§ 30. NOUNS WITH SUFFIXES.

Suffixes appended to substantives express the relations of the possessive pronoun, as my song, thy song, our songs, their songs.

1. If the noun is in the singular, the suffixes are (comp. § 19. 2):c. (my) Plural, 1 pers.

Sing., 1 pers.

c. (our)

2. If the noun ends, and the suffix begins, with a consonant, an auxiliary vowel connecting the root with the suffix and hence called binding vowel, is adopted, to render the pronunciation more euphonious, and for this purpose tsere is generally employed; e.g.

כֶם,,thy song (f.). However שִׁירֵךְ,our song שִׁירֵינוּ - song שִׁיר

thy

and, are appended to the noun without a binding vowel, and yet the of those suffixes never takes dagesh lene (§ 5. 7. d), as song (m.), D7, ¡your song; boy thy boy.

3. As another expedient for avoiding harshness of sound, several of the suffixes which properly commence with a consonant, have been so changed as to begin with a vowel, namely, into 9, ♫ into

הָ

, and into and 1; and if the noun terminate in a consonant, the forms beginning with a vowel are chosen; whereas, if it terminate in a vowel, the suffixes beginning with a consonant are em

their שִׁירָ־ן and שִׁירָ־ם,her song שִׁירָה,his song שִׁיר וֹ .ployed; e.g

.their mouth פִּי־הֶן and פִּי־הֶם

song; but (for ') mouth has

his mouth, her mouth,

Of the remaining suffixes one form only exists, namely, 7, 7, 1, D, 1, and it is used whether the nouns end with a consonant or a vowel, and being, in the former case, preceded by the connecting tsere (No. 2).

4. Analogously to the construct state of the singular, nouns ending

in harden this letter into before taking the suffixes; e.g.

שִׁירָה

דן

5. If the noun is in the plural, and has the termination D'—, the ▷ is thrown off, in order to effect a more complete amalgamation with the suffixes; but the weak ending which remains, causes various modifications in the forms of the suffixes, namely:

F

The plural termination is never altered; provided with suffixes it might, therefore, be expected to have the forms 'ni, ni, qni, ini, etc. But by a peculiar anomaly, is inserted after the, and the endings are exactly the same as those of nouns with the plural in D', namely 'ni, qi, qi, i, etc., so that the plural is doubly expressed, first by the termination i, and then by the as in the masculine, asi, Tiny, Da'ni, etc. However, the termi

מַכָּה .e.g ;וֹתֵיהֶם is frequently used instead of the fuller form וֹתָם nation

stroke―i (Ps. lxiv. 8), 17 generation—Di¬7 (Exod. xxxi. 16). 6. The light suffixes, that is, all with the exception of D, 1, 0, (§ 19.7), are, as a rule, appended to the absolute state of the noun; the heavy suffixes to the shorter construct state, whereby they acquire

your שִׁירַתְכֶם my song, but שִׁירָתִי שִׁירָה still greater weight; hence

song; garment—my garments (from the absolute state ', with the omission of D, No. 5), but D your garments (from the

.(בִּגְדֵי construct state

However, if the plural ends in Лi, both the light and the heavy suffixes are appended to the construct state, without additional

my doors, in their doors.

דַּלְתוֹתַי דַּלְתוֹת .stat. constr ,דְּלָתוֹת door, plural דֶלֶת .change; e.g

שִׁירְכֶם

7. The heavy suffixes have in all cases the tone, as

שִׁירוֹתֵיכֶם, שִׁירֵיכֶם, שִׁירַתְכֶם

The light suffixes have the tone if they are not preceded by a new syllable arising from the insertion of the binding vowel; but if this is the case, the new syllable receives the accent; e.g. TW, IñTW, mÃTY, but ; and if the light suffixes are joined to the plural of the noun, the tone is also on the penultima, except in the forms

and

the suffix are blended into one syllable, and in combinations like

where the termination of the plural and ,שִׁירוֹתָיו and שִׁירוֹתַי שִׁירָיו

I. IF THE NOUN IS IN THE SINGULAR AND HAS NO FEMININE

,his song שִׁירוֹ ,her song שִׁירָה .

3

m.

.(אָחִי brother, for אח) If it ends in a vowel .2

,my brother אָחִי ,our brother אָחִינוּ

Your brother,

their brother.

thy brother,

1 pers. c.

