7.8 Days of the week
7 · Numerals — counting, dates, "the second one" · a plain-language guide to Assyrian (Sureth) grammar
Here's the trick that makes these easy: the number is hiding inside the name. The old logic was "first-in-week, second-in-week, third-in-week…" and the counting numbers are still visible:
| day | Assyrian | the number inside |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | khoshiba | (kha "1" — the first) |
| Monday | tro-shiba | tre "2" |
| Tuesday | tlo-shiba | tla "3" |
| Wednesday | arpo-shiba | arpa "4" |
| Thursday | khamsho-shiba | khamsha "5" |
| Friday | ruyta | (its own word) |
| Saturday | shabta | (its own word — the Sabbath) |
So once you've got your numbers, five of the seven days come almost free: hear the tre / tla / arpa / khamsha at the front and you know it's Monday through Thursday. Only Friday (ruyta) and Saturday (shabta) break the pattern — and shabta is simply "the Sabbath," which also gives -shiba ("in-the-week") its name.
Each day pluralizes normally when you mean "on Sundays / Mondays": khoshibane, tro-shibane, and so on.
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