Edition 2.0
6 February 2012
History of the Ancient and Modern Hebrew Language
By David Steinberg
David.Steinberg@houseofdavid.ca
Home page http://www.houseofdavid.ca/
http://www.adath-shalom.ca/history_of_hebrewtoc.htm
Excursus
1
Phonemic Structure of Pre-Exilic, Tiberian[1] and Israeli
Hebrew Contrasted
A Note on the Use of Post-Exilic Evidence
Regarding the pronunciation of BH
Box 10 - Nature of Consonant and Vowel Length
Box 11 - Were Vowel Quantity and Consonant Quantity Phonemic in
Biblical Hebrew?
Box 12 - Trade-off Between
Vowel and Consonant Length
Table 6 - Distinctive
Vowel Length and Syllable Type in EBHP and their Reflex in TH
Table
- Reflexes of Proto-Semitic sounds in daughter languages
Table 9 - Consonants in EBHP,
TH, [BHIH] and [THCSP IS-ENG]
Table 10 - EBHP Heterogeneous Diphthongs and their Development in LBHP, TH and BHIH
Box 14 - Consonantal
Polyphony in Biblical Hebrew
Table 11 - Consonantal Minimal Pairs in Biblical Hebrew
No Longer Valid in Later Hebrew
Table 12 - Voiced, Voiceless and Emphatic
Consonants in Biblical Hebrew
d.1 Diachronic Development of the
Biblical Hebrew Vowel System
Box 15 - Distinctive Features of Hebrew Vowels
Table
14 - Proto-Semitic to Tiberian Hebrew -
Vowel Phonemes with Possible Allophones
Box 16 - Semitic Vowels and their
Actualization
Table
15 - Long Vowels in EBHP by Origin
Table
16 - Shifts in Proto-Semitic Vowels as Hebrew Developed
Table
17 - Vowel Length Minimal Pairs in Biblical Hebrew and their Transformation in
Later Hebrew
Table
18 - Vowel Phonemes Minimal Pairs
in EBHP
Box 17 -
Distinctive Features of TH
Vowels
Table 19 – Vowel System
Tiberian Hebrew
Table
20 - Tiberian Vowels of the Same Quality often Have Diverse Origins
Box
18 - Vowel System - Modern Israeli Hebrew
d.2 Conventional
Scholarly Transcription of the TH Vowel System (THCST)
Table
21 -
THSBL Transcription - Vowel System of Tiberian Hebrew
Box 20 - Origin of Matres Lectionis (Vowel
Letters)
Box 21 - Matres Lectionis in Hebrew
Box 22 - Matres Lectionis in the Biblical
Text
f. Reading
Traditions of Biblical Hebrew
Table
23 - EBHP, TH and the Phonetic Realizations BH in Key Modern Pronunciations
A Note on the Use of Post-Exilic
Evidence Regarding the pronunciation of BH
N.b. Justification of Proposals for EBHP
1. General
Approach in Theory and Practice
In theory,
derivations should be traced from *Proto-Semitic
(PS) to *Proto-Northwest Semitic (PNWS) to Proto-Hebrew (PH) to Classical
Biblical Hebrew (CBH, /EBHP/+), Post-Classical Biblical Hebrew (PCBH, */LBHP/
evidenced in the vowel letters of the Proto-Masoretic
Text (PMT) and then separately to (in
order of importance) -
1. *Proto-Tiberian
Hebrew (*/PTH/+) and Tiberian Hebrew (/TH/+).
2. Biblical Hebrew
as reflected in Greek and Latin transcriptions (BHGk-Lat)[2] - to the extent
that relevant evidence is available.
3. Biblical Hebrew
as reflected in the orthography of biblical Dead Sea Scrolls (BHQum) - to the extent
that relevant evidence is available.
4. Biblical Hebrew
pointed with Palestinian Vocalization (BHPal)[3] - to the extent
that relevant evidence is available.
5. Biblical Hebrew
pointed with Babylonian Vocalization (BHBab)[4] - to the extent
that relevant evidence is available.
6. Biblical Hebrew as pronounced by the modern Samaritans (BHSAM)
7. The range of modern Jewish pronunciations.
However, in practice, given:
·
most
of the areas of dispute relate to the vowel system of BH;
·
the superbly crafted and
comprehensive nature of the Tiberian masoretic system which, in many cases preserves evidence
of early pronunciations lost in the various non-Tiberian traditions;
·
the fragmentary nature of the vocalization that
can be deduced from the vowel letters of the biblical Dead Sea Scrolls;
·
the difficulties of
interpreting the Greek evidence[5];
·
the pervasive influence of Aramaic on post-exilic
Hebrew in general and the highly Aramaized nature evidenced by BHPal, BHBab, and BHSAM[6] and in the Hebrew traditions underlying BHGk-Lat[7];
·
the rather obvious fact that BHQum is highly Aramaized[8] and is overlaid
by a pronunciation tradition that is probably descended not from BH but from
one or more contemporaneous dialects; and,
·
the high degree of overall
similarity between TH and BHPal, BHBab[9] and Jerome's
Latin transliterations[10].
it seems most practical that derivations should be traced -
i) from *Proto-Semitic
(PS) to *Proto-Northwest Semitic (PNWS) to *Proto-Hebrew (PH) to Classical
Biblical Hebrew (CBH, */EBHP/+), Post-Classical Biblical Hebrew (PCBH, */LBHP/
evidenced in the vowel letters of the Proto-Masoretic Text
(PMT)); and then,
2. What We
Can Learn From the Greek and Latin Transliterations
i) historic distinctions of consonant and vowel
length were still maintained in the Hebrew underlying the Secunda. The MT
only preserves the historic distinctions of consonant length;
ii) The sound shifts ḫ >ḥ and ġ > c (see Polyphonic Letters ח ע) had not occurred in the Hebrew underlying the
Septuagint Torah ( c. early third c. BCE) but had
occurred in the Hebrew underlying the
Secunda. These mergers had occurred in the Tiberian Masoretic tradition at some
time before the fixing of the MT.
Aside form
occasional mention of Israelite names transliterated into Akkadian, the
Septuagint (Torah early third c. BCE)
provides the earliest transliteration of vocalized BH names while the Secunda
(second-third c. CE) provides the transliteration of vocalized continuous text.
Jerome
a. What is a Phoneme?
Phones and Phonemes
“Modern linguistics
insists on an important distinction between phone and phoneme. A
phone is a sound heard or articulated in actual speech, and as such it is a
physical entity which can be measured and recorded by mechanical devices. A classification of consonants as labial, dental, etc. and of vowels as front, back, mid, high, etc. accords with such an approach. By
contrast, a phoneme is what is perceived
to be a particular phonetic entity, and thus by definition
it is an abstraction, something like the common denominator of
countless phones, namely actual sounds which share certain essential
features. Even one and the same speaker—and of course, different speakers
of a given language —pronounces a given phoneme in
numerous variations, which however are normally
perceived as one phoneme, without creating any serious problem of communication.” Quoted from
Joϋon-Muraoka 1991
§ 5 |
A phoneme is -
Ø A contrastive unit in the sound system of a particular
language.
Ø A
minimal unit that serves to distinguish between meanings of words.
Ø Pronounced in one or more ways, depending on the
number of allophones.
Ø Represented between slashes by convention.
Example:
/b/, /j/, /o/
nb. I have not used slashes in the
following tables. For convenience, the transcription is a compromise
between phonemic and phonetic
Box
10
The Nature of Consonant and Vowel Length
In pre-medieval Hebrew, vowel[11] and consonant length probably resembled
their manifestation in spoken Arabic. The following is a quote from Raja Tewfik Nasr's An English-colloquial Arabic Dictionary[12], (p. xvi) Variations in the length
of both consonants and vowels produce variations in meaning.... The
difference between the short and long sounds is that the long sounds take a
relatively longer time to be completely produced than the short ones. In the
case of a stop, the explosion occurs after a longer withholding; in the
case of a vowel, lateral, or fricative, it is continued longer; in the case
of a flap, the flaps are repeated (hence the trills); and in the case of a
nasal, the vibration of the vocal cords and the flow of breath through the
nasal passage last longer. |
As with spoken
Arabic "The relative length of consonants and vowels contributes greatly
to the rhythmic patterns of speech...."[13]
and hence is vital to appreciating the meter of biblical poetry.
