Conjugations or Verbal Stems
Like other Semitic languages, Aramaic employs a number of conjugations, or verbal stems, to extend the lexical coverage of verbs. The basic conjugation of the verb is called the ground stem, or G-stem. Following the tradition of mediaeval Arabic grammarians, it is more often called the Pə‘al (also written Pe‘al), using the form of the triliteral root P-‘-L, meaning ‘to do’. This stem carries the basic lexical meaning of the verb.
By doubling of the second radical, or root letter, the D-stem or Pa‘‘el is formed. This is often an intensive development of the basic lexical meaning. For example, qəṭal means ‘he killed’, whereas qaṭṭel means ‘he slew’. The precise relationship in meaning between the two stems differs for every verb.
A preformative, which can be ha-, a- or ša-, creates the C-stem or variously the Hap̄‘el, Ap̄‘el or Šap̄‘el (also spelt Haph‘el, Aph‘el and Shaph‘el). This is often an extensive or causative development of the basic lexical meaning. For example, ṭə‘â means ‘he went astray’, whereas aṭ‘î means ‘he deceived’. The Šap̄‘el is the least common variant of the C-stem. Because this variant is standard in Akkadian, it is possible that its use in Aramaic represents loanwords from that language. The difference between the variants Hap̄‘el and Ap̄‘el appears to be the gradual dropping of the initial h sound in later Old Aramaic. This is noted by the respelling of the older he preformative with aleph.
These three conjugations are supplemented with three derived conjugations, produced by the preformative hiṯ- or eṯ-. The loss of the initial h sound occurs similarly to that in the form above. These three derived stems are the Gt-stem, Hiṯpə‘el or Eṯpə‘el (also written Hithpe‘el or Ethpe‘el), the Dt-stem, Hiṯpa‘‘al or Eṯpa‘‘al (also written Hithpa‘‘al or Ethpa‘‘al), and the Ct-stem, Hiṯhap̄‘al, Ettap̄‘al, Hištap̄‘al or Eštap̄‘al (also written Hithhaph‘al, Ettaph‘al, Hishtaph‘al or Eshtaph‘al). Their meaning is usually reflexive, but later became passive. However, as with other conjugations, actual meaning differs from verb to verb.
Not all verbs utilise all of these conjugations, and, in some, the G-stem is not used. In the chart below (on the root K-T-B, meaning ‘to write’), the first form given is the usual form in Imperial Aramaic, while the second is Classical Syriac.
| Stem | Perfect active | Imperfect active | Perfect passive | Imperfect passive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pə‘al (G-stem) | kəṯaḇ ↔ kəṯaḇ | yiḵtuḇ ↔ neḵtoḇ | kəṯîḇ | |
| Hiṯpə‘ēl/Eṯpə‘el (Gt-stem) | hiṯkəṯēḇ ↔ eṯkəṯeḇ | yiṯkəṯēḇ ↔ neṯkəṯeḇ | ||
| Pa‘‘ēl/Pa‘‘el (D-stem) | kattēḇ ↔ katteḇ | yəḵattēḇ ↔ nəkatteḇ | kuttaḇ | |
| Hiṯpa‘‘al/Eṯpa‘‘al (Dt-stem) | hiṯkattaḇ ↔ eṯkattaḇ | yiṯkattaḇ ↔ neṯkattaḇ | ||
| Hap̄‘ēl/Ap̄‘el (C-stem) | haḵtēḇ ↔ aḵteḇ | yəhaḵtēḇ ↔ naḵteḇ | huḵtaḇ | |
| Hiṯhap̄‘al/Ettap̄‘al (Ct-stem) | hiṯhaḵtaḇ ↔ ettaḵtaḇ | yiṯhaḵtaḇ ↔ nettaḵtaḇ |
Aramaic also has two proper tenses: the perfect and the imperfect. In Imperial Aramaic, the participle began to be used for a historical present. Perhaps under influence from other languages, Middle Aramaic developed a system of composite tenses (combinations of forms of the verb with pronouns or an auxiliary verb), allowing for narrative that is more vivid. The syntax of Aramaic (the way sentences are put together) usually follows the order verb–subject–object (VSO). Imperial (Persian) Aramaic, however, tended to follow a S-O-V pattern (similar to Akkadian), which was the result of Persian syntactic influence.
Read more about this topic: Aramaic Language, Grammar, Verbs
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