employed as a diacritic mark of the 3^rd sing. fem. of the Perf. e. g. ܩܜܠܬܝ‎ for ܩܷܜܠܱܬ݂‎ "she killed". Such an employment of ܝ‎ in the 3^rd pl. fem. Perf. has gradually come into full use with the West-Syrians; ܩ̈ܜܰܠܝ‎ "they (f.) killed", for the old ܩܜܠ‎ retained by the East-Syrians (from original qe̊ṭálā, not qe̊ṭálī). The employment of ܝ‎ in the 3^rd sing. fem. Imperf.,—coming into view in rather late times,—prevails among the West-Syrians, though not quite so universally; ܬܷܩܜܽܘܠܝ‎, ܬܩܱܜܶܠܝ‎ "she kills", &c, in order to distinguish it from the 2^nd sing, masc, ܬܷܩܜܽܘܠ‎, ܬܩܱܜܶܠ‎ "thou killest": the Nestorians are completely unacquainted with the ܝ‎ in this usage. New vowels and syllables. Vowel prefixed. (Alaf prosthetic).

§ 51. An ܐ‎ with a vowel is sometimes prefixed to an initial consonant which has not a full vowel. Thus ܐܷ‎ in ܐܷܫܬܴ݁ܐ‎ "six", ܐܷܫܬܻ݁ܝܢ‎ "sixty", alongside of ܫܬܴ݁ܐ‎, ܫܬܻ݁ܝܢ‎; ܐܷܫܜܳܪܴܐ‎ "a written bond" along with ܫܜܳܪܴܐ‎, and always ܐܷܫܬܻ݁ܝ‎ "drank"; farther ܐܷܟܒܱܪ‎ "already" sometimes for ܟܒܱܪ‎. Frequently so in Greek words with στ, σπ, like ܐܣܜܪܜܝܐ‎ or ܣܜܪܜܝܐ‎ στρατεία, ܐܣܦܝܪܐ‎ and ܣܦܝܪܐ‎ σπείρα, &c.

The prefix, pretty frequently met with in ancient MSS. before ܪ‎, is probably to be pronounced ܐܱ‎; e. g. ܐܪ̈ܚܝܡܐ‎ for ܪ̈ܚܺܝܡܷܐ‎ "Beloved"; ܐܪܕܝܕܐ‎ for ܪܕܺܝܕܳܐ‎ "upper garment"; ܐܪܩܝܥܐ‎ for ܪܩܺܝܥܴܐ‎^[1] "firmament"; ܐܪܥܐ‎ for ܪܥܷܐ‎ "contented", and many others. So too ܐܚܫܡܝܬܐ‎ for ܚܫܳܡܺܝܬܴܐ‎ "a meal" ; ܐܓܠܝܕܐ‎ for ܓܠܻܝܕܳܐ‎ "ice". In the frequently occurring ܐܾܘܪܩܱܥܬ݂ܳܐ‎ the u of the rarer form ܪܽܘܩܥܬ݂ܐ‎, ܪܽܘܩܱܥ.ܹܬ݂ܳܐ‎ is brought to the front. The early adopted Persian word rāzā ܐܪܙܐ‎, more rarely ܪܙܐ‎, ܪܐܙܐ‎ "a secret" seems to have been pronounced with a vowel-prefix, which however is ignored in the pointing.

Auxiliary vowels. § 52. A. The poets sometimes insert an e before ܕ ܠ‍ ܒ‍‎ after a word ending in a consonant, e. g. ܐܝܬ ܠܗܘܢ‎ "is to them" īth elhōn (with three syllables) = ܐܻܝܬ ܠܗܘܿܢ‎.

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