Box 11 - Were Vowel
Quantity and Consonant Quantity
Phonemic in BH? |
“Proto-Semitic /i:/
and /u:/ were
retained unchanged throughout the history of Hebrew, but /a:/ became
raised and rounded by the fourteenth century BCE in all or most
environments. The evidence of the Tiberian reading tradition … suggests that
there were two raised and rounded allophones of /a:/ which in one
instance yielded doublets ḳan:o’ = ḳan:å’ ‘zealous’. "Eventually, the inherited
short vowels also developed allophones as did the up-gliding diphthongs: [å:]
and [ä] from /a/; and [o:], [o]
and [å] from /u/; [e:], [e],
and [ä] from /i/; [o:] from
/aw/; [e:] and [ä:] from /ay/. The merger of some of
these allophones resulted in a completely reorganized system in which the
number of contrastive qualities was doubled and the role of quantity was
greatly reduced. "Long [i:] and [u:] are in
complementary distribution with [y] and [w], respectively, and alternate with
them, e.g. "Outside of closed unstressed syllables, which
excluded long vowels, Ancient Hebrew had a contrast between long and short
vowels. However,
between the tannaitic period and the time of the Masoretes, short vowels in
stressed syllables lengthened, erasing the contrast in those syllables. Thus,
while Hebrew was still a spoken language, the o of infinitival yåˈko(w)l ‘be able’ was long, while the o of
sg. 3m. perfect yåˈkol ‘he was able’ was short, like the ancestor
of å in yәkålˈtäm. In the
Pre-Tiberian reading tradition, the o of sg. 3m. perfect "As
a result of this change, length became to a large extent conditioned by
stress[15]. Outside of opened
unstressed syllables (where a length contrast survived), there was a simple rule: stressed vowels are long and unstressed vowels are short. Non-systematic
representation of vowel length through the use of matres lectionis …
developed in Standard Biblical Hebrew. These vowel
letters are used to mark not only etymologically long vowels but also
stressed vowels in pre-pausal[16]
position. In
the Tiberian reading tradition, such vowels were probably no longer than
other stressed vowels, but morphophonemic alterations show that a length
difference had once existed, e.g. tiškab ~ tiškåb <
*tiškab ~ *tiškāb, yәšal:aḥ ~ yәšal:eaḥ
< *yišal:eḥ ~ *yišal:ēḥ. "Consonant
length
(like vowel length) was phonemic in Proto-Hebrew, but it was not represented
in the biblical period, even in an unsystematic way. Thus, the spelling
crwmym was used for both members of the minimal pair Job "Most
of the Proto-Hebrew minimal pairs are no longer valid
for the Tiberian system…. The fact remains, however, that the Masoretes
considered consonant length important enough to create a sign for it (“strong”
dagesh). Two minimal pairs noted by the Masoretes themselves are
Job "In the tradition of Hebrew that was adopted by the Tiberian Masoretes, the following vowel
quality shifts took place some time before the Masoretic period: e:ē > ɛ:ē, a:ā > a:ɔ̄. The result was the emergence of four vowel qualities (ɛ, e, a, ɔ) from an original
two (e, a). The signs ṣere and qameṣ in Tiberian Hebrew represent vowels that were
long e and a respectively
before the operation of the quality shifts. The signs segol and pataḥ in Tiberian Hebrew represent vowels that were short e and a respectively before the operation of the quality
shifts. "At some stage after these quality shifts had taken place, vowel length became
totally dependent on stress and syllabic structure[18]. All stressed vowels and all vowels
in an unstressed open syllable were pronounced long[19]. As a result not only qameṣ and ṣere but also pataḥ and segol were pronounced long when stressed
or when in an open syllable. "At some
stage after vowel length became dependent on stress and syllable structure,
long and short o developed into two distinct qualities: o:ō
> ɔ:ō. For this reason long ō occurs only in stressed or
unstressed open syllables whereas short ɔ
occurs only in unstressed closed syllables."[20] [21] |
Box 12
Trade-off
Between Vowel and Consonant Length
In
both Hebrew and Arabic, in the words of Blau, "...rhythmically long
vowel + simple consonant are more or less identical to short vowel + double
consonant...."[22] Thus pretonic gemination at times substitutes
for pretonic lengthening[23]. See
also Elision of word-final aleph with
compensaatory lengthening of the preceeding vowel. |
Box 13
Pausal
Forms
Pausal
forms in TH are probably closely related to the rhythm of formal reading of
scripture[24]. In many instances they reveal pre-Tiberian stress patterns
and the quality of vowels reduced to vocal šwas in contextual forms.
Where appropriate I include pausal, as well as contextual forms, in tables. |
Table 6 -
Distinctive
Vowel Length and Syllable
Type in EBHP and their Reflex in TH |
||
|
(c. 850-550 BCE) |
(c. 850 CE) |
Open stressed syllable |
Long |
Long in [TH] /ˈhu/ *[ˈhuː] "he" |
Closed stressed syllable |
Long in nouns, short in
verbs |
Long in [TH] /nåˈtan/ *[nɔːˈθɐːn] "he gave": /nåˈtån/
*[nɔːˈθɔːn] "Nathan" |
|
*/gaˈmal/
"he weaned": */gaˈmaːl/ "camel" |
/gåˈmal/
*[gɔːˈmɐːl] "he
weaned" |
Stressed syllable doubly closed
in EBHP N.b. in TH doubly closed syllables rarely remain because
of reduction of geminated final consonant and
insertion of anaptyctic vowels breaking up
other consonantal clusters |
Short */ˈḥuqq/
"law" */šōˈmart/ (<*/šōˈmirt/) qal a.p. fs.
"guard, guarding" |
Long in [TH] /ˈḥoq/ *[ˈħoːq]
"law" /šoˈmɛrɛt/ *[ʃoːˈmɛːrɛθ] "guard, guarding" |
Open unstressed syllable |
Long/Short */sūˈgar/ "cage” */suˈgar/ qal passive PC 3ms. "it was closed” |
Long in [TH] /suˈgar/ *[suːˈɣɐːr] "cage” /sugˈgar/ *[sugˈgɐːr] "it was closed” (syllable
closed by gemination resulting in form identical to pual)][26] |
Closed unstressed syllable |
Short/Long */min-/
“from” */ˌmīn/ “variety of..” |
Short in [TH] /min-/
“from” /ˌmin/ *[ˌmiːn] “variety of..” |
Unstressed syllable doubly
closed in EBHP |
Short */ˌḥuqq/ "law of" */šōˌmart/ (<*/šōˌmirt/) qal a.p. fs. constr. "guard
of" |
Long in [TH] /ˌḥoq/ *[ˌħoːq] "law of" /šoˌmɛrɛt/ *[ʃoːˌmɛːrɛθ] |
Table
7 - Phonemic Status of Vowel and Consonant Length and Quality and of Word
Stress over the History of the Hebrew Language |
||
Phase |
Date |
Examples (phonemically
presented) |
|
c.
2000 - |
/ˈcālamu/ > /ˈcōlamu/ /šaˈlāmu/ > /šaˈlōmu/ /ˈqāṭilu/
> /ˈqōṭilu/ /ˈqāṭiltu/
> /ˈqōṭiltu/ /paˈqīdu/ /ˈ’amara/
(“he said”) /ˈ’amarū/
(“they said”) |
c.
1200 - |
/cōˈlamu/ /šaˈlōmu/ /qōˈṭilu/
(ms. a.p. qal) /qōˈṭiltu/
(fs. a.p. qal) /paˈqīdu/ /’aˈmara/ /’aˈmarū/ |
|
c.
1000 - |
/cōˈlaːm/ /šaˈlōm/ /qōˈṭeːl/ (ms.
a.p. qal) /qōˈṭilt/
(f.s. a.p. qal) /paˈqīd/ /’aˈmar/ /’aˈmarū/ |
|
c.
500 BCE – c. 200 CE |
/cōˈlaːm/ /šaˈlōm/ /qōˈṭẹːl/
(ms. a.p. qal) /qōˈṭɛlt/ (fs.
a.p. qal) /paˈqīd/ /’aˈmar/ /’aˈmarū/ |
|
c.
850 CE |
/coˈlåm/ [coːˈlɔːm] /šåˈlom/ [ʃɔːˈloːm] /qoˈṭẹl/
[qoːˈṭẹːl] /qoˈṭɛlɛt/
[qoːˈṭɛːlɛθ] /påˈqid/ [pɔːˈqiːð] /ʾåˈmar/ [ʔɔːˈmɐːr] /ʾåmәˈru/ [ʔɔːmәˈruː] |
|
No Phonetic distinction in length of vowels (IH) |
Current
Israeli Hebrew |
/oˈlam/ /šaˈlom/ /koˈtɛl/ (ms.
a.p. qal) /koˈtɛlɛt/
(fs. a.p. qal) /paˈqid/ /aˈmar/ /amˈru/ |
Table 8 |
||||
*PH (c.
1200 BCE) |
(c.
850-550 BCE) |
(c.
