Essay towards a Grammar of the Berber Language. 165 



A zy ada. — Observe, in Arabic, Ziyad means "excess," "surplus," 

 &c. not " sin j" but the Hebrew root Z)d, "to sin boldly," gives the Berber 

 notion. 



Aqlay. — Aqla often introduces the apodosis of a sentence, and is 

 prefixed to suffix pronouns. It may sometimes be translated. Behold, and 

 sometimes For. As a verb, it means Turn, or Return. 



A una ^fo. — Compare Annazal (above). The prefix anna makes the 

 first per. pi. of the subjunctive or future. — Thus, Aco annaxcarn, what 

 shall we do ? 



Or ay ass akc am. — Or, prefixed. No, Not. ^y, us. As,m. Akcam, 

 enter. — The compound Asakcam means " bring, bring in." This is an 

 imitation of Arabic grammar, as is proved by the fact that the preposition 

 is found after the verb in this same sense : as, Osand as-wergaz, venerunt 

 in homine, that is, fecerunt venire hominem. Indeed, as compounded with 

 a root ordinarily produces a transitive verb, as will be hereafter seen. 



As a difficult specimen of Luke's style, we subjoin the four verses with 

 which he introduces his history ; and to explain the grammar more com- 

 pactly, our translation is into Latin. 



(I) Ayfassabba allan air alia zahnan alhadran ayanni fokkan 

 Supercausam plurimi susceperunt narrent eaquae absoluta 



cagnay. (2) Ahkanni ay'in inakm, wicak Ulan agbakri 

 sunt internos. Prout accepere nobis, qui erant ab initio 



zarran, allan aQqadcan lahcir. (3) Azriy nakki cayanni, macayalla 

 vidfirunt, ministrent verbum. Vidi ego quoque, quoniam 



alliy UTTafaray akra-y allan agbakri so7nanyi, vmlayalla asrasyad 



fui sequor omnia ab initio accurate (?) quod scribam 



yorek, A Tmifiht lel^idi; (4) *AtettinaT, ahkanni Lvaddam lahlir, 

 tibi, O Theophile bone ; (Ut) scias, secundum actionem verbi, 



enni akathadray. 

 quod tibi narro. (Not very close to the Greek.) 



The construction erant vidcrunt for the pluperfect viderant, is an Arabism. 

 Also/wi sequor seems to express our tense, / have followed. 



The word allan occurs pretty often j but we have not succeeded in fixing 

 its meaning. It is added to particles much as Kan (it was) in Arabic j 

 and is probably connected in etymology with Ilia. But we suspect it is 

 sometimes a relative. 



This passage also will show the reader : 



The second per. sing, terminating in ar. 

 The first per. sing, terminating in ay or iy. 

 The third pers. pi. in an. 



* This secmR to be a misprint for atessinar. The difterence is only that of three 

 duts for two. 



