§ 9. Character of the several Vowels.
Numerous as are the vowel signs in Hebrew writing, they are yet not fully adequate to express all the various modifications of the vowel sounds, especially with respect to length and shortness. To understand this better a short explanation of the character and value of the several vowels is required, especially in regard to their length and shortness as well as to their changeableness (§§ 25, 27).
I. First Class. A-sound.
1. QamesÌ (¤'), when it represents a long a, is, by nature and origin, of two kinds:—
(1) The essentially long aÖ (in Arabic regularly written a¤'), which is not readily shortened and never wholly dropped (§ 25 c), e. g. bt'K. kethaÖbh (writing); very seldom with a following a, as var' 2 S 12:1, 4 (see the examples in § 72 p).1
The writing of ~aq' Ho 10:14 for ~q' would only be justifiable, if the aÓ of this form were to be explained as a contraction of açaç; cf. however § 72 a; gaD' Neh 13:16 for gD' (daÓg) is certainly incorrect. — The rarity of the aÖ in Hebrew arises from the fact that it has for the most part become an obtuse oÖ; see below, q.
(2) aÓ, lengthened only by position (i. e. tone-long or at all events lengthened under the influence of the tone, according to the laws for the formation of syllables, § 27 e–h), either in the tone-syllable itself (or in the secondary tone-syllable indicated by MeÊtheçg, see below), or just before or after it. This sound is invariably lengthened from an original aç,2 and is found in open syllables, i. e. syllables ending in a vowel (§ 26 b), e. g. ^l.Ã lj;q'Ã ~Wqy"Ã rysia' (Arab. laçkaç, qaçtaçlaç, yaçquÖmuç, ¬açsiÖuç), as well as in closed syllables, i.e. those ending in a consonant, as dy"Ã bk'AK (vulgar Arab. yaçd, kaukaçb). In a closed syllable, however, it can only stand when this has the tone, rb'ñD'Ã ~l'ñA[; whereas in an open syllable it is especially frequent before the tone, e. g. rb'ñD'Ã !qeñz"Ã ~k,ñl'. Where the tone is moved forward or weakened (as happens most commonly in what is called the construct state of nouns, cf. § 89 a) the original short aç (PathahÌ) is retained in a closed syllable, while in an open syllable it becomes SèewaÖ (§ 27 i): ~k'x', constr. state ~k;h] (hÌakhaçm); rb'D'Ã rb;D> (debhaçr); lj;q'Ã ~l'j'q.. For examples of the retention, in the secondary tone-syllable, of aÓ lengthened from aç, see § 93 xx.
In some terminations of the verb (T' in the 2nd sing. masc. perf., !' in the 2nd pl. fem. of the imperat., as well as in the 3rd and 2nd pl. fem. of the imperf.), in T'a; thou (masc.) and in the suffixes ^ and h', the final aÓ can stand even without a vowel letter. A h is, however, in these cases (except with h') frequently added as a vowel letter.
On ¤' for oç see below, f.
2. PathahÌ, or short aç, stands in Hebrew almost exclusively in a closed syllable with or without the tone (lj;ñq'Ã ~T,ñl.j;q.). In places where it now appears to stand in an open syllable the syllable was originally closed, and a helping vowel (aç, iç) has been inserted after the second radical merely to make the pronunciation easier, e. g. lx;n:ò (ground-form nahÌl), tyIB;ñ (Arab. bait), see § 28 d, and with regard to two cases of a different kind, § 26 g, h. Otherwise aç in an open syllable has almost without exception passed into aÓ (¤' ), see above, c.
On the very frequent attenuation of aç to iç, cf. below, h. On the rare, and only apparent union of PathahÌ with a (a¤;), see § 23 d, end. On aç as a helping-vowel, § 22 f (PathahÌ furtivum), and § 28 e.
3. SegoÖl (eç, eÊ [aÎÓ]) by origin belongs sometimes to the second, but most frequently to the first vowel class (§ 27 o, p, u). It belongs to the first class when it is a modification of a (as the Germ. Bad, pl. Bäder; Eng. man, pl. men), either in a toneless syllable, e. g. ~k,d>y< (for yadkheÊm), or withthe tone, e. g. #r,a,ñ from ¬arsÌ, !r,q,ñ Arab. qaçrn, xm;q,ñ Arab. qaçmhÌ. This SegoÖl is often retained even in the strongest tone-syllable, at the end of a sentence or of an important clause (in pause), as %l,m+, qd,c), (maÎÓÃlaÎçkh, saÎÓÃdaÎçq). As a rule, however, in such cases the PathahÌ which underlies the SegoÖl is lengthened into QamesÌ, e. g. xm;q+'Ã !r,q†'. A SegoÖl apparently lengthened from SèewaÖ, but in reality traceable to an original aç, stands in pausal forms, as yrIP†, (ground-form paçry), yhiy†, (yaçhy), &c. On the cases where a y (originally consonantal) follows this SegoÖl, see § 75 f, and § 91 k.
