Proto-Austronesian Hebrew/Grammar

Tri-letter Roots

PAH Grammar is very Semitic, generally deriving all words from bi-, tri-, or quadra-consonantal roots. Inflections occur through ablaut, prefixation, or suffixation, or a combination of such. Traditionally, Arabic studies give derivational patterns from √K-T-B, and in Hebrew studies from √P-'-L or √Q-T-L. Fujisaka-san, unaware of these precedents, used √M-Ŋ-K (PS √M-Š-K) as his paradigmatic root, and we will do the same. The root letters are written in capital letters, while the affixed letters are written in minuscule. For example, MaŊaKti could be applied to √S-T-N as SaTaNti.

What follows are the noun derivational patters without case ending in their traditional Semitic form from √Q-T-L.

Monosyllabic

• q

Disyllabic

• qat, qit, qut
• qāt, qīt, qūt
• qayt, qawt
• qatt, qitt, qutt
• qatqat, qatqūt, qutqut, qatāqit

Trisyllabic

• qatal, qatil, qatul, qital, qutul
• qatl, qitl, qutl
• qatāl, qatīl, qatūl, qitāl, qutāl, qutūl
• qātal, qātil, qawtil
• qattal, qattāl, qattīl, qattūl, quttul
• qatlal, qatlāl, qatlīl, qatlul, qatlūl, qutlal, qatilal
• qataltal, qataltūl, qatiltīl

Prefixing

• 'aqtal, 'iqtal
• yaqtūl, yaqtal
• š/s...?
• maqtal, maqtil, maqtīl, maqtūl, miqtāl
• taqtal, taqtil, taqtūl

Suffixing

• qatlān, qitlān, qutlān, qatalān, maqtalān

Case and State

In English, roles of nouns are communicated by word order. In other languages (such as Greek or Latin), words have their endings changed to show this function, which is called "case." PAH nouns, adjectives, and verbal nouns inflect for case and state. State only exists in Semitic language, and means "is a word followed by 'of' or not." State may be either construct or absolute. (There is a third - called the pronominal state, but an overwhelming majority of the time it is the same as the construct, and will only be pointed out when different from such.)

Often, series of nouns are found in a "construct chain", e.g. the sons of the men of valor. All the nouns in the chain match the last in case, and only the last is in the absolute state: the rest will all be in the construct. Case is only observable in the absolute state.

The PAH cases are Direct, Genitive, and Indirect. Something with all three cases clearly distinguished is said to be triptotic. In many instances, only two cases are visible. Such a paradigm is 'diptotic'. In these instances, the cases are called Direct and Oblique. In a few places, forms are indeclinable or lack distinguishing forms. Those are called monoptotic.

Prepositions require nouns in the Genitive/Oblique case.

As in all Semitic language, infinitive forms of verbs are said to be in either absolute or construct states. The infinitive absolute generally functions like an adverb. If it precedes the finite verb, it intensifies it, usually translated "certainly". If it follows the verb, it typically means "continually".

Nouns in the direct case with the ヒㇴ- prefix are said to be in an ergative' relationship or case.

Gender

PAH preserved its two-gender system intact. Tagalog also has two genders. Gender must be mark on nouns and verbs in the third and second person. Human and animal sex generally map onto the grammatical genders. Concrete nouns and occupations are typically masculine, while abstract nouns are often feminine. Participles agree with the noun they modify in gender (and state and case).

Number

PAH inflects for three numbers: Singular, Dual, and Plural. It shows none of the signs of dual fading from use, unlike Palestinian and Tiberian Hebrew. In fact, there are no attested dual uses of the personal pronouns in early Northwest-Semitic languages, but PAH regularly employed them.

Definiteness

Nouns in the direct case are always definite. Personal nouns need no prefix, but common nouns in the direct case must marked with ハッ, which used to be the definite article in PH. Nouns in the indirect case may be definite or indefinite. Definiteness is marked with the prefix タ.

Tense-Aspect-Mood

PAH verbs inflect for person, number, aspect, and voice/trigger. Persons are First, Second, and Third. Numbers are Singular, Dual, and Plural. Aspects are Completed (Perfective), Progressive (Imperfective), Contemplative (Jussive), and Cohortative/Imperative. Voices/Triggers are Actor, Object, Local, and Benefactive.

Voice

Austronesian morphosyntactic alignment

also called 'trigger'

The voices are used to indicate what the verb "expects" to be in the Direct Case. The Actor Voice means the subject of an intransitive verb or the agent in a transitive verb clause should be in the direct case, while the patient of the transitive verb should be in the accusative case. The Object Voice means the subject of an intransitive verb or object of a transitive verb should be in the direct case, while the agent of a transitive verb should be in the ergative case. The Local Voice cannot be used to express the subject of an intransitive verb, while the location or time of a transitive verb is expressed in the direct case. (The agent and patient may be expressed in the ergative and accusative cases respectively.) The Benefactive case also cannot be used to express the subject of an intransitive verb, while beneficiary or instrument of a transitive verb is expected in the direct case. (Again, the ergative and accusative cases may be added.)