אָחִיךָ

Instead of ' may be used 1, the 1 being treated as a consonant, whereby the meeting of two vowels is also obviated (No. 3).

II. IF THE NOUN IS IN THE DUAL, OR IF IT IS IN THE PLURAL

.(songs שִׁירִים) -ים AND HAS THE TERMINATION

.(song שִׁירָה) ה TERMINATION

f.

III. IF THE NOUN IS IN THE SINGULAR AND HAS THE FEMININE

1 pers. c. my song,

our song,

your song,

their song.

שִׁירָתָם
שִׁירָתָן

thy song,

his song,
her song,

m.

IV. IF THE NOUN IS IN THE PLURAL AND HAS

Singular of Suffixes.

THE TERMI

.(songs שִׁירוֹת) -וֹת NATION

שִׁירוֹתֵינוּ,my songs שִׁירוֹתַי שִׁירוֹתֵיכֶם

שִׁירוֹתֵיכֶן

thy songs,

2

שִׁירוֹתֵיהֶם,his songs שִׁירוֹתָיו שִׁירוֹתֵיהֶן her songs שִׁירוֹתֶיהָ .f

A few additional remarks will complete the rules with respect to suffixes of nouns.

8. As the light suffixes make the tone advance only one syllable more towards the end of the word, they leave the last syllable of the noun always unaltered, even if it be variable; but they necessarily cause а pure kamets or tsere in the penultima to be changed into sh’va, since it would occupy the second place from the tone (§ 17. ii. 2); e.g. pp

777. The heavy suffixes share every modification of vowel with the construct state to which they are appended (No. 6), and to which they are entirely analogous with regard to tone and accent;

9. In the singular, the segolate-nouns have the suffixes joined to the original forms; in the plural, they follow the general rule; e.g. 77

2

דְּרָכֶיךָ דְרָכִי-ways דְרָכִים but דַּרְכְּכֶם דַּרְכְּךְ דַּרְכִּי-way (דַּרְךְ for) דַּרְכֵיהֶם lose this termination before suffixes, as ה The words ending in .10 and they ;מַעֲשֵׂיכֶם מַעֲשֶׂיךְ מַעֲשֶׂה .they do in plural (8 24, 1); e.g מַעֲשֵׂהוּ for i, as הו usually take as suffix of the third person singular

*

11. The words the last letter of which is properly doubled, undergo exactly the same changes as in the plural, both with reference to the vowels and the dagesh (§ 24. vi.); e.g. Dy or Dy people—py, "by, etc.;

12. The suffixes are added to the dual on precisely the same principles as to the plural; e.g. T hand-dual DT, T; with suffixes

§ 31. PARADIGMS FOR THE INFLECTION OF NOUNS. For easier reference we subjoin the complete inflection of nouns belonging to the various classes of which we have treated, and the lists include the plural, the dual, the construct state, and the forms with suffixes.

The classes and their subdivisions will be introduced in the following order :

I. Words with unchangeable vowels:

1. Without a fem. termination, and with D

in plural (?); 2. Without a fem. termination, and with ni in plural (D); 3. With the fem. termination, and in plural (3D);

4. With the fem. termination, and D in plural ().a II. Words with a changeable kamets or tsere in the ultima, and, if they have more than one syllable, an unchangeable vowel in the penultima :

1. Without feminine termination;

a. With changeable kamets in the ultima (),

ན

b. With changeable tsere in the ultima (i).

2. With the feminine termination

;

a. If the syllable preceding the termination does not begin

with sh'va mobile (),

b. If it begins with sh'va mobile (77).

III. Words with an unchangeable vowel in the ultima and a pure kamets or tsere in the penultima :

1. With pure kamets in the penultima (ji),

2. With pure tsere in the penultima (?).

IV. Words with pure kamets or tsere both in the ultima and the penultima:

1. With a double pure kamets (p),

2. With a pure kamets and a pure tsere (V).

V. The segolate nouns :

A. Without feminine termination, and without a weak consonant as second or third letter;

In this class, nouns with unusual plural terminations have been embodied (No. 2 and 4; see § 23.5); they will serve, by analogy, as examples for all other classes. Some of the

nouns selected contain gutturals, and are intended to show how such substantives should be inflected in accordance with the nature and peculiarities of those letters (§ 16).