II.Second Class. I- and E-sounds.
4. The long iÖ is frequently even in the consonantal writing indicated by y (aÔ fully written HÍireq y¤i); but a naturally long iÖ can be also written defectively (§ 8 i), e. g. qyDIc; (righteous), plur. ~yqiDIc; sÌaddiÖqiÖm; ar'yyI (he fears), plur. War>y)i. Whether a defectively written HÍireq is long may be best known from the origin of the form; often also from the nature of the syllable (§ 26), or as in War>y)i from the Metheg attached to it(§ 16 f).
5. The short HÍireq (always3 written defectively) is especially frequent in sharpened syllables (lJeqi È yMiai) and in toneless closed syllables (rAmz>mi psalm); cf. however B.v.YIw: in a closed tone-syllable, and even !p,YIñw:, with a helping SegoÖl, for wayyiÃphn. It has arisen very frequently by attenuation from aç, as in yreb.DI from original daçbaçreÖ, yqid>ci (ground-form sÌaçdq),4 or else it is the original iç, which in the tone-syllable had become eÓ, as in ^b.yIa*o (thy enemy) from byEao (ground-form ¬aÖyiçb).5 It is sometimes a simple helping vowel, as in tyIB;ñ, § 28 e.
The earlier grammarians call every HÍireq written fully, Hireq magnum; every one written defectively, HÍireq parvum, — a misleading distinction, so far as quantity is concerned.
6. The longest eÖ y¤e (more rarely defective ¤e, e. g. ynE[e for ynEy[e Is 3:8; at the end of a word also h¤) is as a rule contracted from y¤; ay (ai), § 7 a, e. g. lk'yhe (palace), Arab. and Syriac haikal.
7. The SÍere without YoÖdh mostly represents the tone-long eÓ, which, like the tone-long aÓ (see c), is very rarely retained except in and before the tone-syllable, and is always lengthened from an original iç. It stands in an open syllable with or before the tone, e. g. rp,señ (ground-form siçphr) book, hn"òve (Arab. siçnaçt) sleep, or with Metheg (see § 16 d, f) in the secondary tone-syllable, e. g. ytil'a†ev. my request, hk'l.n)e let us go. On the other hand in a closed syllable it is almost always with the tone, as !Be son, ~Leai dumb.
Exceptions: (a) eÓ is sometimes retained in a toneless closed syllable, in monosyllabic words before Maqqeph, e. g. -#[†e Nu 35:18, as well as in the examples of naÓsoÖg ¬aÓhÌoÖr mentioned in § 29 f (on the quantity cf. § 8 b 3 end); (b) in a toneless open final syllable, SÍere likewise occurs in examples of the naÓsoÖg ÇaÓhÌoÖr, as aceyEñ Ex 16:29; cf. Ju 9:39.
8. The SegoÖl of the I(E)-class is most frequently an eç modified from original iç, either replacing a tone-long eÓ which has lost the tone, e.g. -!T, from !Te (give), ^r>c,y)o (thy creator) from rceyÔ, or in the case discussed in § 93 o, yqil.x,Ã yrIz>[, from the ground-forms hÌilq, ºizr; cf. also § 64 f. SegoÖl appears as a simple helping-vowel in cases such as rp,señ for siphr, lg<yIñ for yigl (§ 28 e).
III. Third Class. U- and O-sounds.
9. For the U-sound there is —
(1) the long uÖ, either (a) written fully, W Sèureq, e.g. lWbG> (boundary), or (b) defectively written ¤u QibbuÖsÌ AlbuG>Ã !Wtmuy>;
(2) the short uç, mostly represented by QibbuÖsÌ, in a toneless closed syllable and especially common in a sharpened syllable, in e.g. !x'l.vu (table), hK'su (booth).
Sometimes also uç in a sharpened syllable is written W, e. g. hK'Wh y Ps 102:5 dLÎÎÎ'Wy Jb 5:7, ~L'WK Jer. 31:34, AtK'Wfm. Is 5:5, ~yMiWr[] Gn 2:25 for hK'hu &c.
