Mimation (, ') is the phenomenon of a suffixed ' (the letter
mem in many Semitic
abjad
An abjad ( or abgad) is a writing system in which only consonants are represented, leaving the vowel sounds to be inferred by the reader. This contrasts with alphabets, which provide graphemes for both consonants and vowels. The term was introd ...
s) which occurs in some
Semitic languages.
This occurs in
Akkadian in singular nouns.
Akkadian grammar: morphology
Akkadian grammar: Noun declension It was also present in the Proto-Semitic language.
It is retained in the plural and dual forms in Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
. It corresponds to the letter nun (-n) in Classical Arabic
Classical Arabic or Quranic Arabic () is the standardized literary form of Arabic used from the 7th century and throughout the Middle Ages, most notably in Umayyad Caliphate, Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid literary texts such as poetry, e ...
and is retained in the singular ( nunation), dual, and plural.
See also
* Nunation
References
Semitic linguistics
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