Middle Semitic/Morphophonology: Difference between revisions
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(Created page with "* Three numbers: singular and plural, with duals only for body parts, glasses, pants. The dual is frozen, and not productive. * SVO word order, though others are possible with clefting or in questions. * No case marking * Two genders * Two states - regular and construct. Construct is frozen, not productive. The genitive clitic (cp. English ‘’of’’) is dal - ܕܠ<ref>a combination of Aramaic '’d-'', and Western Arabics ''dyal’’</ref> * Definiteness can onl...") |
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Notice that we do not maintain the gender distinction in the second person plural. | Notice that we do not maintain the gender distinction in the second person plural. | ||
== Tri-consonantal == | |||
The heart of Semitic conjugation and declension is the tri-consonantal root, or non-concatenative morphology. Most words are imagined to come from a particular set of three consonants, with vowels and other consonants inserted in and around them in order to form all parts of speech and such. The catch is that certain letters cause problems: | |||
; The Semi-Vowels : Because three letters are used to hint at or spell out vowels, they blur the lines and alter conjugation tables. /ʔ/, /y/, and /w/ (aleph, yod and waw) tend to collapse syllables into vowels. However, they can be in a coda and can geminate. Strange things happen when we consider these semi-vowels butting up against real vowels, especially since MS does not have diphthongs. | |||
* a+y=ê | |||
* a+'=â | |||
* a+w=ô | |||
* i+'=ê | |||
* i+y=î | |||
* i+w=î | |||
* u+y=û | |||
; The Gutturals : Three consonants happen so far back in the throat that they take too long to prepare to say. /ʕ/, /ḥ/, /h/ (ayin, ḥet and he) cannot be geminated, but they can be in the coda. | |||
; Nun : In ancient times, nun could not be in the coda, so it caused gemination of the following consonant. This is no longer the case, but it does mean certain forms can be surprising. | |||
== Nouns == | == Nouns == | ||
Latest revision as of 11:27, 20 March 2025
- Three numbers: singular and plural, with duals only for body parts, glasses, pants. The dual is frozen, and not productive.
- SVO word order, though others are possible with clefting or in questions.
- No case marking
- Two genders
- Two states - regular and construct. Construct is frozen, not productive. The genitive clitic (cp. English ‘’of’’) is dal - ܕܠ[1]
- Definiteness can only be achieved through proper nouns or the definite article ܗܠ (hal)[2]. No indefinite article.
- ܗ (ha) is the sentence initial, polar question particle[3]
- No pausal forms
- Adjectives
- Agree in number, gender, (and state) with their head
- Elatives are uninflected
- No agreement for copulative clause
- Only one, uninflecting relative pronoun ܠܝܕ (lîd) [4]
Notice that we do not maintain the gender distinction in the second person plural.
Tri-consonantal
The heart of Semitic conjugation and declension is the tri-consonantal root, or non-concatenative morphology. Most words are imagined to come from a particular set of three consonants, with vowels and other consonants inserted in and around them in order to form all parts of speech and such. The catch is that certain letters cause problems:
- The Semi-Vowels
- Because three letters are used to hint at or spell out vowels, they blur the lines and alter conjugation tables. /ʔ/, /y/, and /w/ (aleph, yod and waw) tend to collapse syllables into vowels. However, they can be in a coda and can geminate. Strange things happen when we consider these semi-vowels butting up against real vowels, especially since MS does not have diphthongs.
- a+y=ê
- a+'=â
- a+w=ô
- i+'=ê
- i+y=î
- i+w=î
- u+y=û
- The Gutturals
- Three consonants happen so far back in the throat that they take too long to prepare to say. /ʕ/, /ḥ/, /h/ (ayin, ḥet and he) cannot be geminated, but they can be in the coda.
- Nun
- In ancient times, nun could not be in the coda, so it caused gemination of the following consonant. This is no longer the case, but it does mean certain forms can be surprising.
Nouns
Nouns come in three declensions:
- masculine,
- true feminine (f2 below), and
- feminine-appearing-masculine-in-the-singular (f1 below).