850 CE) |
(present) |
Phonemic distinction based on and
comments |
/min/ |
/min/ [mɪn] “from” |
מִן־ /min/
[min] |
[min] |
PH – vowel length EBHP - vowel length, stress
TH – spelling, stress and
context IH – spelling and context |
/mīn/ |
/ˌmīn/
[ˌmiːn] “variety
of..” |
מִין /ˌmin/ [ˌmiːn] |
[min] |
|
/ˈšitu/ √ŠYT |
/ˈšeːt/
[ˈʃẹːt] “base” |
שֵׁת /ˈšẹt/ *[ˈʃẹːθ] |
[ˈʃɛt] |
PH – vowel length EBHP - vowel quality TH and IH –spelling and
vowel quality |
/ˈšītu/ √ŠYT |
/ˈšīt/
[ˈʃiːt] |
שִׁית /ˈšit/ *[ˈʃiːθ] |
[ˈʃit] |
|
|
/ʾitt/ [ʔɪtt] "with" |
אֵת /ʾẹt/
*[ʔẹːθ] |
[ɛt] |
EBHP - consonant length (gemination) and, possibly, vowel quality. TH and IH - context |
|
(particle
indicating direct object) |
אֵת /ˌʾẹt/
*[ˌʔẹːθ] |
[ɛt] |
|
אֶת־ /ʾɛt/
*[ʔɛːθ] |
[ɛt] |
|
||
/ˈcabdu/ |
/ˈcabd/ “slave” |
עֶבֶד |
[ˈɛvɛd] |
PH – vowel distribution and length. EBHP – vowel quality and
distribution; spelling TH and IH – vowel quality
and distribution; spelling |
/ˈcabadū/
> |
/caˈbạdū/ [cɐˈbɐduˑ] “they
served” |
עָבְדוּ /cåbәˈdu/ |
[ɐvˈdu] |
|
/yaˈqūmu/ |
/yaˈqūm/ [yɐˈquːm] “he
will stand” (qal
indicative) |
יָקוּם /yåˈqum/ |
[yɐˈkum] |
PH – vowel length, final short vowel and stress
distinguish indicative from preterite/jussive EBHP - vowel length and
stress distinguish indicative from jussive. Preterite distinguished from
jussive by waC -, in this instance way, prefix. TH - vowel quality and
stress for wayyåqåm IH vayaˈkam frequent but considered
incorrect. |
/ˈyaqum/ |
/ˈyaqum/[30] [ˈyɐqʊm]?
[ˈyɐqo̞m]? “let
him stand” (qal
jussive) |
יָקֹם /yåˈqom/
|
[yɐˈkom] |
|
/ˈyaqum/ |
/wayˈyaqum/ [wɐyˈyɐqʊm]? [wɐyˈyɐqo̞m]? “he
stood” (qal
preterite) |
וַיָּקָם /wayˈyåqǫm/ |
[vɐyɐˈkɐm] |
|
|
/ˈhašmid/ [ˈhɐʃmɪd]? “destroy!” |
הַשְמֵד /hašˈmẹd/ |
[hɐʃˈmɛd] |
EBHP – vowel length and stress. TH and IH - vowel quality |
|
/hašˈmīd/ |
הַשְׁמִיד /hašˈmid/ |
[hɐʃˈmid] |
|
/ˈṭabbaḫu/
> |
/ṭabˈbaːḫ/ |
טַבָּח /ṭabˈbåḥ/ [ṭɐbˈbɔːħ] |
[tɐˈbɐx] |
PH – vowel length
and quality and consonant length. EBHP –vowel quality and
consonant length TH - vowel quality, stress,
number of syllables and residually consonant length IH - vowel quality, stress, number of syllables
and consonant quality |
/ṭaˈbāḫu/
> |
/ṭaˈbōḫ/ [ṭɐˈboːx] |
טָבוֹחַ /ṭåˈboːaḥ/ [ṭɔːˈvoːɐħ] |
[tɐˈvo.ɐx] |
|
/ˈḫātamu/
> |
/ḫōˈtaːm/ [xoːˈtaːm] |
חוֹתָם /ḥoˈtåm/ [ħoːˈθɔːm] |
[xoˈtɐm] |
PH – vowel length EBHP - vowel quality and
length TH and IH - vowel quality |
/ḫaˈtāmu/
> |
/ḫaˈtōm/
[xɐˈtoːm] |
חָתוֹם /ḥåˈtom/ [ħɔːˈθoːm] |
[xɐˈtom] |
|
/šaˈlāmu/ > |
/šaˈlōm/ [ʃɐˈloːm] |
שָׁלוֹם /šåˈlom/
[ʃɔːˈloːm] |
[ʃɐˈlom] |
PH – vowel quality
and length EBHP –vowel length and
vowel quality; suffix ū TH - vowel quality; suffix
u IH - vowel quality; suffix
u |
/ˈšalamū/
> |
/šaˈlạmū/ [ʃɐˈlɐ̣muˑ] |
שָׁלְמוּ /šålˈmu/ [ʃɔːlәˈmuː] |
[ʃɐlˈmu] |
|
/maˈrādu/ > √RWD |
*/maˈrōd/ [mɐˈɾoːd]
“homelessness” |
מָרוֹד /måˈrod/ [mɔːˈɾoːð] |
[mɐˈʁ̞od] |
Note the regular noun
formation All periods context
only |
/maˈrādu/> √RWD |
/maˈrōd/ [mɐˈroːd] |
/måˈrod/ [mɔːˈroːð] |
[maˈʁ̞od] |
|
/zaˈkaːr/ [zɐˈkaːɾ] |
זָכָר /zåˈkår/
[zɔːˈxɔːɾ] |
[zaˈxaʁ̞] |
PH – vowel length (u - ū) EBHP – suffix ū TH - vowel quality and
suffix u IH - vowel distribution and quality and
suffix u |
|
/ˈðakarū/
→ |
/zaˈkạrū/ [zɐˈkɐ̣ɾuˑ] |
זָכְרוּ /zåkˈru/
[zɔːxәˈɾuː] |
[zaxˈʁ̞u] |
|
|
כָּבֵד |
[kaˈvɛd] |
EBHP – vowel and consonant
length TH - vowel quality and
residually consonant length IH - consonant quality and
context |
|
|
/kaˈbeːd/ [kɐˈbẹːd]
“heavy” (adj. = ms. part. qal.) |
כָּבֵד /kåˈbẹd/
[kɔːˈvẹːð] |
[kaˈvɛd] |
|
|
/kabˈbid/
[kabˈbid] |
כַּבֵּד /kabˈbẹd/ [kɐbˈbẹːð] |
[kaˈbɛd] |
|
|
/ˈḥagg/ [ˈħɐgg] |
חַג
/ˈḥag/ [ˈħɐːɣ] OR חָג /ˈḥåg/ [ˈħɔːɣ] |
[ˈxag] |
EBHP – vowel length and consonant length TH - vowel quality (where
“festival” vocalized ḥag) or none (where “festival” vocalized ḥåg)
IH - context |
|
/ˈḥâg/ [ˈħagg]
|
חָג /ˈḥåg/ [ˈħɔːɣ] |
[ˈxag] |
|
/ˈ’āsiru/
> /ˈ’ōsiru/ > /’ōˈsiru/ |
/’ōˈseːr/ [’oːˈsẹːɾ] “one
who ties” |
אֹסֵר /’oˈsẹr/
[’oːˈsẹːɾ] |
[oˈsɛʁ̞] |
PH – vowel length EBHP –vowel length and
vowel quality TH and IH - vowel quality |
/’aˈsīru/ |
/’aˈsīr/ [’ɐˈsiːɾ] |
אָסִיר /’åˈsir/
[’ɔːˈsiːɾ] |
[aˈsiʁ̞] |
|
/ˈqabbiru/
> |
/qabˈbeːr/ [qɐbˈbẹːɾ] |
קַבֵּר /qabˈbẹr/ [qabˈbẹːɾ] |
[kaˈbɛʁ̞] |
PH –vowel length,
vowel distribution and consonant length EBHP – vowel length, vowel
quality, vowel distribution and consonant length TH - vowel quality, vowel
distribution, stress and residually consonant length IH - vowel and consonant
quality. |
/ˈqābiru/
> |
/qōˈbeːr/ [qoːˈbẹːɾ] (qal
ms. act. part.) “burier” |
קוֹבֵר /qoˈbẹr/ [qoːˈvẹːɾ] |
[koˈvɛʁ̞] |
|
/ˈqabru/ |
/ˈqabr/ [ˈqɐbɾ]? [ˈqɐbәɾ]? “tomb” |
קֶבֶר /ˈqɛbɛr/ [ˈqɛːvɛɾ] |
[ˈkɛvɛʁ̞] |
|
/ˈsūgaru/
> |
/sūˈgar/ [suːˈgɐr] “cage” |
סוּגַר /suˈgar/ [suːˈɣaːr] |
[suˈgaʁ̞] |