For this u the LXX write o, e. g. ~L'du[] VOdolla,m, from which, however, it only follows, that this uç was pronounced somewhat indistinctly. The LXX also express the sharp HÍireq by e, e. g. rMeai=VEmmh,r. The pronunciation of the QibbuÖsÌ like the German uÎ which was formerly common, is incorrect, although the occasional pronunciation of the U -sounds as uÎ in the time of the punctuators is attested, at least as regards Palestine;6 cf. the Turkish bülbül for the Persian bulbul, and the pronunciation of the Arabic dunyaÓ in Syria as duÎnyaÓ.
10. The O-sound bears the same relation to U as the E does to I in the second class. It has four varieties: —
(1) The oÖ which is contracted from aw (=au), § 7 a, and accordingly is mostly written fully; A (Holem plenum), e.g. jAv (a whip), Arab. saut\, hl'A[ (iniquity) from hl'w>[;. More rarely defectively, as ^r>vo† (thine ox) from rAv Arab. t_aur.
(2) The long oÖ which arose in Hebrew at an early period, by a general process of obscuring, out of an original aÖ,7 while the latter has been retained in Arabic and Aramaic. It is usually written fully in the tone-syllable, defectively in the toneless, e.g., ljeqo Arab. qaÖtiçl. Aram. quÖtÌeÓl, H;Ala/ Arab. 'içlaÖh, Aram. eçlaÖah, plur. ~yhil{a/; qAv (leg), Arab. saÖq; rABGI (hero), Arab. gaçbbaÖr; ~t'Ax (seal), Arab. héaÖtaém; !AMrI (pomegranate), Arab. ruçmmaÖn; !Ajl.vi (dominion), Aram. !j'l.vu and !j'l.v' Arab. suçltÌaÖn; ~Alv' (peace), Aram. ~l'v., Arab. saçlaÖm. Sometimes the form in aÖ also occurs side by side with that in oÖ as !y"r>vi and !Ayr>vi (coat of mail; see howevcr § 29 u). Cf. also § 68 b.
(3) The tone-long oÓ which is lengthened from an original uç, or from an oç arising from uç, by the tone, or in general according to the laws for the formation of syllables. It occurs not only in the tone-syllable, but also in an open syllable before the tone, e.g. vd,qo (ground-form quçdsë) sanctuary; %r;Bo for burrakh, !Wjqol.yI y Ps 104:28, as well as (with Metheg) in the secondary tone-syllable; ~ylih'aoüÎÎÎà Al[]üÎÎÎ. But the original oç (uç) is retained in a toneless closed syllable, whereas in a toneless open syllable it is, weakened to SèewaÖ. Cf. lKo all, but -lK' (koçl), ~L'Ku (kuçllaÓm); ljoq.yIà ^l.j'q.yI and Wlj.q.yI, where original uç is weakened to SèewaÖ: yiqiÌeluÖ, Arab. yaqtuçluÖ. This tone-long oÓ is only as an exception written fully.
(4) ¤' QamesÌ-hÌatÌuph represents oÓ (properly aâç, cf. § 8 a, note 2) modified from uç and is therefore classed here. It stands in the same relation toHÍolem as the SegoÖl of the second class to Sere, -lK'koçl, ~q'Y"òw: wayyaÓqoçm. On the distinction between this and QamesÌ, see below, u.
11. The following table gives a summary of the gradation of the three vowel-classes according to the quantity of the vowels; —
First Class: A. | Second Class: I and E. | Third Class: U and O. |
¤' original aÖ (Aarabic a¤'). | y¤e eÖ, from original ay (ai). y¤i or ¤i long iÖ. | A oÖ, from original aw (au) A or ¤o oÖ obscured from aÖ. W or ¤u uÖ. |
¤' tone-long aÓ (from original aç) chiefly in the tone-syllable but also just before it. | ¤e tone-long eÓ(from iç) generally in the tone-syllable but also just before it. | ¤o tone-long oÓ (from original uç) in the tone-syllable, otherwise in an open syllable. |
¤, (as amodification of aç) sometimes a tone-long eÊ, sometimes eç. ¤; short aç. [¤i iç attenuated from aç; see h.] Utmost weakeing to ¤] a, ¤/ eç, ¤.e. | ¤, eç ¤i short iç Utmost weakening to ¤]a, ¤/ eç, or ¤. e. | ¤' oç, modified from uç. ¤u short uç, especially in a sharpened syllable. Utmost weakening to ¤] a, ¤/ eç, ¤\ o, or ¤. e. |
Rem. On the distinction between QamesÌ and QamesÌ-hÌatÌuph.8According to § 8 a, long aµ or a½µ (QamesÌ) and short oç or aâç (QamesÌ-hÌatÌuph) are in manuscripts and printed texts generally expressed by the same sign ('), e. g. ~q' qaÓm, -lK' koçl.
