Page:Compendious Syriac Grammar.djvu/48

Rh § 15. The soft pronunciation (Rukkākhā) of the letters (§ 2) can be expressed by a point placed under them, the hard pronunciation (Quššāyā) by one placed over them, e. g.  ne̊savt "thou didst take",  nesbeth "I took" &c. (For farther examples v. in particular et sqq.). In the case of the hard sound is commonly indicated by a point set within the letter, something like ; and by  is represented the sound of the Greek π, which diverges from this, being completely unaspirated and peculiarly foreign to a Semite. Others set down = f,  = p, and  = π. We shall however denote the Syriac hard p also by.

This system, of which certain variations appear (such as, with two points, instead of ) is only carried out in very careful writing. In Nestorian manuscripts, however, particularly those of later origin, and in Nestorian printed matter, the system is largely employed. At the same time these points are usually left out, when they would interfere with the vowel points, e. g., not ; , not.

§ 16. A. From the oldest times, and regularly, plural forms, of substantives in the first place, have been distinguished by two superscribed points, called Se̊yāmē : thus , malkē, malkāthā "kings, queens" are distinguished from the singulars:—,  malkā, malkethā. And so also malkau "his kings" &c, although in such a case there was no possibility of mistaking the word for a singular.

B. Substantive plurals in ܝܢ commonly receive the sign, but not those of the predicative adjective, thus, ammīn "cubits", but šarrīrīn "(are) true".

True collective nouns, which have no special plural, must take, e. g. ʿānā "a flock", but we have  baqrā "herd (of cattle)", because a plural  baqrē "herds" appears.