Middle Semitic/Morphophonology: Difference between revisions

* Three numbers: singular and plural, with duals only for body parts, glasses, pants.  The dual is frozen, not productive.

* SVO word order, though others are possible

* 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 only be achieved through proper nouns or the definite article [[ܗܠ]]/hal<ref>Graciously lifted from Semitish - http://palisra.com - by Nizar Habash, with permission</ref>.  No indefinite article.

* ܗܐܡ (hâm) is the sentence initial, polar question particle

** Agree in number, gender, and state with their head

** Agree number, gender, but not state for copulative clause

* Only one, uninflecting relative pronoun

! m.

| MvLKÂ {{Sy|ܡܠܟܐ}} || MvLKÎM {{Sy|ܡܠܟܝܡ}} || MvLKIN {{Sy|ܡܠܟܝܢ}}

! ''m. con.''

| MvLaK {{Sy|ܡܠܟ}} || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | MvLKÎ {{Sy|ܡܠܟܝ}}

! f¹

| MvLKÂ {{Sy|ܡܠܟܐ}} || MvLKÎM {{Sy|ܡܠܟܝܡ}} || MvLKÛT {{Sy|ܡܠܟܘܬ}}

! ''f¹ con.''

| MvLKaT {{Sy|ܡܠܟܬ}} || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | MvLKÛ {{Sy|ܡܠܟܘ}}

! f²

| MvLKaTÂ {{Sy|ܡܠܟܬܐ}} || MvLKÎM {{Sy|ܡܠܟܝܡ}} || MvLKÛT {{Sy|ܡܠܟܘܬ}}

! ''f² con.''

| MvLKaT {{Sy|ܡܠܟܬ}}|| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | MvLKÛ {{Sy|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''' (constr. '''malak, malkî''') and ''queen'' is '''malkatâ, malkut''' (constr. '''malkat, malkû''').  ''earth'' is '''ʾarṣâ, ʾarṣut''' (constr. '''ʾarṣat, ʾarṣû''').  ''eye/spring'' is f¹ and exists in the dual: '''ʿenâ, ʿenim, ʿenut''' (constr. '''ʿenat, ʿenû''')

|+ object pronouns

| -nî {{Sy|[[-ܢܝ]]}} || -nû {{Sy|[[-ܢܘ]]}}

| -kâ_m {{Sy|[[-ܟܐ]]}}    -kî_f {{Sy|[[-ܟܝ]]}} || -kûm {{Sy|[[-ܟܘܡ]]}}

| -hû_m {{Sy|[[-ܗܘ]]}}  -hâ _f {{Sy|[[-ܗܐ]]}} || -hûm {{Sy|[[-ܗܘܡ]]}}

| {{Sy|[[ܐܢܐ]]}} 'anâ || {{Sy|[[ܐܢܚܢܘ]]}} 'anaħnû

| {{Sy|[[ܐܢܬܐ]]}} 'antâ_m, {{Sy|[[ܐܢܬܝ]]}} 'antî_f || {{Sy|[[ܐܢܬܘܡ]]}} 'antum

| {{Sy|[[ܗܘܐ]]}} huwâ_m, {{Sy|[[ܗܝܐ]]}} hiyâ_f

| {{Sy|[[ܗܘܡ]]}} hûm

Pronouns are strange for Indo-Europeans, but utterly normal for Semitic speakers.  There are indepedent 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.

| MaLaK

| rowspan="2" | MaLKÛ

| MaLaKaT

| MaLaKTÂ

| rowspan="2" | MaLaKTUM

| MaLaKTÎ

| MaLaKTÛ

| MaLaKNÂ

| YaMLUK

| rowspan="2" | YaMLaKUN

| rowspan="2" | TaMLUK

| rowspan="2" | TaMaLUKNÂ

| TaMLaKÎ

| 'aMLUK

| NaMLUK

: Part. maMLaK-

: Inf.  laMLaK