78 THE IlfTEANSITITE VERB. [§ 149 



root-vowel ii) is long. When such a vowel is a * t ? or m, it is liable 

 to be shortened in certain cases. 



viz. It is shortened 



(1) If it is followed in the same word by another long vowel or diphthong. 

 Example, fcfi- sutatt. The only exceptions to this are certain forms of the 

 first and second persons of the Prospective Conditional and the Imperative, 

 and the anomalous Future form ^jcft^T sutiga. 



(2) If it is followed in the same word by three syllables, any of which 

 contains either the vowel t i, or the vowel ^ ti. Example, ^ffrw sutiaTi. 

 If neither of these vowels follows, the root-vowel may be long or short. 

 Example, icT^^ sMahak, or sutaliah. 



(8) If it be followed in the same word by any number of syllables more 

 than three. Example, ^^^^^ sutdbahalc : but ^Jcff^ sMaliak, where only 

 three syllables, none of which contains either \iov^ u, follow the root-vowel 

 ^ u. 



(4) A.lso in the Mild Imperative, the vowel is shortened in spite of the 

 foregoing rules. Thus: — 



^ffTf sutiha, 'be pleased to sleep'. 



Model verb ^<t^ sutah, 'to sleep'. 



§ 149. Root '^^stU, 'sleep'. 



Present Participle ... g^cT sw^azV, 'sleeping'. 

 Past Participle ,,, ... ^c(^ si^^a?, 'slept' . 



* There is a considerable diversity of custom with regard to the shorten- 

 ing of %j d. Some speakers shorten it as often as t i or ^ u are shortened. 

 Others always keep it lengthened ; and others again only keep it lengthened 

 when a is the root-vowel of an Active or Causal Verb, which has been 

 lengthened from the radical =?r a of a Neuter Verb, as will be seen later on. 

 An example of the last case is the in ^J"^ mar ah, 'to kill', which is the 

 Active form of the Neuter Verb marah, 'to die', This last custom is 



probably the most correct of the three. 



