Page:Compendious Syriac Grammar.djvu/52

Rh token of doubling, e. g. nappīq "gone forth". How far the gutturals and  underwent a real doubling is a matter of question; but the treatment of the vocalisation for the most part is the same as if such doubling had occurred (cf. Hebr. ,&lrm; ). The case is similar with, which also the East-Syrians at a pretty early date had already ceased to double, but for which they occasionally at least turned a foregoing a into ā.

In many cases the doubling has entered in a secondary way, as in allāhā "God",  eddabbaḥ "I sacrifice".

B. The doubling at all events very early fell away, when merely a sheva followed the doubled consonant, e. g. in  "desire", properly regge̊thā, then regthā, and even very early through assimilation (§ 22) rekthā so  bezze̊thā "booty", bezthā, besthā. Thus "it is touched", properly methgašše̊šā, was early pronounced like methgaššā or even methgašā.

C. A very ancient dissolving of the doubling in the case of r, with compensation in lengthening the vowel, appears to occur in gērā "arrow" from garrā;  ḥērē (ḥērīn &c.) "free", from ḥarrē;  bēryāthā "streets" from barryāthā. Thus perhaps also ( &c.) "with" from ṣadd.

D. Consonants written double were originally separated by a vowel, though very short, e. g.  samåmē, later sammē,  "waves" galålē, later gallē  "wormwood" gedådē, later geddē. By a false analogy even  sammānē is accordingly often written instead of, and in fact  for the singular instead of  sammā and similarly in like cases. An actual exception to that rule is furnished only by cases like or  ette̊sīm "was set";  or  ette̊ʿīr "was awakened" &c. (. ).

In Greek words letters are sometimes written double, even when such doubling does not occur in the original, e. g.  often instead of  or.

§ 22. When two consonants came together in the living speech, and still more in the somewhat artificial recitation of the Bible in religious service, the first consonant was frequently modified by the second, so that a media before a tenuis was turned into a tenuis, a tenuis before