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 such particles cannot stand by themselves, but are united, as prefixes, with the following word (§ 102), very much like the preformatives of the imperfect (§a–d).

The view that this shortening of whole words to single letters has actually taken place in the gradual course of linguistic development is rendered highly probable by the fact that similar abbreviations in later Hebrew and in Aramaic, i.e. as the development of the original Semitic speech progresses, become more and more striking and frequent. Thus the Biblical Aramaic becomes at a later period ; in modern Arabic, e.g. hallaq (now) is from halwaqt; lêš (why?) from li-ayyi-šaiĭn, &c. Cf. also the analogous cases mentioned above from the Western languages. Nevertheless, the use of the simplest particles is found already in the earliest periods of the Hebrew language, or, at any rate, in the earliest documents which have come down to us.

3. Less frequently particles are formed by composition; as for ? (τί μαθών; ) or quid cognitum?; (from  and ) besides;  (from, , ) from above, above.

More frequent is the combination of two words into one without contraction, e.g., , , ; cf. also the compounds of with demonstrative pronouns, as ;  [R.V. how]. See the lexicon under.

On demonstrative adverbs cf. Brockelmann,, i. 323; on interrogative adverbs, ibid., i. 328; on adverbs in general, i. 492 ff.

1. The negative, and a few particles of place and time, as , are of obscure origin.

2. Forms of other parts of speech, which are used adverbially without further change, are—

(a) Substantives with prepositions, e.g. (with might) very;  (prop. in separation, Fr. à part), with suffix ; ; cf. also (as one) together,  and  (originally in connexion with) near to, corresponding to, like, &c., cf. .

(b) Substantives in the accusative (the adverbial case of the Semites, ), cf. τὴν ἀρχήν, δωρεάν, e.g. (might) very,  (cessation) no more,  (the day) to-day (cf. ),  to-morrow,  (union) together. Several of these continued to be used, though rarely, as substantives, e.g., plur. and, circuit, as adverb