Page:Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1910 Kautzsch-Cowley edition).djvu/137



1. The interrogative pronoun is (of persons, even before plurals,, , , and sometimes also of things , , ; cf. also  ;  )—,  (see b) what? (of things).—

The form, , &c. (followed by Dageš forte conjunct.: even in, , &c., against ) may be explained (like the art. , and  in the imperf. consec.) from the rapid utterance of the interrogative in connexion with the following word. Most probably, however, the is rather due to the assimilation of an originally audible  (, as Olshausen), which goes back through the intermediate forms math, mat to an original mant: so W. Wright,, Cambridge, 1890, p. 124, partly following Böttcher, , § 261. A ground-form mant would most easily explain (what?), used in  in explanation of, while  is the regular Aramaic for who. Socin calls attention to the Arabic mah (in pause with an audible h: Mufaṣṣal, 193, 8). Observe further that—

(a) In the closest connexion, by means of, takes a following  , e.g.  and even in one word, as  ; cf. ,, and even before a guttural,.

(b) Before gutturals in close connexion, by means of or (e.g., ) a conjunctive accent, either  is used with a virtual strengthening of the guttural , so especially before , and, in , , before —or the doubling is wholly emitted. In the latter case either (cf. –k) ă is fully lengthened to Qames (so always before the of the article, except in ; also before, , and so  ,  ,  , or modified to , especially before , , and generally before . The omission of the strengthening also takes place as a rule with , , , when they have not , and then the form is either  or , the latter especially before  or , if  follows.

The longer forms and  are also used ( even before letters which are not gutturals) when not connected by  but only by a conjunctive accent. As a rule is then used, but sometimes  when at a greater distance from the principal tone of the sentence,,. (On in the combinations, , and even , , cf.  and l.)

(c) In the principal pause is used without exception; also as a rule with the smaller disjunctives, and almost always before gutturals ( only in very few cases). On the other hand, more often stands before letters which are not gutturals, when at a greater distance from the principal tone of the sentence, e.g., , ,  (see Köhler on the passage), , ; cf., however, , and Delitzsch on the passage.

2. On and  as indefinite pronouns in the sense of quicunque, quodcunque, and as relatives, is qui, id quod, &c., see.