PH – vowel quality and length EBHP - vowel quality and
length TH and IH - vowel quality |
/ˈsagūru/
> |
/saˈgūr/ [sɐˈguːɾ] |
סָגוּר /såˈgur/ [sɔːˈɣuːɾ] |
[saˈguʁ̞] |
|
/ˈsūgaru/
> |
/sūˈgar/ [suːˈgɐɾ] |
סוּגַר /suˈgar/ [suːˈɣaːɾ] |
[suˈgaʁ̞] |
PH – vowel length,
consonant length and vowel quality of suffix. EBHP –vowel length and
consonant length TH - Consonant length IH - context |
/ˈsuggara/
> |
/sugˈgar/ [sʊgˈgɐɾ] (pual 3rd ms. SC) “it was closed” |
סֻגַּר /sugˈgar/ [sugˈgɐːɾ] |
[suˈgaʁ̞] |
|
/gaˈdālu/ > |
/gaˈdōl/ [gɐˈdoːl] |
גָּדוֹל /gåˈdol/
|
[gaˈdol] |
PH – vowel quality and length EBHP – vowel quality and length TH and IH - none |
/ˈgadulu/
> |
/gaˈdoːl/
[gɐˈdoːl] |
גָּדוֹל /gåˈdol/
[gɔːˈðoːl] |
[gaˈdol] |
|
/ˈgudlu/ |
/ˈgudl/ |
גֹדֶל /ˈgodɛl/
[ˈgoːðɛl] |
[ˈgodɛl] |
PH – vowel length and pattern and consonant length EBHP – vowel length and pattern and consonant length TH - vowel quality and residually consonant length IH - vowel quality and pattern |
/ˈguddalū/ |
/gudˈdạlū/ [gʊdˈdɐ̣luˑ] |
גֻּדְּלוּ /guddәˈlu/ [guddәˈluː] |
[gudˈlu] |
|
/ˈsipru/ |
/ˈsipr/ |
סֵפֶר /ˈsẹpɛr/ [ˈsẹːfɛɾ] |
[ˈsɛfɛr] |
PH – vowel quality, length and pattern and consonant length EBHP – vowel quality, length and pattern, stress and consonant length TH - vowel quality and pattern; stress; residually
consonant length IH - vowel quality and pattern;
stress; consonant quality. |
/ˈsapparū/
→ |
/sipˈpịrū/ [sɪpˈpɪ̣ɾuˑ] |
סִפְּרוּ /sippˈru/ [sippәˈɾuː] |
[sipˈʁ̞u] |
|
/ˈsupurū/
> |
/suˈpurū/ [sʊˈpʊ̣ɾuˑ]
> |
סִפְרוּ /sipˈru/
[sifˈɾuː] |
[sifˈʁ̞u] |
|
/ˈraḥabu/
> |
/raˈḥaːb/ [rɐˈħaːb] |
רָחָב /råˈḥåb/
[rɔːˈħɔːv] |
[ʁ̞aˈxav] |
PH – vowel length EBHP - vowel quality and length TH and IH - vowel quality |
/raˈḥābu/
> |
/raˈḥōb/
[ɾɐˈħoːb] |
רָחוֹב /råˈḥob/
[ɾɔːˈħoːv] |
[ʁ̞aˈxov] |
|
/ˈqaṣiru/
> |
/qaˈṣeːr/ [qɐˈṣẹːɾ] |
קָצֵר /qåˈṣẹr/ [qɔːˈṣẹːɾ] |
[kaˈtsɛʁ̞] |
PH – vowel length EBHP - vowel length TH and IH - vowel quality |
/qaˈṣīru/ |
/qaˈṣīr/ [qɐˈṣiːɾ] |
קָצִיר /qåˈṣir/ [qɔːˈṣiːɾ] |
[kaˈtsiʁ̞] |
|
/ˈšabū/? /ˈšābū/? √ŠWB |
/ˈšâbū/ [ˈʃaːbuˑ] |
שָׁבוּ /ˈšåbu/ [ˈʃɔːvuː] |
[ˈʃavu] |
EBHP - vowel length and stress TH and IH – stress |
/ˈšabayū/
> √ŠBY |
/šaˈbū/ [ʃɐˈbuː] |
שָׁבוּ /šåˈbu/
[ʃɔːˈvuː] |
[ʃaˈvu] |
|
/ˈšab/? /ˈšāba/? √ŠWB |
/ˈšâb/ [ˈʃaːb] |
שָׁב /ˈšåb/
[ˈʃɔːv] |
[ˈʃav] |
EBHP - vowel length, stress and suffix
ā TH and IH – stress and suffix |
/ˈšābâ/ [ˈʃaːbɐˑ] |
שָׁבָה /ˈšåbå/
[ˈʃɔːvɔː] |
שָב [ˈʃava] |
||
/ˈšabaya/
> √ŠBY |
/šaˈbâ/ [ʃɐˈbɐː] |
שָׁבָה /šåˈbå/
[ʃɔːˈvɔː] |
[ʃaˈva] |
|
/ˈšaba/ √ŠWB |
/ˈšâb/ [ˈʃaːb] |
שָׁב /ˈšåb/ [ʃɔːv] |
[ˈʃav] |
EBHP - vowel and consonant length TH - vowel quality IH - none |
/ˈšabba/ √ŠBB |
/ˈšabb/ [ˈʃɐbb] |
שַׁב /ˈšab/
[ʃɐːv] |
[ˈʃav] |
c. Consonantal Phonemes
Table
- Reflexes of Proto-Semitic sounds in daughter languages
Table 9 - Consonants in EBHP, TH, [BHIH]
and [THCSP IS-ENG][32] |
||||
*/EBHP/ *[EBHP]
(c.
850-550 BCE) |
TH (c.
850 CE) |
(present) |
||
א |
/ʾ/ [ʔ, -] Silent when word or syllable final. |
[Ø] |
[Ø] |
|
בּ |
/b/
[b] bilabial, stop, voiced |
/b/ 2
allophones in complementary distribution |
[b] |
|
ב |
[v] |
[v] |
||
גּ |
/g/
[ɡ] |
/g/ Two
allophones in complementary distribution (I
will use [ɣ] in [TH]
transcriptions) |
[ɡ] |
[ɡ] |
ג |
||||
דּ |
/d/
[d] |
/d/ 2
allophones in complementary distribution |
[d] |
[d] |
ד |
||||
ה |
/h/
[h] |
/h/
[h] |
[h] |
|
הּ |
consonantal [h] at end of word |
consonantal [h] at end of word |
[Ø] |
[Ø] |
ו |
/w/
[w] |
(I
will use [w] in [TH] transcriptions) |
[v] |
|
ז |
/z/
[z] |
/z/
[z] |
[z] |
[z] |
|
a polyphonic letter in BH representing /ḥ/
[ħ] or /ḫ/ [x][37] depending on
its PS origin. |
/ḥ/
[ħ] |
[x] |
[x] |
ט |
(nb. I use [ṭ] in the case of the root קטל used conventionally for
grammatical examples) |
[t] (identical in pronunciation to ת) |
[t] (identical in pronunciation to ת) |
|
י |
/y/
[j] (I will use [y] in [BH] transcriptions) |
/y/
[j] (I will use [y] in [TH] transcriptions) |
(I
will use [y]
in [IH] and |
[j] |
כּ |
/k/ 2
allophones in complementary distribution |
[k] |
[k] |
|
כ |
[x] |
[x] |
||
ל |
/l/
[l] |
/l/
[l] |
[l] |
[l] |
מ |
/m/
[m] |
/m/
[m] |
[m] |
[m] |
נ |
/n/
[n] |
/n/
[n] |
[n] |
[n] |
ס |
/s/
[s] |
/s/
[s] |
[s] |
[s] |
a
polyphonic letter in BH representing /c/
[ʕ][39] or /ġ/ [ɣ] depending on its PS origin. ([ɣ]is
very close to [ʁ̞]) |
/c/
[ʕ] |
[Ø] |
[Ø] |
|
פּ |
/p/
[p] |
/p/ 2
allophones in complementary distribution |
[p] |
[p] |
פ |
[f] |
[f] |
||
Less likely [ ʦ͡
] |
[
ʦ͡] |
[
ʦ͡] |
||
ק |
[k] |
[k] |
||
ר |
/r/
[ɾ] |
[ɾ] |
||
שׂ |
/ś/
[s] |
[s] |
[s] |
|
שׁ |
/š/
[ʃ] |
[ʃ] |
[ʃ] |
|
תּ |
/t/
[t] |
/t/ |
[t] |
[t] |
ת |
||||
22 |
26 phonemes |
24 phonemes |
|
|
Table 10 -
EBHP Heterogeneous Diphthongs and their Development in LBHP, TH and BHIH |
|||
|
*/EBHP/ *[EBHP]
(c.
850-550 BCE) |
/TH/+ *[TH] (c.
