LIQUIDS.
n. § 28. N, as first radical, is almost always assimilated to the consonant immediately following it: ܐܱܦܷ݁ܩ "brought out", from anpeq; ܢܷܦ݁ܘܿܩ "goes out", from nenpoq; ܡܱܚܶܬ "brings down", from manḥeth; ܬܷܨܘܿܒ "plantest", from tenṣov, &c. Exception is made when ܗ follows: ܢܷܢܗܰܡ "roars"; ܢܷܢܗܰܪ "grows clear"; ܡܱܢܗܰܪ "lights", &c. (yet ܢܷܗܰܙ "thrusts" from nenhaz), and in other very rare cases (§ 173 A).
As second radical, n is assimilated in some nouns: ܥܷܩܳܐ "necklace"; ܠܷܬܴ݁ܐ "oppression"; ܐܱܦܷ݁̈ܐ "face"; ܓܰܒܴ݁ܐ "side"; ܐܱܦ݁ܬ݂ܳܐ "occasion"; ܫܷܕ݁ܬ݂ܳܐ "foundation", from ʿenqā &c.,—as against ܟܷܢܫܳܐ "congregation"; ܕܽܘܢܒܴ݁ܐ, ܕܽܘܢܒ݁ܬ݂ܳܐ "tail", which originally must have had a short vowel after the n, &c.
Farther, n loses its sound in many cases before ܬܴ݁ܐ of the feminine ending: ܓܦ݂ܶܬܴܐ ge̊fettā from ge̊fentā "vine"; ܓܒ݂ܶܬܴ݁ܐ "cheese"; ܠܒ݂ܶܬܴ݁ܐ "brick"; ܠܓܶܬܴ݁ܐ "a field-measure"; ܬܹܐܬܴ݁ܐ, ܬܹܬܴ݁ܐ[1] "fig"; and with n still written, in ܡܕܺܝܢ̄ܬܴ݁ܐ "town"; ܣܦ݂ܺܝܢ̄ܬܴ݁ܐ "ship"; ܙܒܱܢ̄ܬܴ݁ܐ "a time"; ܫܱܢ̄ܬܴ݁ܐ "year"; and in ܠܒ݂ܘܼܢ̄ܬܴ݁ܐ "incense", the n of which is still pronounced by others.
In ܓܰܢ̄ܒܴ݁ܪܴܐ gabbārā "hero", the nasal which serves as compensation for the doubling has been stroked out later.
On the dropping off of the n in the Imperative v. § 171 C, and in certain substantives, § 105.
l. § 29. L falls away when next to another l, in ܡܱܡܠ̄ܠܴܐ mamlā "speech", written also in fact ܡܡܠܐ; and in ܡܱܜܠ̄ܠܐ maṭlā "covering". Thus most Syrians say ܩܘܿܒܠܠܐ qovlā "countenance" (others qovelā).
It farther falls away in many forms which come from ܐܷܙܰܠ "to go" (v. § 183), as also in forms from ܣܠܷܩ (v. same section).
r. § 30. R falls out in ܒܱܪ̄ܬ݂ "daughter", construct state—(but not in the emphatic state ܒܱܪܬ݂ܳܐ).
- ↑ Thus, with hard ܬ according to the best tradition. Probably the sing. of ܟܷܣ̈ܢܶܐ "corals" was pronounced as ܟܣܷܬܴ݁ܐ (Talmudic כסיתא).
