Editing Syriac language (section)

==Grammar==
Many Syriac words, like those in other [[Semitic languages]], belong to [[Semitic root#Triconsonantal roots|triconsonantal roots]], collations of three Syriac consonants. New words are built from these three consonants with variable vowel and consonant sets. For example, the following words belong to the root {{lang|syc|ܫܩܠ}} (''{{transliteration|syc|ŠQL}}''), to which a basic meaning of ''taking'' can be assigned:

* {{lang|syc|ܫܩܠ}} – {{transliteration|syc|šqal}}: "he has taken"
* {{lang|syc|ܢܫܩܘܠ}} – {{transliteration|syc|nešqol}}: "he will take, ... let him take, ... so that he might take."
* {{lang|syc|ܫܩܘܠ}} – {{transliteration|syc|šqol}}: "take! (masculine singular)"
* {{lang|syc|ܫܩܠ}} – {{transliteration|syc|šāqel}}: "he takes, he is taking, the one (masculine) who takes"
* {{lang|syc|ܫܩܠ}} – {{transliteration|syc|šaqqel}}: "he has lifted/raised"
* {{lang|syc|ܐܫܩܠ}} – {{transliteration|syc|ʾašqel}}: "he has set out"
* {{lang|syc|ܫܩܠܐ}} – {{transliteration|syc|šqālā}}: "a taking, burden, recension, portion or syllable"
* {{lang|syc|ܫܩ̈ܠܐ}} – {{transliteration|syc|šeqlē}}: "takings, profits, taxes"
* {{lang|syc|ܫܩܠܘܬܐ}} – {{transliteration|syc|šaqluṯā}}: "a beast of burden"
* {{lang|syc|ܫܘܩܠܐ}} – {{transliteration|syc|šuqqālā}}: "arrogance"

=== Nouns ===
Most Syriac [[noun]]s are built from triliteral roots. Nouns carry [[grammatical gender]] (masculine or feminine), they can be either singular or plural in number (a very few can be dual) and can exist in one of three grammatical states. These states should not be confused with [[grammatical case]]s in other languages.

* The absolute state is the basic form of the noun – {{lang|syc|ܫܩ̈ܠܝܢ}}, {{transliteration|syc|šeqlin}}, "taxes".
* The emphatic state usually represents a definite noun – {{lang|syc|ܫܩ̈ܠܐ}}, {{transliteration|syc|šeqlē}}, "the taxes".
* The construct state marks a noun in relationship to another noun – {{lang|syc|ܫܩ̈ܠܝ}}, {{transliteration|syc|šeqlay}}, "taxes of...".

However, very quickly in the development of Classical Syriac, the emphatic state became the ordinary form of the noun, and the absolute and construct states were relegated to certain stock phrases (for example, {{lang|syc|ܒܪ ܐܢܫܐ/ܒܪܢܫܐ}}, {{transliteration|syc|bar nāšā}}, "man, person", literally "son of man").

In Old and early Classical Syriac, most [[genitive case|genitive]] noun relationships are built using the construct state, but contrary to the genitive case, it is the head-noun which is marked by the construct state. Thus, {{lang|syc|ܫܩ̈ܠܝ ܡܠܟܘܬܐ}}, {{transliteration|syc|šeqlay malkuṯā}}, means "the taxes of the kingdom". Quickly, the construct relationship was abandoned and replaced by the use of the relative particle {{lang|syc|ܕ}}, ''{{transliteration|syc|d-, da-}}''. Thus, the same [[noun phrase]] becomes {{lang|syc|ܫܩ̈ܠܐ ܕܡܠܟܘܬܐ}}, {{transliteration|syc|šeqlē d-malkuṯā}}, where both nouns are in the emphatic state. Very closely related nouns can be drawn into a closer grammatical relationship by the addition of a pronominal suffix. Thus, the phrase can be written as {{lang|syc|ܫܩ̈ܠܝܗ ܕܡܠܟܘܬܐ}}, {{transliteration|syc|šeqlêh d-malkuṯā}}. In this case, both nouns continue to be in the emphatic state, but the first has the suffix that makes it literally read "her taxes" ("kingdom" is feminine), and thus is "her taxes, [those] of the kingdom".

[[Adjective]]s always agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. Adjectives are in the absolute state if they are [[predicative expression#Predicative (adjectival or nominal)|predicative]], but agree with the state of their noun if [[adjective#Attributive adjective|attributive]]. Thus, {{lang|syc|ܒܝܫܝ̈ܢ ܫܩ̈ܠܐ}}, ''{{transliteration|syc|bišin šeqlē}}'', means "the taxes are evil", whereas {{lang|syc|ܫܩ̈ܠܐ ܒܝ̈ܫܐ}}, ''{{transliteration|syc|šeqlē ḇišē}}'', means "evil taxes".