850 CE) |
(present) |
Carrying
primary stress |
/áy/ = [ɐ́y] |
[ɐ́y] |
|
Unstressed or
carrying secondary stress |
[ɛ] |
||
Carrying
primary stress |
/áw/ = [ɐ́w] |
[ɐ́w] |
|
Unstressed or
carrying secondary stress |
[o̞] |
Box 14 - Consonantal
Polyphony in Biblical Hebrew |
Sibilants BH
(Biblical Hebrew) had at its inception three sibilants שׁ /š/, שׂ /ś/ and ס /s/. We do not know for sure how the
second phoneme was originally pronounced (today it is pronounced like ס = s). A few generations ago, scholars believed that /ś/
was only a kind of offshoot of the /š/ which had developed within Hebrew
(and Aramaic). This view has been discarded for three reasons: 1)
Hebrew /ś/ is always paralleled in Arabic by one consonant, while the
equivalent of Hebrew /š/, is another consonant … 2)
South Arabic, both that of the inscriptions and of the modern dialects has
indeed preserved three different phonemes exactly paralleling the three
Hebrew phonemes dealt with here. 3)
Hebrew /š/ and /ś/ are never interchanged except in foreign loans שׂריון - שׁריון 'armor'. Therefore there is no reason to doubt that in Hebrew
as in South Arabic there existed three different phonemes /š, ś, s/.
represented by שׁ,שׂ, ס…. The alphabet was apparently invented by a people whose
language possessed only two of these three phonemes. When it was adopted by
other peoples such as the Jews and Arameans, whose language had all three
phonemes, they simply employed one sign for two phonemes instead of adding a
new sign. Apparently they chose the ש sign
because the pronunciation of the /ś/ was close to that of the /š/... But
the pronunciation of the /ś/ did not remain stable even during Biblical
times. In the course of several centuries it came close to that of the /s/
and finally merged with it. We know when this process came to an end because
especially in the later books of the Bible there appear several roots
containing an original /ś/ spelled with a /s/ e.g., סֹכְרִים 'they hire’ (Ezra 4. 5: = שׂכְרִים). In MH most of the roots containing an
original /ś/ are already spelled with samekh…. Gutturals The pharyngals /c, ḥ/: Each of these pharyngals
represents a merger of two PS (Proto-Semitic
language
) phonemes. The phonemes that disappeared are /x/ (pronounced as in Bach,
Scottish loch or Yiddish ich) and /ġ/ (pronounced like a fricative /g/). When did these phonemes disappear? At first glance
it would seem that they disappeared before Hebrew was committed to writing,
or else we should have expected to find in the Hebrew alphabet a special
grapheme for their notation. But in the light of our discussion of the
notation of /ś/ and /š/ by the same grapheme … this
conclusion would he hasty because there is reason to believe that these
phonemes did in fact exist during Biblical times, and that, as in the case of
/ś/, it was only for lack of
a grapheme of their own that the graphemes ח,ע respectively were used for them. In other words, we can
assume that ח
was used during Biblical times to indicate both the pharyngal /ḥ/
and the velar /x/
while the sign ע
did service for both the pharyngal /c/ and the velar /ġ/. It should be mentioned
that Arabic, which possesses all four
of these sounds does indeed use the graphemes ح = ḥ;
خ = ḫ ; ع = c; غ = ġ for the two other sounds and
distinguishes between the two pairs by means of a diacritical point (compare
Hebrew שׂ,שׁ). ח (/ḥ/)
and ע (/c/) in Greek Transcriptions. §25. … This
assumption is borne out by the transcriptions of the Septuagint from the
third-second centuries B.C.E….
Here we find that while some ḥets do not seem to appear in
certain names, e.g., Isaac = יִצְחָק , others are transliterated by the Greek ϰ (chi,
henceforth written ch ) the pronunciation of which corresponds to the
above mentioned German, Yiddish and Scottish /x/, e.g., Rachel = רָחֵל, Achiezer = אֲחִיעֵזֶר The same holds true for the cayin. While
some 'ayins do not appear in the Greek transcription, e.g., in the
name Iakob = יַעֲקֹב others do, e.g., These instances go a long way towards
proving that during the third and second centuries each of the two signs ח,ע was pronounced in either of two ways in different words, and
each pronunciation represented the PS pronunciation of the two different phonemes that survived in Arabic
until today. The
Merger of /x/ with /ḥ/and /ġ/ with /c/…. However, during the
course of the next few centuries, one of the pronunciations of the two signs
disappeared. This is proved by the fact that the transcriptions of the Hexapla from the second to third
centuries C.E. never employ the letter chi for the ḥet
and gamma for the cayin (cf. §§245, 247). The
Masoretes who vocalized the Hebrew text during the second half of the first
millennium C.F. no longer distinguished between two kinds of ḥet
and two kinds of cayin. This is not surprising since their
vocalization of the Hebrew text aimed at transmitting the last stage of spoken
Hebrew which, as we said, already lacked the above mentioned distinctions. Quoted from Kutscher
1982 pp. 13, 14, 17, 18. For more information see Blau 1982, Steiner 2006. See
- A
Lexicon of Unmarked Consonantal Phonemes in Biblical Hebrew: 2.
/ġ/
[ɣ] |
|
|||
Table
11[46]
- Consonantal Minimal
Pairs in EBHP
No Longer Valid in Later Hebrew |
|||
Consonantal
Phonemes |
*/EBHP/+ (c.
850-550 BCE) |
(c.
850 CE) |
(present) |
נתעו (*/nitˈtacū/ "they have broken
out" Jb. 4:10) : נטעו (*/niṭˈṭacū/
"they were planted" Is. 40:24)
|
נִתָּעוּ /nitˈtåcu/ *[nitˈtɔːcuː]
: נִטָּעוּ /niṭˈṭåcu/
*[niṭˈṭɔːcuː] |
Both pronounced [niˈtu] |
|
שתו (*/ˈšātū/ "they put"): שטו (*/ˈšāṭū/ "they went back and
forth") |
ׄשָתוּ/ˈšåtu/ *[ˈʃɔːtuː]
: שָטוּ /ˈšåṭu/ *[ˈʃɔːṭuː] |
Both pronounced [ˈʃɐtu] |
|
חפר (qal √ḪPR "to be shy") : חרף (qal √ḤPR "to dig") |
Merged as √ḤPR |
Both pronounced ḫpr |
|
חרף (qal √ḪRP "to spend the winter")
: חרף (qal √ḤRP "to annoy, taunt") |
Merged as √ḤRP |
Both pronounced ḫrf |
|
חרם (/ˈḫirm/ = "a net") : חרם (/ˈḥirm/ =
"devoted thing") |
Both /ˈḥẹrɛm/ *[ˈħẹːɾɛm] |
Both pronounced [ˈxɛʁ̞ɛm] |
|
פתח (/pitˈtiḫ/
"he engraved") : פתח (/pitˈtiḥ/
"he opened") |
Both פִּתַּח |
Both pronounced [piˈtɛ.ɐx] |
|
חרם (hiphil √ḪRM "to divide, split")
: חרם (hiphil
√ḤRM "to place under the
ban") |
Merged as √ḤRM |
Both pronounced [xrm] |
|
שחר (qal */šaˈḥar/
"it became black") : שכר (qal */šaˈkar/
"he became drunk") |
ׁשָחַר /šåˈḥar/ : ׁשָכַר /šåˈkar/ |
Both pronounced [ʃɐˈxɐʁ̞] |
|
עשה (qal √cŚH "to do, make"): עשה (qal
√ĠŚH "to protect, cover, turn toward") |
Merged as /cåˈśå/ |
Both pronounced [ɐˈsɐ] |
|
אצר (*/ʾaˈṣar/ qal
"he gathered up") : עצר (*/caˈṣar/ or */ġaˈṣar/
qal "he restrained") |
/ʾåˈṣar/ : /cåˈṣar/ |
Both pronounced [ɐtzˈɐʁ̞] |
|
אלם (√ʾLM "to be dumb") : עלם (√cLM "to be concealed") : עלם (√ĠLM "to become dark") : הלם (√HLM "to strike") : |
/’lm/ : /clm/ : /hlm/ |
all pronounced with the first
historic consonant (/’, c, h/ ) silent [Ø]. |
|
יקרה (*/yiqqaˈrê/
niphal "he will encounter")
: יכרה (/yikkaˈrê/
niphal "it will be dug") |
יקרה /yiqqåˈrẹ/ [yiqqɔːˈɾẹː]: יכרה /yikkåˈrẹ/ [yikkɔːˈɾẹː] |
Both pronounced [ikɐˈʁ̞ɛ] |
|
תכהינה (*/tikˈhêna(ː)/ "they (f. p.) grow
dim") : תקהינה (*/tiqˈhêna(ː)/ "they (f. p.)
were/became blunt dim") |
תִּכְהֶינָה /tikˈhɛnå/
: תִּקְהֶינָה /tiqˈhɛnå/ |
[tix'ɛna]
: [tik'ɛna] |
|
שכר (*/śaˈkar/ "he
hired") : שכר (*/šaˈkar/ "he became drunk:) : סכר (*/saˈkar/ "he
closed") |
ֺשָׁכַר (/šåˈkar/ "he
became drunk:) : סכר
"he
closed") and שָֺכַר "he
hired") both pronounced |
שָׁכַר ([ʃɐˈxɐʁ̞] "he became drunk:) :
סכר ([sɐˈxɐʁ̞] "he closed")
and שָֺכַר ([sɐˈxɐʁ̞] "he hired") |
Voiced, Voiceless and Emphatic Consonants in *EBHP
Place
of Articulation |
|||
בּ = /b/ (בעל */baˈcal/ "he married") |
פּ = /p/ (פעל */paˈcal/ "he made") |
non-existent |
|
ד =
/d/ (דלל "to be thin, poor") |
ת = /t/ (תלם "furrow") (תלל "to
mock") |
ט = /t̪ˁ/ (טלם a place name and possibly also a
noun meaning "black" or the like) (טלל "to resonate") |
|
ז =
/z/ (פרז
"to be
isolated") |
ס = /s/ (פרס
"to
split, break bread") שׂ = /ś/ (פרש
"to
spread out, stretch over") שׁ = /š/ (פרש "to give a clear decision") |
צ = /sˁ/ (פרץ
"to
break through") |
|
(גבל */gaˈbal/ "he marked a boundary") |
(כבל "binding") |
ק = /kˁ/ (קבל "receiving") (פרק "to tear away") |
|
Velar
fricatives
|
(עדר ġdr place name
"pool") (עלם
"to be
dark") (עלם ġlm "young man") |
(חדר ḫdr "to
dwell") (חרם
ḫirm "a
net") |
non-existent |
(עלם
"duration") |
(חרם
*/ˈḥirm/ "devoted thing") (חלם */ḥaˈlam/ "he dreamed") |
non-existent |
|
א = /’/ (אלם
*/ˈ’ilm/ "silence") |
ה = /h/ (הלם */haˈlam/ "he struck") |
non-existent |
Table 13
- Proto-Semitic Phonemes (Consonants) Exhibiting Sound Shifts
in Hebrew and their
Equivalents in Aramaic and Classical Arabic |
|||||
*/PS/ (c.
