§ 8. The Vowel Signs in particular.
P. Haupt, 'The names of the Hebrew vowels,' JAOS. xxii, and in the Johns Hopkins Semitic Papers, Newhaven, 1901, p. 7 ff.; C. Levias in the Hebr. Union Coll. Annual, Cincinnati, 1904, p. 138 ff.
Preliminary Remark.
The next two sections (§§ 8 and 9) have been severely criticized (Philippi, ThLZ. 1897, no. 2) for assigning a definite quantity to each of the several vowels, whereas in reality¤,äeäo are merely signs, for ä, e, o: 'whether these are long or short is not shown by the signs themselves but must be inferred from the rules for the pause which marks the breaks in continuous narrative, or from other circumstances.' But in the twenty-fourth and subsequent German editions of this Grammar, in the last note on § 8 a [English ed. p. 38, note 4], it was stated: 'it must be mentioned that the Masoretes are not concerned with any distinction between long and short vowels, or in general with any question of quantity. Their efforts are directed to fixing the received pronunciation as faithfully as possible, by means of writing. For a long time only~ykil'm. h['b.Xi seven kings were reckoned (vox memor. in Elias LevitaWhY"liae rm,aoYw: ),Sèureq andQibbusÌ being counted as one vowel. The division of the vowels in respect of quantity is a later attempt at a scientific conception of the phonetic system, which was not invented but only represented by the Masoretes (Qimchi, Mikhlol, ed. Rittenb. 136 a, distinguishes the five long as mothers from their five daughters).'
I have therefore long shared the opinion that 'the vowel-system represented by the ordinary punctuation (of Tiberias) was primarily intended to mark only differences of quality' (Sievers, Metrische Studien, i. 17). There is, however, of course a further question how far these 'later' grammarians were mistaken in assigning a particular quantity to the vowels represented by particular signs. In Philippi's opinion they were mistaken (excluding of courseiÖ, eÖ, oÖ when written plene) in a very great number of cases, since not only does¤' stand, according to circumstances, foraâÒ oraâç , and¤, foraÎÒ oraÎç , but also¤e foreÒ oreç , and¤o foroÒ oroç , e. g.dbeK' and!joq' , out of pausekaâÒbeçÃd. qaâÒ oëÃn (formlj;q' ), but in pausekaâÒbeÒÃd, qaâÒtÌoÒÃn .
I readily admit, with regard toQamesÌ and Segol, that the account formerly given in § 8 f. was open to misconstruction. With regard toSÍere andHÍolem , however, I can only follow Philippi so long as his view does not conflict with the (to me inviolable) law of a long vowel in an open syllable before the tone and (exceptPathahÌ ) in a final syllable with the tone. To medbeK' =kaâÒbeçÃd , &c., is as impossible as e. g.bn"[e =Çeënab or%r;Bo =boçrakh , in spite of the analogy cited by Sievers (p. 18, note 1) that ‘in old German e. g. originaliç anduç often pass intoeç andoç dialectically, while remaining in a closed syllable.
First Class. A-sound.
A { 1.
Also 3.
Second Glass. I- and E-sounds. | ||
I | 1. | |
2. | ||
E | 3. | |
4. |
Third Class. U- and O-sounds. | ||
U | 1. | |
2. | ||
O | 3. | |
4. |
The names of the vowels are mostly taken from the form and action of the mouth in producing the various sounds, as d
xt;P;ñ opening;yreceñ a wide parting (of the mouth), alsorb,v,ñ (=iç ) breaking, parting (cf. the Arab. kasr);qr,yxiñ (alsoqrexi ) narrow opening;~l,Axñ closing, according to others fullness, i. e. of the mouth (also~Wp aolm. 4 fullness of the mouth).#m,q'ñ 5 also denotes a slighter, asqr,Wv and#WBqi (also~WP #wbq ) a firmer, compression or contraction of the mouth.SegoÖl (lAgs. bunch of grapes) takes its name from its form. SotADqun> vlv' (three points) is another name forQibbuÖsÌ .
Moreover the names were mostly so formed (but only later), that the sound of each vowel is heard in the first syllable ( e
#m,q' for#m,qoà xt;P; forxt;P,à yrIce foryrIc. ); in order to carry this out consistently some even writeSaÎgoÖl ,QomesÌ -hÌatÌuÖf ,QuÎbbuÖsÌ .
No dot is used for the Holem when oµ (of course with out g
waÓw ) is pronounced aftersiën or beforesëiÖn . HenceanEf sÃoÖn eÓ (hating),afn> nesÃoÓ (to bear).hv,m moÖsëeÊ (nothv,mo ); butrmevo sëoÖmeÓr (a watchman). WhenoÓ precedes thesÃin , the dot is placed over its right arm, e.g.voPr>yI yirpoÓsà (he treads with the feet),~yaiv.oN)h; hannoÖsÃe¬im (those who carry).
In the signA , thew may also be a consonant. TheA is then either to be readoÓw (necessarily so when a consonant otherwise without a vowel precedes, e. g.hw<l{ loÖweÊ , lending) orwoÓ , when a vowel already precedes thew , e. g.!A[' ºaÓwoÖn (iniquity) for!Aw[' . In more exact printing, a distinction is at least made betweenA (wo) andA (i. e. eitheroÖ or, when another vowel follows thewaÓw, oÖw 6
In Arabic the long a also is regularly expressed by a vowel letter, viz.‘Aleçph (a¤' ), so that in that language three vowel letters correspond to the three vowel classes. In Hebrewa is rarely used as a vowel letter; see § 9 b and § 23 g.
Cf. Bardowitz, Studien zur Gesch. der Orthogr. im Althebr., 1894; Lidzbarski, Ephem., i. 182, 275; Marmorstein, ‘Midrasch der vollen u. defekt. Schreibung,' in ZAW. 1907, p. 33 ff.
That much is here arbitrary (see § 7 g), follows from the fact that sometimes the same word is written very differently, e.g. l
ytiAmyqih] Ez16:60:ytimoqih] and alsoytiAmqih] Jer 23:4; cf. § 25 b. Only it may be observed,
(a) That the scriptio plena in two successive syllables was generally avoided; cf. e. g.aykin" but~yaibin> ;qyDIc; , but~yqiDIc; ;lAqà tAlqo ;[;vuAhy> ;Whauñc;m. .
(b) That in the later Books of the O. T. (and regularly in post-biblical Hebrew) the full form, in the earlier the defective, is more usual.
Footnotes:
2[2] Instead of the no doubt more accurate transcription
3[1] These
6[3] Since 1846 we have become acquainted with a system of vocalization dilferent in many respects from the common method. The vowel signs, all except
9[1] In MSS.