Lesson Participleand (more)NounPatterns 5: Part1: Theparticiples Aramaichaveformsandinflectionssimilarto thoseof nounsand in adjectives.

participles The functionasnouns asverbs; verbstheyindicate or as placein thepresent in thetime frameof a given continuous actions take that or passage. if a participle Thus, appears a storyaboutthepast,theparticiple in should be translated the Englishpasttense. summarize,ln? (fromthe rootln:, with To associated writing) canbe franslated a noun"the onewriting" or asa verb with as (with a pronoun lnJ Nln) "he is writing,"or if thecontext thepast"he was is writing," or if the context the future"he will be writing". is Theinflection theparticiple be exemplified therootfor writing: of can with
singular abs.: const.. emph./det.: masc.
JI IJ
" T

fem.
I lJl
1:l

lJ

" I

i t-t

iJ

Ntn!
T:T

NFrn?
fem.
IT:T

plural abs.: const.: emph./det.:

masc.
l:r

lJllJ

lrl

lJ

-rl

":t

lJ

I iJt

T:T

tJ

N:ln!
T_:

Nntn!

NoticethattheG-stem activeparticiple has always a long-6vowelunderits first consonant Themostimportant formsto know arethe absolute forms,since these will oftenbe usedasverbsin Aramaic.

Introductory Lessonsin Arqmaic by Eric D. Reymond

32

Exercise 5a.
Fill out the following chart,which isolatesthe forms most importantfor the participle.
.TlN ("to oerish") )NlD ("to ask for or request") p!) ("to go out") p)C ("to come up") 13.U("to do, make")
root

m.s. abs.

f.s.abs.

m. pl. abs.

f. pl. abs.

Vocabulary. Nouns: JJ:$ (in theemph./detN{f$) : land : 'i'lI): fl (in theemph.ldet.: , in thepluralabs. N]l '1'n! : "ready"
rl ill (ln tne Csff.llr ll;{): deCree
T.': '

son

Participles: -fD$ : to say(Noticethatthe second vowelis not but _ . Thisis dueto the followingresh(1), whichtypicallycauses whatwouldotherwise .. vowelsto be become_ ). (Theguttural JJ consonants , fl, andiJ havea similareffecton lel | . l vowels.) "payreverence n?? : "to serve," to")

n?q: "to send"

JJ']] : "to know" Notethatparticiples, whentheyareusedaspredicates, match subject the nounin gender number, NOT in their state. (Unless and but botharein the absolute state; normallythe subject in the emphatic/determined andthepredicative is state participle in the abolute is state.) Usuallyonly participles areusedas that matchanother adjectives nounin theirstate. Thus,

Introductory Lessonsin Aramaic by Eric D. Reymond

-)-)

" kingiswriting rl? *? ?B: "The king Nll? tt??D: "The writing . . ." Exercise 5b.
Translate Enslishsentences Aramaic: into these Themenof the landarewriting to (use)! for "to") theking.

The goodking is not perishingat the gate.

(:'iltl:$ Theking'ssonis requesting winefromhis father

).

The decree the kins is old. of

A son is sending a king the letter. to

Thewisesonknows.

Introductory Lessonsin Arqmaic by Eric D. Reymond

34

Part2: Thereare a variety of other noun patternsin Aramaic that can easilybe learned. Many nouns are accentedon the first syllable, in contrastto the generalrule, but -l!O otherwisefollow the patternof FlQt and above.Thereare also somewith a middleyodh, which effectsonly their constructstate.

singular abs.:
const.:

strong root

middle-weak

tr l-tD (horn) )n (dream)

I T IT

nli nnl

(house) Jl{ (ev.)

tr ft
t"

l-]D
I i lf

tr)n
$n)n

| ),/

emph./det.: Nl-fP

ttfll @ay!a') ltll! ('aynd')

(Note the silent shewafollowed by a soft taw. The dipthonglayl is considered a vowel.)