3000 BCE) |
Reconstructed
Classical Arabic |
Reconstructed
Aramaic |
(c.
850-550 BCE) |
(present) |
Hebrew
Letter |
/’/ = /ʔ/ |
/ʔ/ |
/ʔ/ |
/ʔ/ |
/’/ [Ø] |
א |
/h/ |
/h/ |
/h/ |
/h/ |
/h/
Rarely [h] |
ה |
/w/ |
/w/ |
/w/ |
/w/ |
/w/
[v] |
ו |
/d/ = /δ/ |
/δ/ |
/d/ |
/z/
[z] |
ז |
|
/ħ/ |
/ħ/ |
/ħ/ |
/ħ/ |
/ḥ/
[x] |
ח |
/ḫ/ |
/ḫ/ |
/ḫ/ |
ח |
||
/ṭ/
= /t̪ˁ/ |
/tˤ/ |
/tʼ/ |
/ṭ/
[t] |
ט |
|
/c /
= /ʕ/ |
/ʕ/ |
/ʕ/ [Ø] in some later dialects |
/ʔ/ |
/’/ [Ø] |
ע |
/ġ/ = /ɣ/ |
/ɣ/ |
[Ø] in some later
dialects |
/ġ/ |
||
/p/ |
/f/ |
/p/ |
/p/ |
/p/
[p] |
פ |
/ṭ/ = /*ṱ/ |
/ðˁ/ |
/ṭ/ |
/ṣ/ |
צ |
|
/ṣ/ = /sʼ/ |
/sˁ/ |
/ṣ/ |
|||
/ṣ́/ |
/ḍ/ |
/c/
|
|||
/q/ = /ḳ/ |
/q/ |
/q/
[k] |
ק |
||
/d/ = /θ/ |
/θ/ |
/t/ |
/š/
[ʃ] |
שׁ |
|
/ɬ/ = /ś/ |
/š/ |
/s/ |
/ś/ |
/ś/
[s] |
שׂ |
See העברית
׀הלשונות
הקרבות לה מאת
מאיר מדן
in מקראה
לתורת ההגה ed.
* for
Proto-Semitic phonemes see p 112 ff of Lipinski
1997
** this may
be a recreation of an old pronunciation see sect.14.7 in Lipinski 1997
N.b.
Sounds lost in earlier periods of the development of Hebrew sometimes reappear
in later periods. Thus:
·
In the Late Bronze or early Iron Age [θ]
> [ʃ], thus merging with š=sh [ʃ]. This sound [θ]
re-emerged with the spirantization of the bgdkpt consonants, which resulted in
their dual realization as plosives or fricatives with [θ] being the fricative allophone of
ת /t/;
·
The case is similar with [δ] > [z] which thus merged with [z]. This sound
re-emerged with the Spirantization
of the bgdkpt consonants with [δ]
being the fricative allophone of ד /d* /;
·
Slightly
different are the cases of /ġ/[ɣ] and /ḫ/[x]. Some
time after 300 BCE /ġ/[ɣ] > /c/ [ʕ] and /ḫ/[x] > /ḥ/
[ħ] thus merging with the original /c/ and /ḥ/ respectively.
Prior to this merger these sounds had, while still remaining as historical
phonemes in all contexts, also appeared as the fricative allophones of ג /g/ and כ /k/ respectively. They remained
as the fricative allophones of ג
and כ even after
they disappeared in other contexts. In Israeli Hebrew /r/ [ʁ] is closer to [ġ]/[ɣ] than it is to the ancient /r/ [ɾ].
Table 14
Biblical Hebrew Phonemes (Consonants) of Multiple
Origin
their Equivalents in Proto-Semitic,
Classical Arabic, Aramaic and Ugaritic
Hebrew Letter |
(c. 850-550 BCE) |
Hebrew Example |
*/PS/ (c. 3000 BCE) |
Reconstructed Classical
Arabic |
Reconstructed Aramaic |
Reconstructed Ugaritic |
ז |
/z/ |
זהב |
/δ/ |
/δ/ ذ |
||
ז |
זון |
/z/ |
/z/ ز |
/z/ |
/z/ |
|
ח |
/ḫ/ |
חרד |
/ḫ/ |
/ḫ/ خ |
/ḫ/ |
/ḫ/ |
ח |
/ḥ/ |
חרב |
/ḥ/ |
/ḥ/ ح |
/ḥ/ |
/ḥ/ |
ע |
/c /
= /ʕ/ |
צעד |
/c/ |
/c/ ع |
/c/ |
/c/ |
ע |
/ġ/
= /ɣ/ |
עזה |
/ġ/ |
/ġ/ غ |
/ġ/ > /c/ |
/ġ/ |
צ |
|
קיץ |
/ṱ/ |
/ẓ/ ظ |
/ṱ/ > /ṭ/ |
/ṱ/ > /ġ/ |
צ |
צער |
/ṣ/ |
ص |
|||
צ |
ארץ |
/ḍ/ ض |
/c/ |
/ṱ/ > /ġ/ |
Nb.
1. The unpointed Hebrew of
biblical times 3 letters (ח, ע, and ש) each stood
for two phonemes. This lack of sufficient letters probably reflects the sound
system of the dialect of the Phoenician scribes from whom the Judeans borrowed
the writing system. See Blau 1982.
2.
The final ה (not הּ) in tri-literal roots were originally final י orו hence
another opportunity for the development of homonyms.
3.
The initial י in tri-literal roots
were originally either י or ו.
4.
For a complete list of equivalences see Blau 1976/93 p. 6
[1] See Joϋon-Muraoka
1991
§ 5-9.
[2] Jenssens1994,
Knobloch
1995, Sáenz-Badillos
pp. 80-86; Manuel
1995 pp. 130-167; Hoffman pp.
85-117; Ben-Ḥayyim 1954.
As noted by Sáenz-Badillos
(p. 80) - (n.b. bolding my own)
The numerous Greek and Latin transcriptions of Hebrew names and other
expressions, which date from the third century BCE to the fourth
century CE, undoubtedly provide first-hand information.... Because we know far
more about the phonology and pronunciation of Greek and Latin than of the
Semitic languages, these transcriptions represent an invaluable witness to the
Hebrew of this period. On the other hand, it has to be recognized as well that
there are considerable difficulties involved. In the first place, the phonology
of Greek and Latin is very different from that of Hebrew, and these languages
do not possess graphemes that can exactly represent the sounds of Hebrew. And
although we do not know what judgements were actually made when transcribing so
different a language, the authors of the transcriptions would certainly have
approached Hebrew from the phonological perspective of their own language. The
variation of place and time is also a problem, as we cannot simply accept that
BH, which had already ceased to be a living language, underwent a unified
development in places as diverse as Alexandria and Palestine. Neither
do we know if the data afforded by the transcriptions correspond to the
standard, more or less official, pronunciation of Hebrew in this period or to
dialect or substandard forms. On top of all these difficulties is the fact that
the transcriptions have to be studied in manuscripts that are frequently late
and deffective, presenting many variants ard corruptions in names that the
copyists found completely alien.
[3] See publications of Revell; Sáenz-Badillos pp. 86-94; Manuel 1995 pp.
168-198. In most features this tradition is fairly close to the Tiberian - see Ben-Ḥayyim
1954. In the words of Sáenz-Badillos
(p. 90)
Revell ... argues that the Palestinian tradition represents a more developed and, therefore, later form of language than the Tiberian, although they share a common origin. In his view, the consistent (TH) use of different graphemes for the a and e vowels is a feature of an earlier period, which tended to disappear later on. Vowel changes within the Palestinian system, according to Revell, correspond to processes known from a less developed stage of the Tiberian tradition, and some times represent the endpoint of a process begun there. The Tiberian tradition has adopted a well-preserved, archaic, pronunciation, whereas the Palestinian is based on 'vulgar' biblical texts and expresses a less well-preserved form of the language that has been more affected by outside influences and colloquialisms. As a system of pointing, the Palestinian must have been created before, or in isolation from, the Tiberian.
