A Syriac Chrestomathy

sources for syriacists

R1 · nestle-1889-en/r1/p031-1paradigm-survey

kind paradigm-survey
category noun: state (absolute/construct/emphatic) × number, across 12 exemplar noun-classes
printed_heading 29. EMPHATIC STATE — table of noun classes and their inflexion
layer vocalized Serto
layer_source read from the plate

noldeke

noldeke_qualifier

Nestle's own § (29), used directly — this is his section number, not a Nöldeke cross-reference; no Nöldeke § was confidently matched, left blank rather than guessed.

columns

vocalization_confidence

Consonant skeletons (form_unvoc) are read with reasonable confidence — the Serto letterforms are legible at the crop resolution used (2.6x, two-tile split per row-band). Full vocalization (form_voc) is NOT: the small triangle/dot diacritics distinguishing e.g. pthaha from zqapha from rbasa at this type size are exactly the class of mark this project's own house rule (reference_arabic-control-rule) says never to finalize by eye alone. Treat every form_voc below as a best-effort placement of visible dot/triangle shapes onto the (confident) consonant skeleton — proposed, not adjudicated.

cells

classgloss_ensg_abs_cstrsg_emphpl_abspl_cstrpl_emphuncertainuncertain_note
I.aking{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܠܟ', 'form_voc': 'ܡܰܠܟ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܠܟܐ', 'form_voc': 'ܡܰܠܟ݁ܳܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܠܟܝܢ', 'form_voc': 'ܡ̈ܰܠܟ݁ܺܝܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܠܟܝ', 'form_voc': 'ܡ̈ܰܠܟ݁ܰܝ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܠܟܐ', 'form_voc': 'ܡ̈ܰܠܟ݁ܶܐ'}
I.bfoot{'form_unvoc': 'ܪܓܠ', 'form_voc': 'ܪ̈ܶܓ݂ܶܠ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܪܓܠܐ', 'form_voc': 'ܪ̈ܶܓ݂ܠܳܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܪܓ̈ܠܝܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܪ̈ܓ݂ܠܝ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܪ̈ܓ݂ܠܐ'}TrueRE-VERIFIED 2026-09-02 on a second, tighter (3.2x) crop, prompted by the Nöldeke tier-1 mismatch below: the plural columns' diagonal yod-stroke is the SAME shape as row I.a's masculine -in/-ay/-ē pattern, not a distinct -āt- shape — confirmed on independent re-read, not a first-pass misreading. The open question is now LEXICAL, not a transcription doubt: either this word isn't the ordinary feminine reglā 'foot' (a different, masculine, word also glossed 'foot'), or Nestle's own paradigm treats it as masculine for some reason a Syriacist would need to name. Reading stands; still flagged because the WHY is unresolved.
I.csanctuary{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܩܕܫ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܩܕܫܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܩ̈ܕܫܝܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡ̈ܩܕܫܝ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡ̈ܩܕܫܐ'}Truem-preformative pattern (maqdš-); internal vowel pointing not confidently placed.
I.dchild{'form_unvoc': 'ܛܠܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܛܠܝܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܛ̈ܠܝܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܛ̈ܠܝ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܛ̈ܠܝܐ'}
I.eday{'form_unvoc': 'ܝܘܡ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܝܘܡܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܝܘ̈ܡܝܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܝܘ̈ܡܝ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܝܘ̈ܡܬܐ'}Truepl. emph. looks longer than the others (an -āthā-shaped tail), consistent with the known irregular plural yawmāthā 'days' — flagged because this is the one row where the plate shape and the standard grammar agree, so worth a second look in control precisely because agreement can also mean I unconsciously matched the shape to the expectation.
I.feye{'form_unvoc': 'ܥܝܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܥܝܢܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܥ̈ܝܢܝܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܥ̈ܝܢܝ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܥ̈ܝܢܐ'}
I.gsea{'form_unvoc': 'ܝܡ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܝܡܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܝܡ̈ܡܝܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܝ̈ܡܡܝ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܝ̈ܡܡܐ'}Truegeminate-m root (ym / ymm) — whether the plural doubles the second radical is a real grammatical question, not just a reading-confidence one; base skeleton shows what looks like a doubled stroke, not confirmed.
I.hrest{'form_unvoc': 'ܢܝܚ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܢܝܚܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܢ̈ܝܚܝܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܢ̈ܝܚܝ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܢ̈ܝܚܐ'}
II.aeternity{'form_unvoc': 'ܥܠܡ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܥܠܡܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܥ̈ܠܡܝܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܥ̈ܠܡܝ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܥ̈ܠܡܐ'}
II.bwitness{'form_unvoc': 'ܣܗܕܘ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܣܗ̈ܕܘܬܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܣܗ̈ܕܘܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܣܗ̈ܕܘ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܣܗ̈ܕܘܬܐ'}Truesāhdūtā-shaped word (abstract in -ūtā, not the agent noun sāhdā 'witness [person]') — the gloss 'witness' may cover either the person or the abstract 'testimony'; base skeleton looks closer to the abstract noun. Flagging the lexical-identity question, not just the pointing.
III.abanquet{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܫܬܘܬܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܫ̈ܬܘܬܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܫ̈ܬܘܬܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܫ̈ܬܘܬ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܡܫ̈ܬܘܬܐ'}TrueLongest word in the table (mštūtā-shaped); the singular/plural absolute and emphatic columns look very close to each other in the image at this zoom — a second, tighter crop is needed before trusting the abs/emph distinction on this row specifically.
III.bvision{'form_unvoc': 'ܚܙܘ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܚܙܘܢܐ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܚ̈ܙܘܢܝܢ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܚ̈ܙܘܢܝ'}{'form_unvoc': 'ܚ̈ܙܘܢܐ'}

