Page:Compendious Syriac Grammar.djvu/87

§ 71. is īn, and in the Construct state, ai: the corresponding endings for Feminines are ān, āth.

We give at this point, as an example of the most usual formations, the Adjective "wicked".

Rem. Notice that the absolute state of the feminine singular and the emphatic state of the masculine singular for the most part sound alike.

On and  v..

§ 71. Certain words insert a y (or i, v. ) before the feminine ending:—

(1) First, those words (in all their forms) which terminate in the suffix ān, ōn, (ūn): e. g. from "murdering", the feminine sing. abs. state is, the constr. state, the emphatic state ; the feminine plural abs. state, the constr. state, the emph. state. So from , we have the feminine  &c. This analogy is followed in such old borrowed words as, and  , pl. ,  (but emphatic state fem. ).—Exceptions,  fem. from  "related", and  fem. from  .

(2) Next, the adjective "little" in all its forms (fem.), except in the emphatic state sing.:,  (but );—,  (?),.

(3) Probably it is the same with Nomina agentis of the form. For the singular we have "rebellious", and the analogously-treated, although Greek, word  ; for the plural of the absolute state, only. The abs. and construct states of these Nom. ag. almost never appear. In other cases [emph. st. pl.] there occur "destroying";  "transitory things";  "murderous", &c. Forms like "mortal" &c, without y, are of less frequent occurrence.

(4) So too, in the plural of feminine forms of Diminutives in ( "yard [court]", pl. )  is inserted, as also in the case of a number of other substantives, which before the feminine ending have