Synopses & Reviews
T. H. Robinson published Paradigms and Exercises in Syriac Grammar in 1915 to meet the need for 'something of an elementary nature which should be of value to the student who takes up Syriac for the first time'. Since then, the book has met this need for generations of students. Still, teachers have recognized its weaknesses and this fifth edition is a thorough revision. Much of the old explanatory text and many of the exercises have been superseded. Some matters of grammar and pronunciation receive more systematic treatment and there are new appendices to introduce the estrangela and East Syriac scripts. In its format and level, however, the book aims to be, as before, an approachable introduction to this important language.
About the Author
J. F. Coakley is Senior Lecturer in Syriac at Harvard University
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The script
3. Pronunciation
4. Pronouns. Participles. Simple sentences
5. Nouns and adjctives: gender, number, state
6. Pronominal suffixes
7. Prepositions
8. Verbs. The perfect tense
9. Simple nouns with variable vowels
10. Participles
11. Other nouns with variable vowels
12. Miscellaneous and irregular nouns
13. The imperfect tense
14. The imperative and infinitive
15. The ethpe'el
16. The pa'el and ethpa'al
17. The aph'el and ettaph'al. Other conjugations
18. Objective pronominal suffixes, 1: attached to the perfect
19. Objective pronominal suffixes, 2: attached to other forms of the verb
20. Weak verbs. Pe-nun verbs
21. Pe-alaph verbs
22. Pe-yod verbs
23. 'E-alaph verbs
24. Hollow verbs
25. Geminate verbs
26. Lamad-yod verbs, 1: the pe'al
27. Lamad-yod verbs, 2: other conjugations
28. Pronominal suffixes attached to lamad-yod verbs
29. Numbers
A. Appendices Pronunciation of the bgdkpt letters
B. The estrangela script. Diacritical points
C. East Syriac writing and phonology
D. Dates
Syriac-English glossary
English-Syriac glossary