "wheel"; ܓܰܓܱ݁ܪܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "throat" from gargartā; ܩܹܩܢܳܐ‎, ܩܹܝܩܢܳܐ‎ "plough" from qenqe̊nā; ܫܱܘܫܡܳܢܳܐ‎[1] "an ant", probably from ܫܱܡܫܡܳܢܳܐ‎, and one or two others.

n becoming l in foreign words. § 31b. n beginning a word becomes l in several foreign words, like ܠܘܡܐ‎, along with ܢܘܡܐ‎, from νοῦμμος, nummus; ܠܱܡܜܳܐ‎ with ܢܱܡܜܳܐ‎, from the Persian namat "carpet".

Gutturals.

GUTTURALS.

Falling away of initial ܐ‎. § 32. ܐ‎ for the most part loses in Syriac its consonantal sound. As an initial sound it falls away along with its vowel in many words to which it belongs: ܐ̄ܢܳܫ‎ or ܢܳܫ‎, ܐ̄ܢܳܫܳܐ‎, ܐ̄ܢܳܫܦܺܝܢ‎, ܢܳܫܺܝܢ‎ "man", "men", &c.; ܐܺܚܪܹܝܢ‎ or ܚܪܹܝܢ‎, ܐ̄ܚܪܹܬ݂ܳܐ‎, &c. "another"; ܐ̄ܚܪܴܝܴܐ‎ or ܚܪܴܝܴܐ‎ "last", ܐ̄ܚܪܴܝܬܷ݁ܗ‎ "his last", &c.; ܐ̄ܚܝܳܢܳܐ‎ "related"; ܐ̄ܢܳܐ‎ or ܢܳܐ‎ in certain cases for ܐܷܢܳܐ‎ "I". Even in writing, this ܐ‎ is without exception wanting in ܚܰܪܬ݂ܳܐ‎ "end"; ܚܰܕ‎, ܚܕܳܐ‎ "one" (m. and f.); ܚܳܬ݂ܳܐ‎ "sister"; ܚܶܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "pocket" (bag), and "bearing beam" (rafter) (v. אחד‎); ܬܴܐ‎, ܬܱܘ‎, &c. "come"; ܙܶܠ‎, ܙܶܠܝ‎, &c. "go"; ܘܱܙܳܐ‎, ܘܱܙܬܴܐ‎ "goose", from אֱוַזָּא‎; ܕܶܝܢ‎ (properly "there"[errata 1]) = אֱדַיִן‎.

Treatment of medial ܐ‎. § 33. A. As a medial, ܐ‎ disappears completely according to the usual pronunciation, when it immediately follows a consonant or a mere sheva; and the vowel of the ܐ‎ is transferred to the preceding consonant. Thus (a) ܡܱܜܶܐܒ݂‎ maṭev "makes good" for maṭʾev; ܢܶܫܱܐܠ‎ "demands" for nešʾal; ܣܴܢܳܐܐ‎ "hater"; ܜܰܡܱܐܬ݂‎ "unclean" f. (constr. st.) &c. (b) ܜܶܐܒ‎ "was good" ṭev for ṭe̊ʾev; ܫܐܺܝܠܴܐ‎ šīlā "demanded" (part.); ܦܷܐܐ‎ "beautiful"; ܦܱ̈ܐܒ݂ܳܐ‎ "beautiful" (pl.); ܟܳܐܬ݂ܳܐ‎ "blaming", &c. So too after prefixes: ܕܰܐܒ݂ܳܐ‎ "of the father", from ܐܱܒܳܐ‎ + ܕ‎; ܠܾܐܘܡܳܢܳܐ‎ "to the artificer" lummānā; ܘܷܐܟ݂ܰܠ‎ "and ate"; ܒܱܐܝܕ݁ܳܐ‎ "in what? (f.)" &c. In writing, such an ܐ‎ is always left out in ܒܺܝܫ‎ "bad", from בְאִישׁ‎, in ܡܱܠܷܦ݂‎, ܬܱܠܷܦ݂‎ "teaches", "teachest", &c. for מְאַלֵּף‎, &c.; farther, generally in the compound ܐܴܦܷܢ‎ for ܐܴܦ݂ ܐܷܢ‎ "although".

  1. ↑ This vocalisation with au is much better supported than that with u (ܫܽܘܫܡܳܢܳܐ‎).
Errata:
  1. ↑ Correction: "there" should be amended to "then": detail
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