Derived stem

For example, in Arabic and Hebrew, words containing the root √k-t-b have a meaning related to writing (in Hebrew, a phonological process known as begadkefat, alters the quality of certain consonants when they follow a vowel, so b becomes v and k becomes ḵ (a voiceless velar fricative like German Bach); the symbol ː indicates the preceding consonant is doubled or geminate). Thus:

• In the basic stem, "he wrote" in Arabic is "kataba", and in Hebrew is "katav".
• In a causative stem, "he dictated" in Arabic is "ʔaktaba" and in Hebrew is "hiḵtīv".
• In the passive stem, "it was written" in Arabic is "inkataba" and in Hebrew is "niḵtav".
• In a reflexive stem, "he corresponded" in Arabic is "kātaba" and in Hebrew is "hitkatːēv".

The following two tables show the full paradigm of templates for the nine most common Arabic stems and the seven most common Hebrew stems, and illustrate some of the different meanings and functions that stems can have.

The first column gives the traditional stem abbreviation used by Comparative Semiticists and the second column gives typical stem names used in Arabic and Hebrew grammars; the Arabic system uses Roman numerals, and the Hebrew uses binyanim forms with the root letters √p-ʕ-l (with p sometimes becoming f by begadkefat). The next columns give the canonical functions of each stem, and their templates (the three Cs stand in for the three Consonants of the root, and V stands for some Vowel). Finally, the meaning and form of the stems with the √k-t-b root is given in the 3rd person masculine singular perfect, which lacks inflectional affixes.

The tD Stem for Arabic is not given for the √k-t-b root because it does not occur, illustrating that not each root has an actual form for each stem; in fact, √k-t-b has a more complete stem paradigm than many other roots.

In each Semitic language, the number of derived stems is different. In Hebrew, both biblical and modern, there are seven common ones,{{Cite journal|last=Rubin|first=Aaron D.|date=2008-03-01|title=The Paradigm Root in Hebrew|journal=Journal of Semitic Studies|volume=53|issue=1|pages=29–41|doi=10.1093/jss/fgm043|issn=0022-4480}} and in Arabic there are nine common forms and at least six rare ones;{{Cite book|url=http://pubman.mpdl.mpg.de/pubman/item/escidoc:404064/component/escidoc:2079850/arabic_wright1896_1.pdf|title=A grammar of the Arabic language: translated from the German of Caspari, and edited with numerous additions and corrections|last=Wright|first=W.|publisher=Cambridge|year=1896}} Akkadian has thirteen common patterns, Ugaritic has ten, Syriac has eight common ones, Modern Aramaic languages range from two-four, and so on.

There are different ways of naming stems, most systems classify stems by their morphological patterns but others simply number them. In Arabic, a system using Roman numerals is frequently used, as well as a more traditional system where the forms with the root letters √f-ʕ-l (roughly meaning "to do") are used as names of each stem. Hebrew also uses this latter system, although the cognate root used is √p-ʕ-l (with p sometimes surfacing as f by begadkefat). In Akkadian, forms with the √p-r-s root "to decide" are most often used. The convention using Latin letter abbreviations (such as G, Dt and Š) is a morphological shorthand used most often by comparative Semiticists, and emphasizes the relationships between stems within and between languages.

• G-Stem is the base stem, from the German Grund ("ground")
• D-Stem typically has a Doubled second root letter
• L-Stem typically Lengthens the first vowel
• N-Stem has a prefix with N
• C- or Š-Stem often has a Causative meaning and has a prefix with Š (ʃ pronounced like English sh), S, H, or ʔ (the glottal stop).
• t Stems (such as tG, tD, and Št) have an affix with t.

The following table compares some of the important stems of six different Semitic languages: Akkadian, Biblical Hebrew, Syriac, Standard Arabic, Geʿez, and Shehri (aka Jibbali), representing different Semitic subfamilies. By examining these and a few other forms, and using the comparative method and internal reconstruction, the Grammatical Function and Template for the Proto-Semitic derived stems have been reconstructed. The asterisk (*) in the Proto-Semitic Template column indicates that these forms are hypothetical and reconstructed.

Because the L Stem is only attested in the geographically and genetically proximate Arabic and South Semitic languages, it is thought to be a later innovation, not present in Proto-Semitic. By contrast, since separate but morphologically similar Št and ŠtG Stems are attested in the relatively distantly related Akkadian and Shehri, these are posited to have been different stems in Proto-Semitic, but to have merged in most later Semitic languages.

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite GHG|39}}
• [https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00831338 Pattern-and-root inflectional morphology: the Arabic broken plural]
• [https://www.academia.edu/13002690/Do_computer_scientists_deeply_understand_the_traditional_Arabic_morphology_%D9%87%D9%84_%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%87%D9%85_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%87%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%91%D9%88%D9%86_%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%85_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%81_%D9%81%D9%87%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%8B_%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%8B_ Alexis NEME and Eric Laporte, Do computer scientists deeply understand Arabic morphology? - هل يفهم المهندسون الحاسوبيّون علم الصرف فهماً عميقاً؟] (available also in Arabic, Indonesian, French)

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Category:Afroasiatic verbs

Category:Linguistic morphology

Category:Semitic linguistics