An introductory Hebrew grammar with progressive exercises in reading and writing / by A.B. Davidson.

  • Andrew B. Davidson
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: An introductory Hebrew grammar with progressive exercises in reading and writing / by A.B. Davidson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    21/232 (page 9)
    stand midway between the simple shVa and true vowels, and are indicated by signs compounded of simple sli®va and the three short vowels, —, —, —. Hence they are often named Composite sh^vas. Being also vocalic sounds perceptibly of the nature of the short vowels they are often called swift or hurried short vowels: hcifeph pathah^ hdteph fglibly hdteph qdmec. This peculiar degree of vowel sound was heard chiefly in connexion with the consonants called gutturals, § 8.^ Rem. The sign of simple shWa is also put under every consonant without a vowel of its own, if it he sounded and not final, § 5. 6. The sh^va in this position is called silent, having no sound. 4) Position of the vowel sign. The vowel sign stands under the consonant after which it is pronounced, as hal, not, iDi ndmer, a leopard; with the exception of holem^ which stands over the left corner of the consonant which it fol- io ws^, as doth, a hear,, ]b]^ qdtbn,, little, and shureq, which has the compound sign, as D>iD sus, a horse. Final kaph occurs only with qamec and sh^va, and these it takes in its bosom, as h^kha, hakh, in thee? A holem preceding shm coincides with its point, as mbshe, Moses; a holem following sin coincides with its point, as sbne, hating. The figure will be sho at the be- ginning of a syllable, and os elsewhere, as shb-mer, keeper; tir-pbs, thou treadest,^ Rem. Besides the defects referred to in 2. 2) of this §, another defect in the Massoretic system is its failure to distinguish by sign ^ Ordinary consonants, however, were occasionally pronounced with the opener sound of the hateph: 1. when a letter is repeated the sh^va under the first is usually hat., path, as Gen. 9. 14 when I bring a cloud. Is. 1. 23. 2. After a long vowel, Gen. 2. 12 and the gold, Gen. 3. 17 ; 27. 26. Also for euphonic reasons, Gen. 32. 18. Of. § 36. Rem. h for another case. ^ Final d is occasionally written defectively after n, thus Gen. 41. 24, cf. Gen. 19. 33. 36; 37. 7, Ex. 1. 18, 19, Ru. 1. 9, 12. The form Gen. 4. 23 (Ex. 2. 20) is farther contracted. ^ When holem precedes the letter N as a quiescent the point is placed on the right apex of the letter, as NS ho^, when it follows, the point is on the left apex, as ^dhh. When the is not quiescent the holem occupies its proper places, as ho-dm.