ܗܝ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Pronunciation

• ܗܲܝ:
  • (Standard) IPA^(key): [ʔajaː], [hɑjː]
  • (Nineveh Plains) IPA^(key): [ʔaːj]

    (Bakhdede) IPA^(key): [ʔaːhi]

• ܗܵܝ:
  • (Standard) IPA^(key): [haːj]
  • (Nineveh Plains) IPA^(key): [ʔeː]

Etymology 1

Likely a univerbation of Aramaic הִיא (hī, “she”) +‎ ܗܵܐ (hā, “behold”), from Proto-Semitic *šiʔa; compare Arabic هِيَ (hiya), Hebrew הִיא (hi) and Akkadian 𒅆𒄿 (šī).

Pronoun

ܗ̇ܝ or ܗܲܝ • (aya or hay) f sg (masculine ܗ̇ܘ (awa), masculine plural ܗܸܢܘܿܢ (hinōn), feminine plural ܗܸܢܹܝܢ (hinnēn))

1. (personal) she, it
2. (intensive) she herself, it itself
3. (dialectal, demonstrative) that

Usage notes

• Assyrian Neo-Aramaic does not have a neuter gender. The sense of “it” comes when translating Assyrian inanimate nouns that are grammatically feminine into English inanimate nouns that are usually neuter.
• As an intensive pronoun, ܗ̇ܝ (aya) must come before the noun it describes.

Derived terms

• ܗܝܼܵܝܘܼܬ݂ܵܐ (hīyāyūṯā, “identity”)
• ܗܝܼܟ݂ܲܕ݂ܗܝܼܵܝܵܐ (hīḵaḏhīyāyā, “identical”)

See also

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic personal pronouns

Isolated nominative pronouns
		singular	plural
1st person		ܐܵܢܵܐ (ānā)	ܐܲܚܢܲܢ (aḥnan)
2nd person	m	ܐܲܢ݇ܬ (at)	ܐܲܢ݇ܬܘܿܢ (atōn)
	f	ܐܲܢ݇ܬܝ (at)	ܐܲܢ݇ܬܹܝܢ (attēn)
3rd person	m	ܗ̇ܘ (awa)	ܗܸܢܘܿܢ (hinōn)
	f	ܗ̇ܝ (aya)	ܗܸܢܹܝܢ (hinnēn)
Enclitic accusative and genitive pronouns
		singular	plural
1st person		-ܝܼ (-ī)	-ܲܢ (-an)
2nd person	m	-ܘܼܟ݂ (-ūḵ)	-ܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (-āwḵōn)
	f	-ܵܟ݂ܝ (-āḵ)
3rd person	m	-ܹܗ (-ēh); -ܘܼܗܝ (-ūh)	-ܗܘܿܢ (-hōn)
	f	-ܵܗ̇ (-āh); -ܘܿܗ̇ (-ōh)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Aramaic הָי (hāy, “that”).

Pronoun

ܗܵܝ • (hāy) f sg (masculine ܗܵܘ (hāw), masculine plural ܗܵܢܘܿܢ (hānōn), feminine plural ܗܵܢܹܝܢ (hānēn))

1. (demonstrative) that; that thing, that one (not physically present)
2. (dialectal, proscribed) used as primary meaning for plurals

Derived terms

• ܗܲܝܗܵܐ (hayhā, “that”)

Classical Syriac

Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *šiʔa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [hi]

Pronoun

ܗܝ • (hī) f (plural ܗܢܝܢ, masculine singular ܗܘ, masculine plural ܗܢܘܢ)

1. (personal) she, it
2. (intensive) she herself, it itself
3. sometimes used somewhat like a definite article; the

Usage notes

• Syriac does not have a neuter gender. The sense of "it" comes when translating Syriac inanimate nouns that are grammatically feminine into English inanimate nouns that are usually neuter.
• As an intensive pronoun, ܗܝ (hī) must come before the noun it describes.

Etymology 2

Modified from above, with the initial consonant quiescing.

Alternative forms

• -ܝ (-y)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [-(ʔ)i] (after a word ending in a consonant)
• IPA^(key): [-j] (after a word ending in a vowel, forming a diphthong)

Pronoun

ܗܝ • ([h]ī, -y) f (plural ܐܢܝܢ, feminine singular ܗܘ, feminine plural ܐܢܘܢ)

1. an enclitic used as a copula for a third-person singular feminine subject; she is, it is
2. (with a preceding first- or second-person singular pronoun) an enclitic used as a copula for a singular feminine subject; (I) am, (you) are

Usage notes

• Usually, the form ܗܝ ([h]ī) is written separately from the word it follows while the alternative form -ܝ (-y) is written together with the word it follows.

See also

• ܐܝܬܝܗ

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [hɑj]

Adjective

ܗܝ • (hāy) f (plural ܗܢܝܢ, singular masculine counterpart ܗܘ, plural masculine counterpart ܗܢܘܢ)

1. (demonstrative) that

Usage notes

• As an attributive adjective, ܗܝ (hāy) can come either before or after the noun it describes without any change in meaning.

Pronoun

ܗܝ • (hāy) f (plural ܗܢܝܢ, masculine singular ܗܘ, masculine plural ܗܢܘܢ)

1. (demonstrative) that thing, that one
2. used somewhat like a definite article; the

Usage notes

• The sense of the definite article "the" is used especially when translating Ancient Greek texts, being the equivalent of the Ancient Greek feminine singular definite article ἡ (hē).

References

• “hy”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2011-06-11
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, p. 74a-b
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 103a
• Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana, Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, p. 339b