§ 2 أ

أ ' There are following applications for أ in Ar.:

(1) أَ ’a- the alif of interrogation, or the interrogative alif أَلِفُ الاِسْتِفْهَام L, particle introducing direct and indirect questions, Cowan WAR 1, it is prefixed to nouns, pronouns etc., Lee LHCE 146;

Variants:

(a) The prefix أَ before eg. أَنْتَ may be written as: أَأَنْتَ ’a-’anta and أَاأَنْتَ ’a’-’anta also as آأَنْتَ ’ā-’anta, Lane AL 2f.

(b) In negative as أَلَا ’a-lā, O'Leary CGSL 274.

(c) It is also used with أَمْ as: أَ... أَمْ... whether… or …, in alternative questions, Cowan WAR 1, also as أَ... أَوْ....

Sem. cognates:

(a) Heb. הֲ hă, הַ ha, הֶ hε interrogative particle [Fragepartikel]; its basic form is הֲ, before not 'kamatzed' letters ר, ע, ח, ה, א and before letters vowelled with 'shwa' it changes into הַ, before unaccented עָ, חָ, הָ, אָ it changes into הֶ, Zimmern VGSS 185; Klein CEH 134.

Also cf. BAram. and Talmudic אֲ ’ă, Levy CWT 1:1; Klein CEH 134.

Ugar. ’a (?) interrogative particle, Zimmern VGSS 67. ^❶

(b) In negative as Heb. הֲלֺא hă-lo’, O'Leary CGSL 274; also הֲלֺא or הֲלָא hă-lā’ is it not?; behold, indeed, Jastrow DTT 327.

(c) Heb. הֲ ... אִם whether? or? [utrum? an?], more rarely as  הֲ ... אוֹ  and הֲ ... וְאִם, Gesenius HCL 213f.

Gesenius explaining Heb. הֲ, הַ, הֶ, says: an interrogative adverb like the Ar. أَ prefixed; a prefix joined to the first word of a sentence, abbreviated from the fuller הַל, cf. Ar. هَلْ; he believes that this interrogative particle, like ה demonstrative, is derived from הַל, cf. أَلْ demonstrative; just as many interrogative words in other languages are properly affirmatives or negatives, which are afterwards used in an interrogative sense; cf. Grk. ἦ; Lat. ne; Ger. nicht wahr; Syr. ܗܐܳ; Heb. אִם, הֵן; also Ar. إِذَا, Gesenius HCL 213f; Gesenius THC 361f; also cf. Lee LHCE 146.

O'Leary mentions among other interrogative particles, هَلْ and its negative forms هَلَّا and أَلَّا, with the perfect to chide neglect and with the imperfect to incite to performance, O'Leary CGSL 274.

Pay attention to أَلَّا, which seems to be a variant for هَلَّا comprising from هَلْ and لَا. This may be a potentially good evidence for derivation of أَ from هَلْ.

If this is not the case, i.e. the derivation of أَ (directly or eventually) from هَلْ, it is perh. of an interjectional origin: أَ or its supposed early form هَـ or هَا were originally a word for attracting attention of the listener, then it has been changed to an interrogative particle;

For this cf: Cha. הָא hā’ (interjection) Lo!, Behold!, Heb. הֵא he’ Behold!, also Syr. ܗܐܳ hā’, and Ar. هَا hā’, Gesenius HCL 214.

(2) أَ ’a- the alif of calling, or vocative alif أَلِفُ النِّدآء L, أَ ’a- meaning O [someone]!, and آ ā- is a particle used in calling to someone who is distant, ho there, soho or holla [someone]!, Lane AL 3, prefixes to nouns, pronouns etc.;

Variants for example in combination with فُلاَنُ:

أَفُلاَنُ ’a-fulan meaning یَا فُلاَنُ; also as آفُلاَنُ ā-fulan; and cf. أَیَا فُلاَنُ ’ayā-fulan and آیَا فُلاَنُ āyā-fulan, Lane AL 3.

^❶ Also cf. Eth. -hū, -nū; Ass. -ū, O'Leary CGSL 274.