I tend to agree with Revell on this. However, Sáenz-Badillos argues for the Palestinian pointing preceding the Tiberian Masoretic with presumably shared origins at some point in the past.
[4] See Yeivin; Sáenz-Badillos pp. 94-105; Manuel 1995 pp. 199-225. In most features this tradition is fairly close to the Tiberian - see Ben-Ḥayyim 1954. The pronunciation on which it is based must, of course, have originated in Palestine but have undergone a long period of semi-isolated development in southern Babylonia in a totally Eastern Aramaic speaking environment.
[5] Jenssens1994,
Knobloch
1995, Sáenz-Badillos
pp. 80-86; Manuel 1995 pp.
130-167 . As noted by Sáenz-Badillos
(p. 80) - (n.b. bolding my own)
The numerous Greek and Latin transcriptions of Hebrew names and other
expressions, which date from the third century BCE to the fourth
century CE, undoubtedly provide first-hand information.... Because we know far
more about the phonology and pronunciation of Greek and Latin than of the
Semitic languages, these transcriptions represent an invaluable witness to the
Hebrew of this period. On the other hand, it has to be recognized as well that
there are considerable difficulties involved. In the first place, the phonology
of Greek and Latin is very different from that of Hebrew, and these languages
do not possess graphemes that can exactly represent the sounds of Hebrew. And
although we do not know what judgements were actually made when transcribing so
different a language, the authors of the transcriptions would certainly have
approached Hebrew from the phonological perspective of their own language. The
variation of place and time is also a problem, as we cannot simply accept that
BH, which had already ceased to be a living language, underwent a unified
development in places as diverse as Alexandria and Palestine. Neither
do we know if the data afforded by the transcriptions correspond to the
standard, more or less official, pronunciation of Hebrew in this period or to
dialect or substandard forms. On top of all these difficulties is the fact that
the transcriptions have to be studied in manuscripts that are frequently late
and defective, presenting many variants ard corruptions in names that the
copyists found completely alien.
[6] An
obvious example is that the 2ms. pronominal suffix is k where the MT has
kå - see Ben-Ḥayyim 1954
- see Tequ.
(Note contrary views on this in Andersen 1999).
[7] Kutscher 1982 §246
-
As in the Septuagint, (in the Secunda) the
short /i/ and /u/ of the Masoretic vocalization are transliterated by [e] and
[o].... (T)his apparently parallels the situation in Mishnaic Hebrew.
Therefore, it seems highly probable that this pronunciation represents the
sub-standard, that is to say, the pronunciation that prevailed in the spoken
Hebrew and Aramaic in Palestine at that time. But the original /i/ and /u/, as
preserved for us by the Masoretes, survived in the standard pronunciation, i.e.
in the reading of the bible text in synagogue. Although the vocalization of the Masoretes is known to
us only from a period about 600 years later that that of the (Secunda)
transliterations, it faithfully preserved older forms. This is proved by the fact that
nearly all short [u]'s and a large number of the [i]'s in the Masoretic texts
represent PS /u/'s and /i/'s. Therefore, of course they must reflect an earlier
stage of the language..... (T)he Septuagint also sometimes reflects the
substandard pronunciation rather than the standard.
Other
Aramaizing features evidenced particularly from the Secunda:
-
2ms. pronominal suffix frequently k where the MT has kå
- see Ben-Ḥayyim 1954
- see Tequ.
(Note contrary views on this in Andersen 1999).
-
2ms. SC suffix frequently t where the MT has tå - see Ben-Ḥayyim 1954
- see Tequ.
(Note contrary views on this in Andersen 1999).
-
the reversion miqtal
> maqtal under Aramaic influence.
[8] See Qimron 1986; Kutscher 1971, Kutscher 1979, Sáenz-Badillos
pp. 86-94; Manuel 1995
pp. 130-146.
[9] See Ben-Ḥayyim 1954.
[10] Concerning Jerome's Latin transcriptions James Barr writes (Barr 1967
p. 2) -
Though Hexaplar
Greek transcriptions are of great importance, this article is intended to
clarify the position only of St Jerome. First, he is the most prolific single
source of transcribed material. Secondly, he is a person about whose historical
development a good deal is known, and this may be relevant to a study of the
way in which he may have apprehended the phenomena of a language other than his
own.* Thirdly, he provides not only transcriptions but also translations and
commentaries which reveal the implications he drew from the Hebrew data as he
perceived them, and he also makes express statements about the sounds of Hebrew
and their relations to those of Latin and Greek.
After the sort of
thorough and learned analysis we would expect from Barr, he concludes (pp. 35-36) -
If this study has shown that Jerome's material can be interpreted in a
sense which keeps it closer to the Masoretic structure of Hebrew than has
recently been supposed, it may be observed in general confirmation:
(a) In respect of date,
Jerome is not so far removed from the beginnings of the Masoretic movement, in
comparison with other sources for the early development of Hebrew.
(b) Some at least of
his informants appear to have been authorities from the central Palestinian
Jewish tradition (contrast the situations of special groups like the Samaritans
or Egyptian Jewry).
(c) Jerome's translation, and at times his commentaries, often show
striking agreements in general semantic effect with the Masoretic Text, in
contrast with the LXX and even with the more highly regarded versions like
Aquila.
The other chief
question railing for a gumming up is that
of the status of Jerome as a describer of the sounds of Hebrew in his
time. Kahle writes that Jerome was in contact with learned Jews "and had
carefully observed their methods
of pronunciation". Now it is true that Jerome did listen to his teachers
and that he knew the greater importance of sounded Hebrew over written
Hebrew because only the former provided the full vowelling, which was
semantically necessary to obtain the sense of the texts. He also was aware of a
Jewish insistence on exact pronunciation. How far he himself succeeded in
becoming acceptable in this regard we do not know. In any case we should not
exaggerate the profundity of Jerome's analysis of Hebrew sounds. I cannot find
much evidence that he had any intrinsic interest in phonological analysis. He
may, of course, have known much more than he puts into his books. But the kind
of information which Jerome actually furnishes about Hebrew sounds is very
often obviously occasioned by endeavours on which he himself was engaged: the
clarifying of groups of transcriptions of names, the combating of false
etymologies, the explication of aspects of the text intelligible only on the
basis of the Hebrew wording, and the justification of correct translations
against erroneous traditional ones (particularly the LXX). Because these were
his interests, it is not surprising that the phonetic information he provides
is limited and rudimentary, and confined almost entirely to the aspects which
caused a difficulty in transcription.
[11] Quoted frolm
Joϋon-Muraoka
1991 p. 38.
“ [T]he transition from quantitative to qualitative distinction in the Hebrew vowels appears to have taken place relatively late. Transcription of Hebrew in the Septuagint and the second column of Origen's Hexapla as well as explicit statements by St Jerome (4th cent.) all point to quantitative distinction.”
[12] Librairie du Liban,
[13] Mitchel 1993 p. 145.
[14] DS - In fact there was a distinction of both quality and quantity. Qal of √YKL
|
*[TH] |
||||
/yåˈkol/ |
[yɔːˈxoːl] |
Vowel length and quality |
|||
/yәˈkolet/ |
Vowel quality |
||||
3rd person m.s. |
/yaˈkul/ |
[yɐˈkʊl] or [yɐˈko̞l] |
/yåˈkol/ |
[yɔːˈxoːl] |
Vowel quality |
3rd person m.p. |
/yaˈkuluː/ |
[yɐˈkʊluˑ] or [yɐˈko̞luˑ] |
/yåkˈlu/ (pausal
/yɔˈkolu/) |
[yɔːxәˈluː] (pausal
[yɔːˈxoːluː] |
Stress in contextual form. Vowel length
and quality |
1st person |
/yaˈkultiː/ |
[yɐˈkʊltiˑ] or [yɐˈko̞ltiˑ] |
/yåˈkolti/ |
[yɔːˈxoːltiː] |
[15] One may note the very interesting parallels to present day Egyptian Arabic -
"The oldest stage of the Egyptian Arabic, which is no
more Old Arabic, must have been a linguistic system where every word ended in a
long vowel or in a consonant. Thus no word ended in a short vowel.Birkeland 1952 pp
12-13
"In Stage IV ... every word ended in one or two consonants or a
short vowel. Long final vowels did not exist. Within the word every long
unstressed vowel and every long vowel before two consonants was shortened."
Birkeland 1952
p 28
" ... (early Arabic) quantity of vowels must have been
of the greatest importance to a man who wished to be understood... (however, in
modern Egyptian Arabic) nobody can be well understood in
"Briefly the question is whether quantity is dependent
on accent or accent on quantity. The only method of solving this problem
consists in an examination of the cases where oppositions of short and long
vowels are possible and of the cases where they are impossible. Where such
oppositions are impossible vowel quantity is, of course, irrelevant. Thus in
unstressed syllables only short vowels occur. In this position, therefore,
vowel quantity is irrelevant. Only in stressed syllables both long and short
vowels are possible. But stressed final vowels are out of question, too,
because they are always long.... Similarly a stressed vowel before two
consonants is always short.... Further: An opposition between long and short
vowel in a final syllable is impossible... The result, therefore, is that only
one position is left where an opposition between long and short vowel is
possible. This position is an accented, open, non-final syllable...." Birkeland 1952 p.
