Fluctuations in State and Number among Nouns and Adjectives with the Gentilic Suffix in Samaritan Aramaic

Abstract

In Samaritan Aramaic we find the gentilic suffixes -’Cā:y, -’Cā: and -Cāʔi. Originally these suffixes signified different grammatical categories, but eventually they became interchangeable. This article examines all the forms with a gentilic suffix that are documented in the oral tradition of Samaritan Aramaic along with additional data derived from the manuscripts. It is suggested that fluctuations in state and number among these forms arose due to the phonetic resemblance between the various suffixes as well as due to the identical spelling of the suffixes -’Cā:y and -Cāʔi. It is shown that the manuscripts preserve traces of a more ancient stage of the use of gentilic suffixes and that most of the lexemes with the suffix are characterised by fossilised inflection. Thus, it is suggested that the fluctuations emerged during a later period, after Samaritan Aramaic was no longer spoken.