D. In the middle of the word, ya becomes ī in the adverbial ending āīth, from and along with āyath (§ 155 A). ܘ‎, which appears as an initial letter without a full vowel only in ܘ‎ "and" (A supra), is sometimes treated within a word just like ܝ‎. Thus from remote times there appear as alternative forms ܚܰܝܘܬ݂ܳܐ‎ ḥaiwe̊thā and ܚܰܝܽܘܬ݂ܳܐ‎ ḥayūthā "animal"; ܚܰܕܘܬ݂ܳܐ‎ and ܚܰܕܽܘܬ݂ܳܐ‎ "joy" (§§ 40 D; 101; 145 F)^[1]: forms with ū in these cases have become more usual; while other forms,—for instance, ܠܷܐܽܘܬ݂ܳܐ‎ along with ܠܷܐܘܬ݂ܳܐ‎ (לֵאוְתָא‎) "weariness", ܕܢܲܪܘܼܚܘܼܢ‎ (East-Syrian) along with ܕܢܱܪܘܚܽܘܢ‎ "that they may have room"—occur only in isolated cases.

E. A ܝ‎ after ā, and before another vowel, is pronounced by the East-Syrians like ܐ‎, thus ܚܳܝܷܐ‎ "lives", ܐ̄ܚܪܴܝܱܬ‎ "at last", like ḥāē, ḥe̊rāath, &c.^[2] (thus the converse of § 33 B). Perhaps old modes of writing, like ܪܘܚܢܐܝܢ‎ for ܪܽܘܚܳܢܳܝܺܝܢ‎ "spiritual" (pl.), are founded upon this. If the vowel succeeding ܝ‎, after a or ā, is e or i, then the difference between the highly vocal y and ܐ‎ is hardly perceptible. Whence come the interchangeable forms ܡܱܝܺܝܬ‎ and ܡܱܐܺܝܬ‎ "dead"; ܦܱܝܺܝܫ‎ "remaining" and ܦܱܐܺܝܦ‎ (§ 118); ܐܱܫܩܳܐܺܝܢܝ‎ and ܐܱܫܩܳܝܺܢܝ‎, "give me to drink" (§ 196) &c.: Thus old MSS. have ܫܪܝܪܝܝܬ‎ for ܫܱܪܻܝܪܴܐܻܝܬ‎ "truly" (§ 155 A).

F. In the same way awu and aʾu are scarcely distinguishable by the ear. Accordingly we find, for example, ܪܡܘܘܢ‎ or even ܪܡܐܘܘܢ‎ for ܪܡܱܐܾܘܢ‎ "they threw" (§ 176 E), ܡܚܘܘܗܝ‎ or ܡܚܐܘܘܗܝ‎ for ܡܚܰܐܾܘܗ̄ܝ‎ "they struck him" (§ 192), &c. Similarly, ܡܠܘܘܐ‎ as well as ܡܠܘܿܐܴܐ‎ "matter".

G. ܝ‎ serves in rare cases as a mark of a vowel and a consonant at one and the same time; e. g. in ܢܒܺܝܳܐ‎ ne̊vīyā "prophet" (in which the conclusion must have a sound differing very little indeed from that in ܐܱܬܻ݁ܝܐܴܐ‎ "come", &c); ܫܺܝܽܘܬܴܐ‎ šīyūthā "form"; and in the before-mentioned ܐܱܫܩܳܝܺܢܝ‎ ašqāyīn. Similarly ܩܘܪ̈ܝܝܢ‎ for ܩܽܘܪ̈ܝܴܝܺܝܢ‎ quryāyīn "rustici" (to avoid the triple ܝ‎).

H. The Greek ια, ιω, &c. are sometimes treated as monosyllables, sometimes as dissyllables, for instance: ܗܶܕܝܘܿܜܳܐ‎ ἰδιώτης; ܐܱܟܣܶܢܝܳܐ‎ ξενία,

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