<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Dear colleagues,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">This is a follow-up to my
query about “passive lability” in Modern Western Aramaic, i.e., about past-tense
forms of transitive verbs with both active and passive readings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I am now engaged in fieldwork on
Modern Western Aramaic in Syrian Qalamoun. Today one of my informants produced
the following utterance (while working with the verb <i>čbr </i>‘to break’):</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Ḥanān
čbirōl battixča, hoš battixča čbīra.</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Ḥanān</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<td valign="top" style="border-top:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-left:none;padding:0in 5pt;height:14.25pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">čbir-ō-l</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<td valign="top" style="border-top:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-left:none;padding:0in 5pt;height:14.25pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">battix-č-a</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-left:none;padding:0in 5pt;height:14.25pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">hoš</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<td valign="top" style="border-top:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-left:none;padding:0in 5pt;height:14.25pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">battix-č-a</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-left:none;padding:0in 5pt;height:14.25pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">čbīr-a</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal;color:black">pn</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;padding:0in 5pt;height:27.75pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">break.<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal">prf-f-dom</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;padding:0in 5pt;height:27.75pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">watermelon-<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal">f-free</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;padding:0in 5pt;height:27.75pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">now</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;padding:0in 5pt;height:27.75pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">watermelon-<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal">f-free</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;padding:0in 5pt;height:27.75pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">broken-<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal">fs.indf</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">‘Hanan has broken the watermelon
(by chance), now the watermelon is broken.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">(Here the verb form <i>čbīra</i>
‘has broken/is broken’ appears in both active and passive readings.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> But he rejects </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">*Ḥanān
čbirōl k<span style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">īsa.</span></span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Ḥanān</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-left:none;padding:0in 5pt;height:14.25pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">čbir-ō-l</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-left:none;padding:0in 5pt;height:14.25pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">k<span style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">īs-a</span></span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<td valign="top" style="border-right:1pt solid black;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-left:1pt solid black;border-top:none;padding:0in 5pt;height:14.25pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal;color:black">pn</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;padding:0in 5pt;height:14.25pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">break.<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal">prf-f-dom</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;padding:0in 5pt;height:14.25pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">twig<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal">-free</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">‘Hanan has broken the twig.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">(When Hanan <i>intentionally</i>
broke the twig against her knee, in order to elicit the informant’s response.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Instead, he approves of </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Ḥanān
čabraččəl kīsa.</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<td valign="top" style="border:1pt solid black;padding:0in 5pt;height:18.85pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Ḥanān</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-left:none;padding:0in 5pt;height:18.85pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">čabr-ač-č-l</span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-left:none;padding:0in 5pt;height:18.85pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">k<span style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">īs-a</span></span></i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<td valign="top" style="border-right:1pt solid black;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-left:1pt solid black;border-top:none;padding:0in 5pt;height:27.75pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal;color:black">pn</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
</td>
<td valign="top" style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;padding:0in 5pt;height:27.75pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">break.<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal">pret</span>-3fs<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal">-pleo-dom</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<td valign="top" style="border-top:none;border-left:none;border-bottom:1pt solid black;border-right:1pt solid black;padding:0in 5pt;height:27.75pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">twig<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-caps:small-caps;font-variant-alternates:normal">-free</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">‘Hanan broke the twig.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">How can one approach this
piece of evidence?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Best wishes,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:12pt">Sergey</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p></div>