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.

    39/232 (page 27)
    3. The Accentual system. The Accentual system is very intri- . cate and in some parts obscure. A brief outline of its uses as a means of interpunction will here sufiice: — a) The text is broken into verses, F^siiqim, and the end of each Pdsuq is marked by the sign I, called Soph pasuq (end of the verse). Tlie accent on the final word is called Silh'lq, its sign being like Metheg. JpSn Gen. 1. 1. b) The greatest logical pause within the verse is indicated by a sign called Athndh “breathing”, or “rest”. Gen. 1. 1. c) If there be two great pauses in the verse the greatest or one next the end of the verse is marked by Athnah, and the one nearer the beginning of the verse by sign called S^gdltd, as, :]5 .... Gen. l. 7. d) If the clause of words lying between Silluq and ’Athnah, or between Athnah and Segolta, or between Athnah and the be- ginning of the verse, Segolta being absent, requires to be divided by a pretty large pause, this is in all these cases marked by a sign called Zdqeph qdton, resembling simple sh®va placed over the word,^ as Gen. 1. 6. • fT T * « ~ • AT “ • v: e) A distinctive of less power than Zakeph is Tiphhd, which marks a pause which the rhythm requires as a preliminary to the great pauses indicated by Silluq and Athnah. Its sign is a line bent backwards, as ♦ns*? n^rib^ Gen. 1. 1. f) These are the main distinctive accents, and by stopping at them, as at the jioinfs modern languages, the reader will do justice to the sense. There are several more distinctives of lesser force. There is also a number of conjunctive accents or Servants, as they are called, to the disjunctives, accents which are placed on the words that stand immediately before and in close relation with those on which distinctives are placed. It would seem to follow ^ The sign called z. gadhdl, of the same distinctive power, is used when its word is the only word in the accentual clause.