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | ܡܰܠܟܰܐ MvLKâ ܡܠܟܐ | ܡܰܠܟܺܝܡ MvLKîm ܡܠܟܝܡ | ܡܰܠܟܽܝܢ MvLKîn ܡܠܟܝܢ |
| construct | ܡܰܠܱܟ MvLaK ܡܠܟ | ܡܰܠܟܺܝ MvLKî ܡܠܟܝ | |
| crypto-feminine | ܡܰܠܟܰܐ MvLKâ ܡܠܟܐ | ܡܰܠܟܺܝܡ MvLKîm ܡܠܟܝܡ | ܡܰܠܟܽܬ MvLKût ܡܠܟܘܬ |
| construct | ܡܰܠܟܰܬ MvLKat ܡܠܟܬ | ܡܰܠܟܽܘ MvLKû ܡܠܟܘ | |
| (true) feminine | ܡܰܠܟܰܬܱܐ MvLKaTâ ܡܠܟܬܐ | ܡܰܠܟܺܝܡ MvLKîm ܡܠܟܝܡ | ܡܰܠܟܽܘܬ MvLKût ܡܠܟܘܬ |
| construct | ܡܰܠܟܰܬ MvLKat ܡܠܟܬ | ܡܰܠܟܽܘ MvLKû ܡܠܟܘ | |
M-L-K is the triliteral root. v might be u, or a, or i (or e or o in foreign-based words). For example, king is malkâ, malkin (construct malak, malkî) and queen is malkatâ, malkut (construct malkat, malkû). earth is ʾarṣâ, ʾarṣut (construct ʾarṣat, ʾarṣû). eye/spring is f1 and exists in the dual: ʿenâ, ʿenim, ʿenut (construct ʿenat, ʿenû)
Adjectives
Unlike nouns, adjectives don't have multiple declensions.
| sg. | pl. | |
|---|---|---|
| M | -â | - în |
| F | -tâ | ût |
Technically, there are construct forms of all of these, but they are not productive.
| sg. | pl. | |
|---|---|---|
| M | -ø | -î |
| F | -(a)t | û |
Pronouns
| sg. | pl. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -nî -ܢܝ | -nû -ܢܘ |
| 2 | -kâ m -ܟܐ -kî f -ܟܝ | -kûm -ܟܡ |
| 3 | -hû m -ܗܘ -hâ f -ܗܐ | -hûm -ܗܡ |
| sg. | pl. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ܐܢܐ 'anâ | ܐܢܚܢܘ 'anaħnû |
| 2 | ܐܢܬܐ 'antâ m, ܐܢܬܝ 'antîf | ܐܢܬܘܡ 'antûm |
| 3 | ܗܘܐ huwâ m, ܗܝܐ hiyâ f | ܗܘܡ hûm |
The pronouns may seem strange for Indo-Europeans, but are utterly normal for Semitic speakers. There are independent forms which can only serve as the subject of a clause. Another set of forms serves two functions: they attach to verbs to mark direct objects, or they attach to nouns to indicate genitival possession.
Verbs
| Sing. | Pl. | |
|---|---|---|
| 3m | ܡܰܠܱܟ MaLaK ܡܠܟ | ܡܰܠܟܽܘ MaLKû ܡܠܟܘ |
| 3f | ܡܰܠܱܟܰܬ MaLaKat ܡܠܟܬ | |
| 2m | ܡܰܠܱܟܬܱܐ MaLaKtâ ܡܠܟܬܐ | ܡܰܠܱܟܬܾܘܡ MaLaKtûm |
| 2f | ܡܰܠܱܟܬܻܝ MaLaKtî ܡܠܟܬܝ | |
| 1c | ܡܰܠܱܟܬܾܘ MaLaKtû ܡܠܟܬܘ | ܡܰܠܱܟܢܰܐ MaLaKnâ ܡܠܟܢܐ |
| Sing. | Pl. | |
|---|---|---|
| 3m | ܝܰܡܠܱܟ yaMLaK ܝܡܠܟ | ܝܰܡܠܱܟܽܘܢ yaMLaKûn ܝܡܠܟܘܢ |
| 3f | ܬܱܡܠܱܟ taMLaK ܬܡܠܟ | |
| 2m | ܬܱܡܠܱܟܢܰܐ taMLaKnâ ܬܡܠܟܢܐ | |
| 2f | ܬܱܡܠܱܟܺܝ taMLaKî ܬܡܠܟܝ | |
| 1c | ܐܰܡܠܱܟ 'aMLaK ܐܡܠܟ | ܢܰܡܠܱܟ naMLaK ܢܡܠܟ |
- Part. maMLaK- ܡܡܠܟ
- Inf. laMLaK ܠܡܠܟ
- Imp. ܡܠܟ
Notes
- ↑ a combination of Aramaic '’d-, and Western Arabics dyal’’
- ↑ Graciously lifted from Semitish - http://palisra.com - by Nizar Habash, with permission
- ↑ From Hebrew הַ, האם; Egyptian هل (hal) ; MSA أَ
- ↑ From Maltese li, Aramaic ܕ, Levantine/Egyptian اللي, MSA ٱلَّذِي
