Indian Antiquary Vol 04

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 41

JANUARY, 1875.]
SKETCH OF SABÆAN GRAMMAR.
31
subordinate uncompleted state. It may even befect a singlen occurs in the Plural: room wa (H. said that a relation analogous to that between a |3, 2-3; 10, 1-2; 10, 2-3); in the Dual, piima noun and an adjoctive exists between the Perfect (H. 43, 2), in pprnon (. 35. 1); for the and the Imperfect. Hence it follows that in the Singular Halévy gives three examples; one in conjugation, the Perfect, being considered as a masculine, non (H. 169, 2), and two in the kind of verbal nonn, precedes the terminations feminino, piam mian (H. 681, 2; 682, 2), som of the subject; whilst on the contrary the Im- NADA (H. 681, 6); whence it may be seen that perfect, marking an act yet in need of a sub- the feminine n disappears before this termiject, is placed after it, so that the personal nation. pronouns are placed at the head of the com- At prosent, however, Halévy considers it more plex.
probable that in the two last examples the second The modifications to which the vowels attuch- verbis in the Imperfect, analogous to the formula ed to the radical letters of the verb were subjected -powam, nors, which is so frequent in the inscripin order to indicate the Subjunctive Mood can- tions of Amrån. From this it may be connot of course be ascertained, but they could not cluded that the n constitutes so important an be different from the method adopted in the element for the verb that it is doubled in the Ethiopic language, with which the Sabæan con- Imperfect Plural. jugation has several features in common. Among The preposition is often added to the Imthe terminations of the moods, the termination perfect in order to impart to ita Subjunctive sense; with, is of great interest. The first inter- it is sometimes added to the simple, and somepreters of Sabran texts observed that the times to the prolonged form, e.g.rth (H. 259, 1), Imperfect often shows , at the end of the arh (H. 259, 3), maith (Os. iv. 11-12), mien (Os. word, like the Emphatic Arabic Imperfect. IV. 10-11), pern (Os. XXVII. 9), pain (H. 152, 4), This n is considered identical with the Hebrewnish pin' (H. 147, 6), ponos (Os. xxxv. 4), and particle "now, behold," which would serve to even to the Perfect in these two forms: Näin (Os. emphasize the idea of an act yet waiting for com- VI. 6,7. VII, 8), man (ib. xx. 6), nin (H.149, 11), pletion : but this explanation does not well agree 37" (ib. 149, 9); the forms are perhaps Infiniwith the fact that this n stands also before the tives. Halévy also discovered the preposition
prefixed to the Imperfect bapa (H. 259, 7), a 22727, eh, art; it is moreover often used in form very coinmon in vulgar Arabic, and in the the particles ana, w, and even sometimes be- Ethiopic dialects. fore the possessive suffixes attached to the Perfect.
The Sabecan verb has two genders, the masOsiander meant to surmount this difficulty by culine and the feminine; and three numbers, the supposing that the n had in Hebrew an origin singular, the dual, and the plural. There is no different from the Arabic n, whilst on the other doubt about the existence of the dual, which was hand he declared that the n of the Perfect is first suspected by Fresnel, and afterwards denied due only to a false analogy with the Imper- by Osiander. Whenever two subjects are treatfect; but such a system of explanation, in- ed of, the verb takes the termination instead creases the difficulties instead of solving them, of , which is the mark of the plural --( Tin and it receives the most formal denial by the me') : mont (08. XXXV. l), 07 (10mbway) fact that in Sabæan the n is added even to (Fr. No. Liv. 2), " (17. 169, 2): the feminine the Perfect. These two moods may be called dual is formed by n, as shown by the exConsecutive Perfect and Consecutive Imper- ample (opm) 70 (08. XXXIV. 4). The termifect, because they are almost always sub- nations in are the organic forms of the Arabic ordinate to the absolute verb and preceded dual -, and seem to have been pronounced by the consecutive. Examples of the Conse- -é, -tê. The dual of verbs has disappeared in
other Semitic languages, and among them also No. Lv. 4, 5); the Plural shows n twice, 77, sp in Ethiopic. Halévy has found no example for (03. xxv. 5, 6), pronon wund (ib. xvi. 7): this the dual of the Imp?rfect, but, to judge from the prolonged form occurs also after other particles: analogy of the Perfect, it ought also to have
pe (Os. X. 10), me (ib. x.), pp (ib. iv. 15), existed. 2 (ib. xvIII.5), * (ib. XVII. 11). For the Per. As the texts are all composed in the third
,הייִשְׁרָיָה יִבְרְבָנוּ :personal suffixes in the poetical forms
.Fr) והופין הופיהו אלמקה eative Insperfect Singular