VERBS Aramaic has 3 stem groups: Ground, Doubled, Causative. 3 stems per group: Active (G, D, H), Internal Passive (Gp, Dp, Hp), External Passive / Reciprocal (1G, tD, tH). 4 moods: Indicative, Jussive, Imperative, Energie. 2 aspects: Perfect, Imperfect. THE VERB ‘GROUND Doustep (CAUSATIVE G Gp |G D Dp | wD H Hp tH PERF snp] snp] Snzne amz/an3| Sn2ny BART) SDT) SHPHS kotab | ott | itkateb Keatteh | kuttab | itkattab hakteb | huktab | ittaktab (ans) (abteb) TNPERF say] ons am AS? SAR AST 3B yi yuktab? | yitkoteb | —-yakatteb | vitkattab | yittaktab (ew 1331) | (yiktabun) Tussiv SAD yiktub | ENERO | ~ iktubanna 2 _ IMPER ‘an SnSne 3n3 BIN EST kot itkored kateb kata hakteb | (an>y) - (aktéb) PART anp nn Az SAND SRP kateb makatteb mitkattab | mohakteb (». an2R) (p.ampn9) (makattab) |__| (imahaktab) | aD DT man? MARS TaD | miktab itkotaba | kattaba itkattaba habtaba (a3nD8) (aktaba) L__|__ ‘NB. 1. The S3M verbal forms are the simplest “unmarked” forms, Dictionaries cite the S3M perfect forms 2. Semitic verbs are thus usually listed in the order 3 person, 2” person, 1* person (not 1, 2, 3). 3. The vocalisation provided above is often highly speculative, and draws strongly on BA! 4, Several of these forms are actually very rare (see below). 5. In sentences the normal word order is VSO (Verb — Subject ~ Object), but SVO is also common. STEM GROUPS: 1. G Ground form 2. D_—_ Doubled 2nd radical form. Intensive / iterative in origin, Many verbs only have G ot D forms. In a consonantal text, itis not always easy to identify D forms. 3. HH Causative form. (e.g. hakiéb an, ‘he caused us to write’,) (There is disagreement amongst linguists about the most appropriate terminology for these stem groups, or forms, or schemata, and for the stems themselves. For the latter Muraoka/Porten use the modern Hebrew term binyan, pl. binyanim, ‘building’ / ‘Bildung’ )Stems: The stems are often referred to by their traditional descriptive names (cf. the paradigm V5DB): Po‘al (G), Po'il (Gp), Iipa’el (tG); Pa’’el (D), Pu"“al (Dp), Ithpa"‘al (tD); Hap’el (H), Hup‘al (Hp), Ittap‘al (11). ‘The internal passives, with the exception of the Gp perfect and participle, are very rare. In addition to the Hap‘el form of the H stem, there is also a small minority of Ap’el forms (45 examples). The forms prefixed ‘it- were in origin a reciprocal / reflexive form, but by EA they have become the standard passive formation. (In BA the prefix is often hit- rather than ‘it-.) When the first root letter in an external passive form is a sibillant (f, ©, 3. ), metathesis takes place: > Vis eg pbanoy < ypbaon™ (v530) it+S > to eg. SNMUR < TNeMR* (VoNv) +z > Vid eg. ITN < oTmmN* (Van) it+s > ‘ist eg pays < pas (p33) Moos: 1. Indicative Factual statements, positive beliefs ete. 2. Jussive Exhortation, and commands (latter usually 1*/3" person), ef. subjunctive; ‘Let him write’, ‘you should know’, ete. A form that looks identical to the imperfect, except in S2F and P2/3M forms, where final -n is dropped. Negative commands are always expressed by ‘al (OX) + jussive (e.g. “2>tPM D8 ‘do not kill me’), and never /a (N) + imperative. 3. Imperative (Positive) commands (addressed to S/P2). 4. Energic Expression of strongly held beliefs, or for emphasis. Has an extra final —n (= -anna 2) where imperfect ends ina consonant. A fossil in EA. It no longer has energie force, and is very rare, There are only 4 free-standing examples in all EA. Aspect: 1. Perfect (Suffix conjugation) completed action. 2. Imperfect (prefix conjugation) incomplete action ~ whether in the future or (rarely) in the present. Uses of the perfect: Uses of the imperfect: a, Simple past (he did) a Simple future (he will do) b. Present perfect (he has done) b. Durative (he will be doing) . Past perfect (he had done) ©. Possibility (he might do) d. Future perfect (he will have done) d. After "7D, purpose (so that he will do) ¢. Present of verbs of mental attitude e. Present(rare) (he is doing / he does) (he knows, desires, hates ete.) Inflexional markers: [| PERFECT IMPERFECT. — — —n t— —n t— ra t—in —x 7 —_ i ha iG stem: PERFECT IMPERFECT, S3M n> ketab Bhp) yiktub S3F manp>_ kitebat aman tiktub ‘S2M Br) MamD_ ketabt, kotabta smn. tiktub SOF spanp ketabtt PARDA tiktobin SI n3np ADS pM | “yan> pons? P3F man3 1a P2M pman> pansn P2F kotabten TPM|N tiktoban PI katabna MD) niktub The same perfect suffixes and imperfect prefixes/suffixes will be found in all other stems, and so the G stem forms should be memorised! ‘The pointing / vocalisation of the above is heavily dependent on BA, which was itself influenced by later Jewish Aramaic. In later Jewish Aramaic the normal $3F form is 20D, and this is also sometimes found in BA. (And even M78 .) In BA only (not EA), the verb 77}, ‘he was’, uses forms of the imperfect with a preformative ~> instead of —, as also in Babylonian Aramaic (Talmud) and Hatran. e.g. 1379 . 