employed as a diacritic mark of the 3rd sing. fem. of the Perf. e. g. ܩܜܠܬܝ for ܩܷܜܠܱܬ݂ "she killed". Such an employment of ܝ in the 3rd 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 3rd 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 2nd 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).NEW VOWELS AND SYLLABLES.
§ 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.
- ↑ ܐܪܩܝܥܐ is measured as dissyllabic like ܪܩܝܥܐ in Moesinger's Monumenta Syriaca II, 86 v. 152 et passim, but ܐܪܕܝܕܐ, ܐܪܕܝܕܗ as trissyllabic in Jacob of Sarûg, Thamar v. 247, 251.
