Page:Compendious Syriac Grammar.djvu/72

Rh of a guttural or an r, e. g. (§ 40 C),  "small",  "hole",  "report",  "rock", and many others: so too in the neighbourhood of an n, e. g.  "oven",  "tent". In many cases may denote an o originally short, but lengthened by the tone; so perhaps in "kills",  "sanctuary" (§ 103), &c. Still, there is as little certainty about tins as about the similar case in § 47.

The East-Syrians in particular distinguish also a short (o) from a short  (u), but this distinction is of little importance. Here too a guttural or an r frequently seems to bring about the pronunciation, e. g.:  "glory",  "manger", &c.

It is curious that the West-Syrians have, besides the form "all", the form kol, which accordingly they have to write. Is it a lengthened kōl? So too, , &c.

While even with the East-Syrians the sound o began pretty early to pass into u, the tradition varies a good deal in the case of and ; but with respect to cases of grammatical importance there is no doubt whatever.

Greek ο and ω are with the East-Syrians either retained,—and then they are written, , e. g. , —, or they become u. There is a good deal of variation in the usage, e. g. and, and   &c.

With the East-Syrians corresponds to the Greek ο and ω, in so far as they keep from altering the words more decidedly.

As they cannot express an o without a vowel letter, they put with defective-writing for the Greek ο, ω, and pronounce it ā, e. g.  Theodāros for.

§ 49. A. The diphthongs ai and au remain very steady, particularly in the beginning of a word, although in dialects the pronunciation ē and ō occurred. Commonly, however, simplification of the diphthong prevails in a closed syllable. The West-Syrians farther proceed (according to § 46) to turn the ē occasionally into ī, and the ō always into ū (§ 48): thus, along with, "house"; with ,  "strength"; with ,  "eye";  from me̊γallain, "they reveal";  from te̊rain, "two"; , ,  "end", &c. So by analogy from (