The personal pronouns את AT, אך AK and אן AN

[Isaac Fried]

Whereas את AT, extended to אתה = את-היא, 'you', survived as an independent PP to this day, the parallel PP אך AK, extended to אכה = אך-היא, did not make it.

It is left only in the attachments for possession, as in the post biblical: שֶלָךְ = זֶה-עַל-אָך, 'yours f.' and שֶלְךָ = זֶה-עַל-אָכָה, 'yours m.'

In Nu. 14:32 we encounter the insisting repetition וּפִגְרֵיכֶם אַתֶּם, "your wasted bodies", where כֶם = -אכם = אָך-הֶם-, and where אַתֶּם = את-הם.

The PP אך AK is found in the elaborate PP אָנוֹכִי = אן-הוא-אך-היא, 'I', and in אֲנַחְנוּ, 'we'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

The personal pronoun אתה ATAH is often used in Hebrew to turn a root into a noun by by adding to it "it is", or "you are", for instance the תַּלְמִיד =אתה-למיד TALMIYD = ATAH-LMIYD, 'student, disciple', of 1Ch. 25:8, from the root למד LMD. From the same root we have, by the addition of מה MAH, 'which is', the מַלְמַד=מה-למד MALMAD=MAH-LMAD, 'goad', of Judges 3:31.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

A pre-posited personal pronoun אני ANIY is (via Aramaic?) similarly used to form a noun out of a root, for instance, the נֶ-פְרַשׁ-תָּא=נֶ-בְרַשׁ-תָּא, 'chandelier', of Dan. 5:5, and the נִ-דְבָּק=נִ-דְבָּךְ, 'course of blocks', of Ezra 6:4.

The same PP may appear at the end of the word, as in the כִּבְשָׁ-ן, 'furnace', from the root כבש KB$, of Gen. 19:28. It is common in spoken Hebrew, as in גנן=גן-אן, 'gardener', פרדסן=פרדס-אן, 'citrus grower', קבלן=קבל-אן, 'contractor', (literally, accepts מקבל jobs), רקדן=רקד-אן, 'dancer', and many more.

In this, it is equivalent to the English suffix -er. We have in English also "are" and "her". German er is 'he', and they have also plenty of r's in their other personal pronouns.

We recall also the English suffix -ish, possibly an amalgamation of "is" and "ego".

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

On the bird name שָׁלָךְ $ALAK of Lev. 11:17, says the Aramaic Targum Onkelos שָׁלֵי-נוּנָא = שָׁלֵינוּנָא, namely, 'puller up of fish', implying, methinks, that he does not see the name as coming from the root שלך, 'hurtling down', but rather from the root שלה, 'draw out'. If so, then the ך K at the end is possibly the added personal pronoun אך AK.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

The turning-a-root-into-a-noun personal pronoun את AT comes also an an ending:

בַּת=בא-את?
גַּת=גע-את? Joel 4:13
דַּעַת=דע-את Deut. 4:42
קְצָת=קץ-את Dan. 1:2
גַּבַּחַת=גבח-את Lev.13:42
טַבַּעַת=טבע-את Nu. 31:50
צַלַּחַת= צלח-את Ki2 21:13. Nothing to do with הצלחה 'success'.
צַפַּחַת=צפח-את Ki1 19:6
צַרַעַת=צרע-את Lev. 13:2
קֻבַּעַת=קבע-את Isaiah 51:17
קַדַּחַת=קדח-את Lev. 26:16
קָרַחַת=קרח-את Lev. 13:42

Also as אֶת
אַדֶרֶת=אדר-את Gen.25:25
גַּחֶלֶת=גחל-את Isaiah Job 41:13
דַּבֶּשֶת=דבש-את Isaiah 30:6. Nothing to do with דבש DBA$, 'honey'.
שַלֶכֶת=שלך-את Isaiah 6:13
שַחֶפֶת= שחף-את Lev. 26:16. Nothing to do with the bird name שחף $AXAP.

Also as אִית=היא-את
זָוִית=זו-היא-את Zech. 9:15
חֲנִית=חן-היא-את Sam1 13:19. possibly a variant of קנית QANIYT, 'stalk'.
לִילִית=ליל-היא-את Isaiah 34:14
צִיצִת=ציץ-היא-את Nu. 15:38. Related to ציץ 'sprout, shoot, tendril'.
צָפִית=צף-היא-את Isaiah 21:5. Related to צב and שף

Spoken Hebrew makes great use of this end attachment for diminution (female = tender?), for instance, כַּף, 'table spoon', כַּפִּית, 'tea spoon'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

The at-the-end personal pronouns היא HIY and הוּא HU, installed to say "he is, it is" for an object, are scarcer as they clash with other grammatical constructions. Still we find
אָחוּ=אח-הוּא Job 8:11
שָׂחוּ=שׂח-הוּא Ezekiel 47:5
תּוֹהוּ=תוֹה-הוּא Gen. 1:2

בְּלוֹ=בל-הוּא Ezra 4:20
דְּיוֹ=די-הוּא Jer. 36:18
נְבוֹ=נב-הוּא Deut. 32:49
שְׁבוֹ=שב-הוּא Ex.28:19
תְּאוֹ=תא-הוּא Deut. 14:5

צִי=צ-היא Isaiah 33:21
פֶּתִי=פת-היא Proverb. 14:15
גְּדִי=גד-היא Gen. 38:17
דְּלִי=דל-היא Isaiah 40:15
צְבִי=צב-היא Deut. 14:15

עֲבִי=עב-היא Job 15:26

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

Spoken Hebrew makes further differentiation:
רוּחִי=רוּח-י, 'my spirit'; רוּחַנִי=רוּח-אני, 'spiritual', רוּחָנִיוּת=רוּח-היא-הוא-את, 'spirituality'.
כּוֹחִי=כּוֹח-י, 'my strength'; כּוֹחַנִי=כוֹח-אני, 'violent'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

Sorry, it is
רוּחָנִיוּת=רוּח-אן-היא-הוא-את, 'spirituality'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

Here is another example for the stringing of personal pronouns to create words out of roots. From spoken Hebrew: דַע DA, 'know', מַדָע=מה-דע, MA-DA, 'science', literally, 'what-know'; מַדָעִי=מדע-היא, MADAIY, 'scientific', literally, it-science'; מַדָעָן=מה-דע-אן, MADAAN, 'scientist m.'; מַדָעָנִית=מה-דע-אן-היא-את, 'scientist f.'; מַדָעִים=מה-דע-הם, 'sciences'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

Seems that now is the time for English to adopt the Hebrew method of annexed PP: wifehe, wifeshe; husbandhe, husbandshe.

Isaac Fried, Boston University