36.
"In any case it cannot be doubted that two systems are
struggling against one another in the present dialect, one system claiming
dependence of quantity on accent and relevance of accent only, another quantity
system claiming dependence of accent on quantity and relevance of quantity
only. The dialectal tendency has conquered the territory to so great an extent
that quantity is independent on accent only in stressed, open, non-final
syllables.
Even in the syllables last mentioned the phonetic
opposition of long and short vowels does not ... seem to be utilized
semantically. ...
The insignificant role of vowel quantity is on the whole,
as we know, revealed in the fact that long vowels are shortened as soon as they
loose the accent. Take, e. g., the frequent word 'aal "he said". In
fluent speech it almost always sounds ʾăl. Even if long
vowels do not loose the accent, but appear before two consonants, they are
shortened." Birkeland
1952 p 28
"Now we summarize: In the Egyptian Arabic dialect of
to-day the opposition between long and short vowels does not seem to have any
grammatical or semantic function. Even in stressed non-final, open syllables,
the only position in which both long and short vowels may occur, the opposition
between them does not appear to have any actual function, originally short
vowels being occasionally lengthened and originally long vowels being
occasionally shortened in this position. The accent, however, has a most
important functional value. Diachronically this value has its basis in the
marked accent which produced the numerous reductions and elisions of vowels in
Stage IV. But the accent did not become relevant before Stage V. Then the
elision of the suffix -h after long vowels created forms with an unstressed
final vowel, so that the stress nosy signifies the meaning of the lost suffix.
"It
is, as we know, beyond doubt that in stressed, open non-final syllables we have
to distinguish phonetically, between long and short vowel, at least in the
speech of the educated classes, especially in
[17] Steiner 1997 pp. 147-150
[19] Note agreement
of Blau - Blau 2010 §3.5.4.2,
3.5.4.3.
In the Journal
of Semitic Studies 1989 (Khan 1989) he described
this slightly differently "The rule which emerges is as follows: all
vowels are long except for those in unstressed closed syllables and those which
are represented byʃәwa or a ḥaṭap
sign. Pataḥ and segol, therefore, were long if they were
stressed or stood in an unstressed open syllable.
These two signs marked vowels which were short during the period when the
quality shifts a:ā > a:ɔ̄ and e:ē > ɛ:ē
were operative. Vowels which were
long in this period are marked in the Tiberian vocalization tradition by qameṣ and ṣere. It follows that the quality shifts had
ceased operating before the end of the Masoretic period."
[21] "Stressed", in this context, refers to syllables carrying
either a primary or secondary stress,
i.e. any syllable marked with a Masoretic accent. As stated by Blau (Blau 2010 §3.5.7.1.5n.) -
In referring to
greater stress on absolute over construct forms, I am referring to the language
as it would have been spoken; in fact this is not the case according to the biblical cantillation
marks, which reflect the solemn ceremonial reading of the Bible.
For stress in TH
construct see Blau 2010 §4.4.3.1n.
[25] See Phones and Phonemes - http://www.houseofdavid.ca/anc_heb_6.htm#phone_phonym..
[26] Joϋon-Muraoka
1991 §58a.
[27] See Phones and Phonemes - http://www.houseofdavid.ca/anc_heb_6.htm#phone_phonym..
[28] IN EBHP and LBHP
THE JUSSIVE
(PCjus),
COHORTATIVE (PCcoh),
IMPERFECT (PCimp) AND PRETERITE (PCpret_sim/PCpretWC)
are, in some forms, distinguished by the placement
of syllabic stress when not
carrying object suffixes. See -
-
http://www.adath-shalom.ca/history_of_hebrew3a.htm#indic_jus
AND
- http://www.adath-shalom.ca/history_of_hebrew3a.htm#Prefix_Conjugation
[29]
Note, in
reconstructed [EBHP]
transliterations and sound files -
1.there is no spirantization of the bgdkpt consonants - http://www.houseofdavid.ca/anc_heb_tequ.htm#bgdpt;
2. vowel qualities are
outlined here - http://www.houseofdavid.ca/anc_heb_6.htm#ebhp_vow_qual;
3. I use the
most probable form. Where no one form stands out as most probable, I select the
one closest to the MT vocalization.
4. when multiple forms are possible, the form used is underlined.
[31] E.g. 2 Samuel 5:10.
[32] In
transliterating consonantal phonemes I use the Society of Biblical Literature
(SBL) Academic Translation Style (THSBL). I generally to use the IPA
system to transliterate
consonantal phones.
[34] In ordinary speech the treatment of the spiratization /b/ [b]/[v]; /k/ [k]/[x] and /p/ [p]/[f] in IH is complicated (See Bolozky 1997 sect. 17.5.4.). In reading the biblical text these allophonic distinctions are maintained as marked in the MT.
[35] “(T)he not strictly
phonetic conditioning of sound change may be, it seems, demonstrated ….
According to the view of the strict conditioning of phonetic changes, a
phonetic change affects the sound concerned in all the positions in which it is
operating. Let us assume that in a certain language the allophones A1
and A2 exist. Later (stage II), another sound (B) shifts to A1:
B>A1. Now (stage III) another sound change affects A1,
let us say: A1>C. According to the view that sound changes only
require reference to phonetic information, A1 has to shift to C in all
its occurrences, both in environments in which it alternated with A2
and in those in which it developed from B. Yet I would like to submit that this
is not the only possibility. The other is that the sound shift A1>C
affects only the phoneme A1 that arose from B, without changing A1
that is the allophone of A2. In this case, the speaker
differentiates between the phoneme A1 which is not restricted to a
special environment, and the allophone A1, which he recognizes by
its restriction to special environments and its alternation with A2 in other
environments. Synchronically, therefore, I am inclined to posit for stage II a
phoneme A1 (the historical continuation of B) and the allophones A1
and A2.
It seems that
(late) Biblical Hebrew reflects such a case of identical phonemes and
allophones with only the phonemes being affected by a sound change. It can be proved that, at least
at the time of the Septuagint translation of the Pentateuch, Biblical Hebrew
still possessed ǵ and ḫ
(which later shifted to c and ḥ respectively).
We do not, to be sure, know the exact date of the spirantization of (b), g,
(d), k, (p.t). It stands to reason, however, that it had already taken place at
the time of the translation of the Septuagint. Accordingly, one has to posit
that besides the phonemes /ǵ/ and /ḫ/,
the allophones [ǵ] and [k] (of /g/ and /k/)
also already existed, although the latter were practically identical to the
former. Later, when the phonemes ǵ and ḫ
shifted to c and ḥ, the phonetically identical
allophones were not affected.
This
interpretation of the facts may be buttressed by Eastern Syriac and Modern
Hebrew. In Eastern Syriac, ḥ has shifted to ḫ, and, as is usual, post-vocalic b.
g, d, k,, p, t have been spirantized. Yet the coexistence of ḫ and spirantized k has not led
to any significant confusion between the two. Similarly, in literary and
colloquial standards of Modern Hebrew as used by Ashkenazim w has
shifted to v and ḥ to x, alongside v/x which
are the allophones of b/k, respectively. Nevertheless, this has not led
to any significant amount of confusion between the phonemes v/x and the
phonetically identical allophones.”
Non-Phonetic conditioning of Sound Change and Biblical
Hebrew in Blau 1998
pp. 10-12
[36] See Khan 1997a.
[37] [x] is also
transliterated as kh or k.
[38] From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_phonology#Dropped_consonants
In normal speech, /ʔ/ is dropped when occurring between vowels, and /j/ is dropped when occurring between vowels where the first is a front vowel (/e/ or /i/) or the second is /i/. /h/ between vowels may also be dropped, especially in fast speech. Hence, /ma ha-ʃaˈʔa/ "what's the time?" becomes [mahaʃaˈa] or [maaʃaˈa].
Thus /y/ is no longer pronounced if at beginning of word followed by [i] e.g. ישמור pronounced [iʃˈmor]
[39]
For convenience, I sometimes use [c] in [EBHP] etc. transcriptions.
[40] also transliterated as ḳ
[45] As I find [ɛy]
quite difficult to pronounce, I often end up with its most frequent equivalent
in TH [ẹː] which is the same as [ɛy] in terms of syllable
length.
[46] For the impact
of the merging of phonemes on the vocabulary of Israeli Hebrew see
Encyclopedia Judaica vol. 16 para. 1645-1646.
[47] With voiced consonants the vocal chords are
vibrated, which can be felt in the throat. All vowels are voiced.
[48] With voiceless or unvoiced consonants the
vocal chords are not vibrated, so there is no vibration in the throat.