The beginner who does not yet know the grammatical origin of the words in question
(which is of course the surest guide), may depend meanwhile on the following
principal rules:—
1. The sign ¤'9 isoç in a toneless closed syllable, since such a syllable can have only a short vowel (§ 26 o).
The above case occurs —
(a) When SewaÖ follows as a syllable-divider, as in hm'ñk.x' hÌoçkh-maÓÃ (wisdom), hl'ñk.a' ºoçkh-laÓÃ (food). With Metheg ñmadsh' is aÓ(aâÓ) and according to the usual view stands in an open. syllable with a following SèewaÖ mobile, e.g. hl'k.a†' ºaÓ-khelaÓÃ (she ate); but cf. § 16 i.
(b) When a closed syllable is formed by Dagesë forte, e. g. ynINEñx' hÌoçnneÓniÖ (have mercy upon me); but ~yTiñB†' (with Metheg, § 16 f z ) baÖttiÖm
(c) When the syllable in question loses the tone on account of a following MaqqeÓph (§ 16 a), e. g. ~d'a'h†'-lK' koçl-haÓ-ºaÓdaÓÃm (all men).
In y Ps35 10 and Pr 19:7 MaqqeÓph with lK' is replaced by a conjunctive accent (Merekha; so by Darga, Ju 19:5 with d['s., and Ez 37:8 with ~r'q.YIw: (so Baer after Qimhi; ed. Mant., Ginsburg, Kittel ~r;qyw).
(d) In a closed final syllable without the tone, e.g. ~q'Y"òw: wayyaÓÃqoçm (and
he stood up). — In the cases where aÖor aÓ in the final syllable has become toneless through MaqqeÓph (§ 16 a) and yet remains, e.g. tD'h;-bx†'K. Est 4:8, yli-tv†' Gn 4:25, it has a Metheg in correct manuscripts and printed texts.
In cases like ha'l.h'òÃ hM'l'ñ, laÓÃmmaÓ, the tone shows that ¤' is to be read as aÓ.
2. The cases in which ¤' appears to stand in an open syllable and yet is to be read as oç require special consideration. This is the case, (a) when HÍatÌeph-QamesÌ follows, e.g. Al[\P†' his work, or simple vocal SèewaÖ, e.g. !b'r>D†' ox goad; Arb.[†'B. Jos 4:7; hr'm.v†' (so ed. Mant., Ginsb.) preserve y Ps 86:2, cf. 16:1 and the cases mentioned in § 48 i, n., and § 61 f, n.; other examples are Ob 11, Ju 14:15); HÍatÌeph-PathahÌ follows in ^x]v†'m.li (so Ginsburg; Baer ^x]v†'m.li) 1 S 15:1, ^g]r†'x]l†; 24:11, and ^v])g"p.y)i (so Baer, Gn 32:18, others ^v.G†'p.yI); (b) before another QamesÌ- hÌatÌuph, e. g. ^òl.['P†' thy work; on yLi-hr'a†' and yLi-hb'q†' Nu 23:7, see § 67 o; (c) in the two plural forms ~yvid'q†' sanctuaries and ~yvir'v†' roots (also written ädq\and ärv\). In all these cases the Jewish grammarians regard the Metheg accompanying the ¤' as indicating a QaÓmesÌ rahÌabh (broad Qames) and therefore read the ¤' as aÓ; thus paÓ-oloÖ, daÓ-rebaÓn, paÓ-oçlekhaÓ, qaÓ-daÓsëiÖm. But neither the origin of these forms, nor the analogous formations in Hebrew and in the cognate languages, nor the transcription of proper names in the LXX, allows us to regard this view as correct. It is just possible that QamesÌ is here used loosely for aâÓ, as the equivalent of oÓ, on the analogy of Al[]P†o &c., § 93 q. As a matter of fact, however, we ought no doubt to divide and read poçºo–loÖ (for po纖loÖ), poçºoç–lekhaÓ, qoçdaÓ–sëiÖm. —Quite
as inconceivable is it for Metheg to be a sign of the lengthening into a in @a†'-yrI%'.B†' (Ex 11:8), although it is so in ynIa'.B†' baÓ-¬oniÖ (in the navy), since here the a of the article appears under the b.
Footnotes: