Indian Antiquary Vol 04

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 44

34
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(FEBRUARY, 1875.
it as the apocope of 'quod,' thus imparting to the name to which it is added an indefinite senso; in short, the m is a sign of indetermination. |The Sabæan mimmation in general follows the same rules with the Arabic tanwin, e.g. coon (cubwa, Os. X. 1)= mocico (Ab. 1. 5) = Heb. sw; omi (Os. I. 11) = j, camu s, om (H. 478, 16), = *=, (to= ibid.) , spoed (ib.) = 3, Dan (ib.) = So, ondes (I. 681, 8) = äidi, onun = , and the diminutives Dtox , comp (06. XIII. 1) = wy, ory=ssen, and the internal plurals
SU
as well as many other inflections, owes its existence to the degradation of entire words gradually incorporated into the terms they are intended to inflect.
The external plural seldom occurs in the absolute state; it is indicated by the terminations ,, and n. In the names for the decades the occurs constantly, e.g. 20 (Wr. 5), waw (H. G. 1, 10) or (H. 199, 1) 40, w 70 (H. 3, 4). The letter is probably the characteristic sign of the plural in the other words : pom (H. 3, 3)
merciful (gods)' Then of the plural does not disappear before another termination, e.g. (7)ana
the houses' (H. 657, 2; 4b. I. 11), ()2301 (H. 373, 4).
The plural in -at occurs even in words not terminating with n in the singular (0) (08. XXXV. 6), (-) (H. 63, 5), pop (H. 169, 2), (0)mino (H. 484, 9), and with internal modi. fications: nopo (Os. XXXI. 3), MO (H. 51, 7), from epo (08. xx. 9) and (08, XI. 3). The reduplication takes place in the Alilat of Herodotus, originally 5 Ilos, the Semitic Kronos, then by extension 'god.' The Minnean texts often show nit, e.g. ()noty (H. 666), (1) (H. 361, 2; 362, 2, 3), (
D on (H. 395, 2), (1) man (ib. 403, 2).
The various forms of the internal plural are not distinguishable in the consonantal writing; the form occurring most is - (J gel, Jlol) (27 (08. XXXI. 3), (-)DODH (8. 468, 3), (Fr. XLV. 2), (1) TON (Os. iv. 14), (107) H (ib. XII. 8); m (Os. XVII. 5) probably = now, aswuf. There are also examples for the plural of the plural: (7)anbis (H. 666), (07) MYTH (Os. XIII. 8), (1) ape (ib. xx. 3).
The yod is the characteristic for the status constructivus of the external plurals, so that graphically the plural and the dual are both the same, e.g. (Os. XVIII. 3), (1) TN (Os. ix. 1), who (Os. xxxv. 5) The 'the gods and goddesses of...' (Os. XXIX. 6). The yod is sometimes sapplanted by a , e.g. (08. ix. 2, &c.), (
n n ) 'wa (Ab. 1. 11-12). It may be seen that no regard for cases exists, contrary to the usage of the Arabs. It seems also that the use of the form va is limited only to the names of tribes, like how (Os. 1. 1; 16. 1), 1 (ib. ix. 2; II. 3), 13 (ib. XVIII. 2), &c.
The Arab grammarians, who were struck by the termination in m of many Hemyaritic and indigenous proper nouns, have justly considered
DTH = , ora =) WI.
The following do not always receive the m in conformity with the Arabic tanwin: 1st-Proper nouns terminating in and ): e.g. Na 'Sabe,' Map Kine,' Kaminakum,' p 'Karnon,'and the divine name me, the Semitic Astarte; 2ndThe elative = wel, D, E ; 3rd-Proper nouns resembling one of the inflections of the Imperfect, or rather the third person of the Perfect: rot or no, n, 33poest, me, noe naop, non, nabo, non ; 4th-Proper nouns terminating in : mor, pnpKatabani,' meo Gedranitæ par Gebanitæ.' These rules nevertheless have many exceptions, and the use or omission of the m appears to depend on local usage. Thus we meet with be, T3 Vodona,' borin 'Hadramaut' by the side of 'w, toa, nim; the omission of mis so frequent that it is superfluous to give further examples.
As a sign of indetermination the m must naturally fall away in the status constructivus, where the first word is closely connected with the following one, and thus obtains a determinate sense: nie na (H. 257, 1) the house, the temple of Attar,' KOD Vox the peoples of Saba,' 0:50 Ton the kings of Ma'in, i.e. of the Mingeans;' nor can the m occur before the personal suffixes mar, mops &c.
The linguistic problem here presents itself: Does the Sabwan language possess a definite ar. ticle, like nearly all the northern Semicic idioms, or has it none, like the Ethiopic? Osiander after a minute investigation decided that the Sabæan