# Aramaic: מָאן



## zaw

Hi,

Is the א in מָאן a mater lectionis or does the word have the base qatl, just like מלך? If it's the latter, why didn't מאן became מֵאן, like רֵאשׁ?

Toda raba


----------



## Ali Smith

Its base is _qatl_, so no, the א was not, historically-speaking, a mater lectionis. It could, however, have come to be interpreted as one after the א quiesced.

By the way, the base of רֵאשׁ is _qitl_, not _qatl_. In Hebrew, however, the base of its cognate, רֹאשׁ, is _qatl_. The latter underwent the Canaanite shift, of course.


----------



## zaw

Thank you. Can מאן also be a noun with mem in the beginning? I mean that the mem is maybe not part of the root.


----------



## Ali Smith

You mean can מָאן be a mem-preformative noun? I doubt it. What would the root letters be? א-י-ן? א-ו-ן? Neither root exists in Aramaic.


----------



## Abaye

Is this thread about מאן = who? Then please see the entry at Jastrow, including the etymological note:


> *מָאן* pron.   (also spelled מַן, מָן) who?  [Related to BAram. מַן, Arab. _man_ (= who?), Akka. _mannū_, Ethiop. _manū_ (= who). These words were possibly formed from _mā_ (= what?), and deictic _n_. See מַה and cp. מִי. cp. also מָן and the first element in מַנּוּ.]


----------