777. (This may be the remains of the Old Aramaic precative form, and may have given rise to the ~3 preformative in Syriac.) ‘THE PARTICIPLE: Endings G | Gp 1G D sM| — — 1p kateb aD ketib SNDMp mitkoteb SAD mokatteh SF man> MND ketiba | T3NDMy mitkataba AQMD} mokatteba PM Pan pam ketibin | panznp mitkatabin | pamp_ mekattebin PF rd TPM komban | yMDM mitkataban |p pMDI mokatteban The participle agrees in number and gender with the subject. All participles have the same set of endings. Apart from G and Gp, all participles have an m~ prefix, and the SM participle resembles the S3M imperfect with the y~ prefix replaced by this m-. D and H have both active and passive participles, although they look identical, and only the SM forms differed in vocalisation (the SM active has an /&/ in its last syllable, and the passive an /al). The forms of the participles for all the remaining stems can be seen in the paradigm table of the strong verb. Uses of the participle: 1. Indicates the actual present. (Without a following personal pronoun it is presumed that the subject is 3" person. For 1*' and 2™ person subjects the pronoun is written after the participle; e.g, 78 SMD, kateb Gna, ‘1 am writing’.) It can indicate an action which is ongoing at the moment of writing/speaking. Itcan follow a noun and qualify it like an adjective. It can be substantivised, and so be used as a noun, with the usual nominal endings. Itcan be combined with a preceding form of 7117 to indicate past or future action; e.g. ANN TA “TD, ‘as he was coming’; OFW1) TMK, “I shall be repaying’. (Internal passive participles precede M17.)‘THE IMPERATIVE: Endings G D H SM a an>_ ketub amd kattéb nD hakteb SF -1 samp kotubi | saMD_ kattibr ohaktibr PM a yanp _kotubii jamD_ kattibi yaMs7 haktiba pF | a -a | mpmp ketuba | mpmp_ kattiba haktiba Al imperatives have the same set of endings. The SM form resembles the S2M imperfect (or jussive), without the (~ prefix. (Though the H stem form, reintroduces its characteristic prefix, and the external passives their initial ‘-.) ‘Negative commands are always expressed by ‘al (ON) + jussive (e.g. “>upN ON ‘do not kill me’), and never by [a (N) + imperative. ‘THE INFINITIVE: G 1G D | | SmDp miktab | ApMDMN itkowaba | AgMD_kattaba | Tgmans ‘Apart from G, all imperatives end in ~&Ca. Non-G infinitives (especially D and H) can also sometimes appear with m- prefixes. The infinitive is very often prefixed by the preposition - /-5, ‘to’ When object suffixes are added to the non-G infinitives, the final T— is replaced by the construet form, M— Cai, (or P—, which is probably a defective spelling of this); e.g. 7N221, l-zabbaniteh, “to sell it” (D). (There is no change to the form of the G infinitive when object suffixes are added.)STRONG VERB _{Ioeauisep, wr oars nv ATTES D FORMS FILLED BY ANALOGY] GROUND _ Dousied CAUSATIVE | __G | Gp 1G D 1D H Hp | 3M n> | >np SnEnN SAD Eg Gapx)_ npn anp7 | SnSns S3F nan> | nan> nan nit nan> n nano ans som | (pr) nan | myn | (p-) nanant AnD nanan ARnDT mInDT e S2F | man “Mann “mand “nanan “nanan “HansT a SI nan> nanan mand nansnit n3n27 ans & | P3m anD sanpnn 3) snDnT sanz 3327 PSF mp2 nanan ngn> TREAT nanan] mann P2M prarnp pranent pnsn> ABAINT pranen | pmsnsn P2F yaene qanpn7 TRnD qnanant wsnp0 qpano7 PI x2 syanBnT NIBRD sypnen syanpn | NEAST ‘S3M ____? 35 ane ane | ~ (ne) snot ‘SHSn S3F sAan anpnn anan sn>on 2M BERR nen anon >a . | 92F Pane panenn panen panenn >a & [si anDy nan RDN RENN SRDS = | P3M panz? panam pane) pana panpm 2 | pr EP 1OST ot 1BREN BIT P2M panza ranenn panen pane panpan | par 13h 7BNNA TPR 1RAEND TFPI PL n>} sn>ni 353} sman2 ‘nT 3 [SM an2 ‘BnonN SAD SRSne (nsx) ane Z | SF 7an? oBnD “RADI = | pm snp wanD | 3237 = | pr ngnp mn I nnn SM ‘np =p snsnp Bnep ‘SRN | Sppop | SnpnA ml SF nanp apn mansny nBn2p Agnana | AaADA PM ren renp panena | panep | panae panane | pansnp | pansnp PE 1BnP RNP rename | ianep | renee ianane | ianpoe | ranpop | | [et BAS __ASSn BAD Tapas | Cappy) TPAD