plural abs.:

l |)tl) :r-

'trn fn
I

strong
*1r F=
I'T

middle-weak
I tl!t,!i !t

x(Note the different baseform; the is still , pronounced like a long l-a/,althoughit is in an unaccented, closedsyllable. )

const.:

t "

ll2 :r_

'n)n
N : D) N

t'tJ

i:r lt '' : tit tr !t

Y-: -

emph./det.: N:llP

\tt

s\' t'liJ
TT

Fq

Somefemininenounshavean absolute form like the word for kinsdom.:lf )b: singular abs.: const.: emph./det.: fem.

r:)D

malku' malkii\ malk[*ta

nl:rn
Nnr:rn
l:-

Introductory Lessonsin Aramaic by Eric D. Reymond

.i)

plural abs.:
const.: : emph./det

fem. ]]: )n
lll:)B N!]: )D

malkewan
malkewdt malkewata

of NB: The shewaunder the lamedhin this word indicatesthe absence a vowel, "sofl." How would you be able to predict that this though the kaph is pronounced of shewaindicatesthe absence a vowel and not a murmuredvowel?

Exercise 5c.
to of Fill out the chartbelow,according thepattern lllp
sing.abs. sing. cstr.
slng. emph./det.

pl. abs.

pl. cstr

:l-'l' ;'T_l "illumination"

: Frft'ln

pl emoh./det.

:"need"

nouns. Most are Youwill notice that,like:l:rE, thewordslistedabove abstract nouns. wordsthathavethis pattern abstract are This Theword:l-l';1!is interesting because, initialshort the vowelis notreduced. [n the is because followingi'T, virtuallydoubled. otherwords,although il is is the the not marked doubled a dot,it actsasif it wereandthis prevents short/a/ as by vowelfrom reducins.

Introductory Lessonsin Aramaic by Eric D. Reymond

36

Exercise 5d.
usuallyare Manyothernounpatterns foundwith "weak"roots,but these are of of analogous thepatterns the "strong"rootsor to thepattern theparticiple. to Based this assumption, yourknowledge Aramaicvowelreduction, and of on complete followingchart: the
sins.ab. srng.cstr. :ll-] ("greatness")
r f]:

sins.emoh. ol. abs. XXXXXX

not attested

ol. cstr XXXXXX

notattested

pl. emph.

XXXXXX
not attested

XXXXXX
not attested

XXXXXX
not attested

XX)O(XX
not attested

("request") : d. The
I I _l' ('-moon )

Nn-l'

l!C("scribe") -a. The :

l; l ('Judge") The : d. i:T?N("God") The,:a. The i''T part is ofthe root and is not replaced by l'1- in the cstr..etc.

Nil)n

lilJ ("priest")
The : a.

feminine Some nouns havea typicallyfeminine form in the singular, pattern but like a masculine nounin theplural:
singular abs.: const.: emph./det.:

fem.

n!n

rr!n
|qn bb

Introductory Lessonsin Arqmqic by Eric D. Reymond

plural abs.: const.: emph./det..

fem. '?. bn
I

,\n

5e. Exercise
Completethe following chartbasedon the paradigmof il?F.
("year") i1),1/J

$Ftq(?)

Vocabulary

i-T : "God"m. ?N f. ilFN : "nation" f{fl$) : landf. lJltl- (intheemph./det.: tlJJl : "request" f. abs. N]l f! (intheemph./det.: , in theplural l'!!): f. nl]l) : "decree" ill]l (inthecnstr.: m. tr)n : "dream" n !n : "word"f.
T. '

"son" m.

l:)F : "kingdom"f. -lI? : "scribe"m' 'l'n! : "readY" : ;l?tD "yeaf'f. Participles: -lD$ : vowelis not..but - . Thisis dueto the to sayfNoticethatthe second be whatwouldotherwise .. vowelsto followingresh(\),which typicallycauses I consonants , lJ, andiJ havea similareffecton lel I I become_ ). (Theguttural vowels.)
Introductory Lessonsin Arqmaic by Eric D. Reymond
38

"payreverence n ?? : "to serve," to")

n?P: "tosend"
9''lt : "to know"

Introductory Lessonsin Aramaic by Eric D. Reymond

39