1851.] On the Physiology of the Arabic Language. 117 



the singular but from the root. The singular kitab, and the plural kotob 

 rise both from the root ktb. The same is the case with the positive and 

 comparative, as positive kabir, comparative masculine akbar, compara- 

 tive feminine kobra ; this rule even extends to foreign names : the 

 sound is neglected, the consonants are considered as constituting a root 

 from which the plural is derived without reference to the form or 

 sound of the singular, as jalalik which is the plural of jallik (i. e. Gallic 

 or a Gallician), batarik, singular batryk, a Patrician. We observe that 

 in these two examples, the plurals have the same form, though the sin- 

 gulars widely differ. 



4. Almost every word can by simple rules be reduced to a verbal 

 root of three consonants. The roots of the Shemitic languages have in 

 fact two syllables, whereas the roots of all other tongues are monosyl- 

 labic. Moreover other languages have a much greater proportion of 

 substantive roots, than there are in Arabic. 



This is the exclusive characteristic of the Shemitic tongues, and it is 

 therefore principally this peculiarity which will be farther illustrated 

 in this notice. 



In reflecting on the bi-syllabic or rather tri-consonantal roots of the 

 Arabic language and the cognate dialects we find that there is some 

 thing so artificial and unnatural in them that we are inclined to consi- 

 der them as a fiction of the Grammarians. Thus we are told that ibn 

 is derived from a root, the three consonants of which are bnw j±t 

 and which means to build ; and tjs* card plural fyj* corud, a hill- 

 sanatarium is derived from &j* which means feeling cold keenly, &c, 

 but on the other hand the system of tri-consonantal roots pervades all 

 Shemitic languages and is hundreds of years older than their gram- 

 marians. 



It is usually supposed that all the roots are verbs or verbal nouns 

 but Mr. Prichard is of opinion that they express the abstract notious of 

 the meaning of their derivatives. The former opinion is established 

 by the fact that almost every root if pronounced with two or three 

 fatAahs is a verb. 



Though the word card «>^ a hill-station is apparently derived from a 

 verbal root it appears from an account of Mas'iidy that it is a Persian 

 term, meaning cold. The Persian kings used to spend the hot season 

 in the hills and the cold season at Ctesiphon. The Khalifs imitated 



a 2 