=== Verbs ===
Most Syriac verbs are built on triliteral roots as well. Finite verbs carry [[grammatical person|person]], gender (except in the first person) and number, as well as [[grammatical tense|tense]] and [[Grammatical conjugation|conjugation]]. The non-finite verb forms are the [[infinitive]] and the [[active voice|active]] and [[passive voice|passive]] participles.

Syriac has only two true [[morphology (linguistics)|morphological]] tenses: perfect and imperfect. Whereas these tenses were originally [[grammatical aspect|aspectual]] in Aramaic, they have become a truly temporal [[past tense|past]] and [[future tense|future]] tenses respectively. The [[present tense]] is usually marked with the [[participle]] followed by the [[subject (grammar)|subject]] pronoun. Such [[pronoun]]s are usually omitted in the case of the third person. This use of the participle to mark the present tense is the most common of a number of ''compound'' tenses that can be used to express varying senses of tense and aspect.

Syriac also employs [[Derived stem|derived verb stems]] such as are present in other Semitic languages. These are regular modifications of the verb's root to express other changes in meaning. The first stem is the ground state, or ''{{transliteration|syc|Pəʿal}}'' (this name models the shape of the root) form of the verb, which carries the usual meaning of the word. The next is the intensive stem, or ''{{transliteration|syc|Paʿʿel}}'', form of the verb, which usually carries an [[Intensive word form|intensified meaning]]. The third is the extensive stem, or ''{{transliteration|syc|ʾAp̄ʿel}}'', form of the verb, which is often [[causative]] in meaning. Each of these stems has its parallel passive conjugation: the ''{{transliteration|syc|ʾEṯpəʿel}}'', ''{{transliteration|syc|ʾEṯpaʿʿal}}'' and ''{{transliteration|syc|ʾEttap̄ʿal}}'' respectively. To these six cardinal stems are added a few irregular stems, like the ''{{transliteration|syc|Šap̄ʿel}}'' and ''{{transliteration|syc|ʾEštap̄ʿal}}'', which generally have an extensive meaning.

The basic G-stem or "Peal" conjugation of "to write" in the perfect and imperfect is as follows:<ref>Robinson and Coakley, 2013 p.36, p. 60.</ref>
 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" |
! colspan="2" | Perfect
! colspan="2" | Imperfect
|-
! singular !! plural
! singular !! plural
|-
! colspan="2" |  1st person
| {{lang|syc|ܟܬܒܬ}} {{Transliteration|syc|keṯḇeṯ}}
| {{lang|syc|ܟܬܒܢ}} {{Transliteration|syc|kəṯaḇn}}
| {{lang|syc|ܐܟܬܘܒ}} {{Transliteration|syc|eḵtoḇ}}
| {{lang|syc|ܢܟܬܘܒ}} {{Transliteration|syc|neḵtoḇ}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | 2nd person
! m.
| {{lang|syc|ܟܬܒܬ}} {{lang|syc|kəṯaḇt}}
| {{lang|syc|ܟܬܒܬܘܢ}} {{lang|syc|kəṯaḇtûn}}
| {{lang|syc|ܬܟܬܘܒ}} {{lang|syc|teḵtoḇ}}
| {{lang|syc|ܬܟܬܒܘܢ}} {{lang|syc|teḵtəḇûn}}
|-
! f.
| {{lang|syc|ܟܬܒܬܝ}} {{lang|syc|kəṯaḇt}}
| {{lang|syc|ܟܬܒ̈ܬܝܢ}} {{lang|syc|kəṯaḇtên}}
| {{lang|syc|ܬܟܬܒܝܢ}} {{lang|syc|teḵtəḇîn}}
| {{lang|syc|ܬܟܬܒ̈ܢ}} {{lang|syc|teḵtəḇān}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | 3rd person
! m.
| {{lang|syc|ܟܬܒ}} {{Transliteration|syc|kəṯaḇ}}
| {{lang|syc|ܟܬܒܘ}} {{Transliteration|syc|kəṯaḇ}}
| {{lang|syc|ܢܟܬܘܒ}} {{Transliteration|syc|neḵtoḇ}}
| {{lang|syc|ܢܟܬܒܘܢ}} {{Transliteration|syc|neḵtəḇûn}}
|-
! f.
| {{lang|syc|ܟܬܒܬ}} {{Transliteration|syc|keṯbaṯ}}
| {{lang|syc|ܟܬܒ}} {{Transliteration|syc|kəṯaḇ}}
| {{lang|syc|ܬܟܬܘܒ}} {{Transliteration|syc|teḵtoḇ}}
| {{lang|syc|ܢܟܬܒ̈ܢ}} {{Transliteration|syc|neḵtəḇān}}
|}