Includes bibliographical references (p. 297-322) and indexes.

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Review of the Literature -- Terminology -- Definition of the Pattern -- Reconstruction -- The Role of Statistics -- The Role of the Pattern in the Isolated Nouns -- List of Isolated Nouns -- Internal Inflection Systems -- Rearrangement of the Pattern System: Mergers and Biforms -- *Qvtl Patterns: Semantics, Biforms, and Mergers -- *Qatν̆l Patterns: Semantics, Biforms, and Mergers -- *Qatv̄l Patterns: Semantics, Biforms, and Mergers -- *Qatl -- *Qitl -- *Qutl -- *Qatal -- *Qatil -- *Qatul -- *Qatāl -- *Qatīl -- *Qatūl -- *Qutul -- *Qutūl -- *Qital -- *Qutal -- *Qitāl -- *Qutāl -- *Qātil -- Patterns with Geminate C2 -- Patterns from the D and L Stirpes -- *Qattal/*qattāl -- *Qattil/*qattul -- *Qattīl -- *Qattūl -- *Quttul/*quttūl -- * Qittal/*qittāl/*quttal/*quttāl -- Patterns with Geminate C3 -- Non-reconstructible Patterns -- Conclusions and Summary -- Bibliography -- Indexes -- Colophon.

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This is the first complete study of Semitic internal noun patterns since that of Jacob Barth, over a century ago. Drawing on the earlier work of Semitists and linguists, this work presents a comprehensive new synthesis. This diachronic-comparative study presents the internal patterns individually and organizes them systematically. This study investigates the special role of noun patterns in isolated nouns and gives a complete list of reconstructible isolated nouns. This diachronic-comparative study presents the internal patterns individually and organizes them systematically. The roles of the patterns in the derivation of nouns from roots, and in nominal inflection, are shown as part of a reconstructed system. This study investigates the special role of noun patterns in isolated nouns, and gives a complete list of reconstructible isolated nouns. The heart of the book is devoted to studies of all individual reconstructible internal patterns with their Semitic reflexes, including mono- and bisyllabics and patterns with ungeminated or geminated second or third consonants. The book reaches conclusions on the structure of the Proto-Semitic pattern system, including categories of reconstructible and non-reconstructible patterns, semantic groups of patterns, and relationships between different patterns. Further, patterns merge and split diachronically, appearing in different roles in the attested languages, where new pattern systems are formed.