source

primer nestle-1889-en
page 31
leaf n48

plate_note

Portrait page, table fills the whole leaf; two vertical row-bands (I.a-h, then II-III) each split into left (Sing.) / right (Plur.) halves, read at 2.6x per band-half — four crops total.

noldeke_check

date 2026-09-02
method tier-1, per SYRIAC-LANGUAGE-PILOT.md §5

noldeke_source

work Compendious Syriac Grammar (Crichton tr., 1904)
section §70
page 48
archive_id noldeke-compendious-syriac-grammar
leaf n83

caveat

Nöldeke's §70 is NOT a 12-class survey like this plate — one worked example (the adjective 'wicked') covering only the GENERAL state-ending pattern (masc. sg. abs/cstr bare, emph +ā; masc. pl. abs -in, cstr -ay, emph -ē; fem. sg. abs +ā, cstr +ath, emph +āthā; fem. pl. abs -ān, cstr -āth, emph -āthā). So this check validates ENDING SHAPES across all twelve rows, not lexeme-by-lexeme forms the way p043's verb check could.

result

CONFIRMED for the masculine rows (I.a, I.c-d, I.f-h, II.a): every one uses exactly Nöldeke's masc. pattern (-Ø/-Ø/-ā singular, -in/-ay/-ē plural) — I.a's malkin/malkay/malkē is a textbook match. I.e's irregular yawmāthā-shaped plural emphatic is independently explained by Nöldeke's rule too: 'day' is a known exception that borrows the FEMININE plural ending onto a masculine noun — the uncertain_note on that row correctly named this rather than silently normalizing it.

⚠ NOT resolved, and arguably sharpened: row I.b ('foot')'s plural columns used the masculine -in/-ay/-ē pattern, but if the lexeme really is reglā (a feminine noun), Nöldeke's general rule predicts -ān/-āth/-āthā instead — a real mismatch, not just a reading-confidence gap. This tier-1 check can't settle WHICH is wrong (the plate reading, the lexeme identification, or an exception this table is illustrating on purpose) — it only confirms the mismatch is real and worth a second plate look before Step 3, not resolved by a memorized paradigm either way. II.b ('witness') stays open for the same reason — its abstract-noun-shaped ending doesn't map cleanly onto either the adjective paradigm here or a simple agent-noun pattern.