§ 22. Peculiarities of the Gutturals.

a

The four gutturals xàhà[àa, in consequence of their peculiar pronunciation, have special characteristics, but a, as the weakest of these sounds, and sometimes also [ (which elsewhere as one of the hurder gutturals is the opposite of a), differ in several respects from the stronger h and x.

b

1. They do not admit of Dagesë forte, since, in consequence of a gradual weakening of the pronunciation (see below, note 2), the strengthening of the gutturals was hardly audible to the Masoretes. But a distinction must be drawn between (a) the complete omission of the strengthening, and (b) the mere echo of it, commonly called half doubling, but better, virtual strengthening.

c

In the former case, the short vowel before the guttural would stand in an open syllable, and must accordingly be lengthened or modified.1 For a distinction must again be drawn between the full lengthening of PathahÌ into QamesÌ—mostly before a (always under the h of the article, see § 35), as a rule also before [, less frequently before h, and least often before x — and the modification of PathahÌ to SeghoÖl, mostly before a guttural with QamesÌ. In the other case (virtual strengthening) the Dagesë is still omitted, but the strengthening is nevertheless regarded as having taken place, and the preceding vowel therefore remains short. This virtual strengthening occurs most frequently with x, usually with h, less frequently with [, and very seldom with a. Examples of (a) !aemeà~d'a'h†'à~['h'àrh'h'àabex'y)e (for yihÌhÌaÒbheÒ’); also dx'a,àgx'h,à~yrIh'h†,àynI['h†, (see more fully on the pointing of the article before [ in § 35).—Of (b) vd,xoñh;àjWxmi (from minhÌuÖtÌ), aWhh;àr[eBià#aenI, &c.—In all these cases of virtual strengthening the Dagesë forte is to be regarded at least as implied (hence called Dagesë forte implicitum, occultum, or delitescens).

d

2. They prefer before them, and sometimes after them (cf. h), a short A-sound, because this vowel is organically the nearest akin to the gutturals. Hence

(a) before a guttural, PathahÌ readily (and always before Hàxà[ closing a syllable) takes the place of another short vowel or of a rhythmically long or , e.g. xb;z<ñ sacrifice, not zeÊbeçhÌ;; [m;veñ report, not sëeÒmeçÇ. This is more especially so when a was the original vowel of the form, or is otherwise admissible. Thus in the Imperat. and Imperf. Qal of guttural verbs, xl;v. send thou, xl;v.yI he will send (notyisëloÒhÌ); Perf. PiÇel xL;vi (but in Pausa x;Levi); dmox.y: he will desire (not yihÌmoÒd); xn:Y"òw: and he rested (not wayyaÒnoçhÌ); r[;n:ò a youth. In xL;vi and dmox.y: is the original vowel.

e

Rem. In such cases as av,D,ñàan<j,ñàal,P,ñàar,P,ñ, the a has no consonantal value, and is only retained orthogragraphically (see § 23 a ).

f

(b) After a heterogeneous long vowel, i.e. after all except QamesÌ, the hard gutturals2 (consequently not a), when standing at the end of the word, require the insertion of a rapidly uttered (PathahÌ furtivum) between themselves and the vowel. This PathahÌ is placed under the guttural, but sounded before it. It is thus merely an orthographic indication not to neglect the guttural sound in pronunciation, e.g. x;Wr ruÖa, [;Anà[;reàx;yliv.hiàH;AbN" (when consonantal h is final it necessarily takes MappiÖq), but e.g.yxiWr &c., since here the rapidly uttered is no longer heard.

g

Iach for ich, &c., in some Swiss dialects of German, is analogous; a furtive PathahÌ is here involuntarily intruded before the deep guttural sound. In Arabic the same may be heard in such words as mesiÖahÌ, although it is not expressed in writing. The LXX (and Jerome, cf. ZAW. iv.79) write e, sometimes a, instead of furtive PathahÌ, e.g. x;nONw/e, [;WDy: VIeddonu,a (also VIaddou,).

h

Rem. 1. The guttural may also have an influence upon the following vowel, especially in Segholate forms, e.g. r[;n:ò (not naÇeçr) a youth, l[;Boñ (not poÒÇeçl) deed. The only exceptions are lh,aoà!h,Boà~x,l,à~x,r,.

i

2. Where in the present form of the language an , whether original or attenuated from PathahÌ, would Stand before or after a guttural in the first syllable of a word, a SeghoÖl as being between and is frequently used instead, e.g. vB;x.y< (also vbx]y);), WGh.y<àyleb.x,àrD'a.n<àyrIz>[,, &c.

k

On the other hand, the slighter and sharper HÍireg is retained even under gutturals when the following consonant is sharpened by Dagesç forte, e.g. lLehiàhNEhiàhJ'xi; but when this sharpening is removed, SeghoÖl is again apt to appear, e.g. !AyG"hi constr. !Ag>h,à!AyZ"xi constr.!Ayz>x,

l

3. Instead of simple SèewaÖ mobile, the gutturals take without exception a compound SèewaÖ, e.g.Wjx]v†'àlJeq;a]àrmoa/àynIa\, &c.

m

4. When a guttural with quiescentewaÖ happens to close a syllable in the middle of a word, the strongly closed syllable (with quiescent SèewaÖ) may remain; necessarily so with xà[, and h at the end of the tone-syllable, e.g. T'x.l;ñv'àT'[.D;ñy", but also before the tone (see examples under i), even with a.

But in the syllable before the tone and further back, the closed syllable is generally opened artificially by a HÍatÌeph (as being suited to the guttural) taking the place of the quiescent SèewaÖ, and in particular that HÍatÌeph which repeats the sound of the preceding vowel, e.g. bvox]y); (also bvox.y:); qz:x/y), (also qz:x.y<); Al[\P†' poçoloÖ (for poçÇloÖ). But when, owing to a flexional change, the strong vowel following the HÍatÌeph is weakened into ewaÖ mobile, then instead of the HÍatÌeph its full vowel is written, e.g. Wdm.[;y); (from dmo[]y);), Wmr>[,n),à^l.['P†' (from l[;Po), The original forms, according to § 28 c, were yaÇmedhuÖ, neÇremuÖ, poçÇlekhaÒ. Hence Wdm.[;y);, &c., are really only different orthographic forms of Wdm.[]y);, &c., and would be better transcribed by yaÇamedhuÖ, &c.

n

Rem. 1. On the use of simple or compound ewaÖ in guttural verbs, see further §§ 62–65.

o

2. Respecting the choice between the three HÍatÌephs, it may be remarked: (a) xàhà[ at the beginning of a syllable prefer ¤] but a prefers ¤/, e.g. rAmx] ass, groh] to kill, rmoa/ to say; when farther from the tone syllable, however, the ¤/ even under a changes into the lighter ¤], e.g.ylea/ (poetic for -la,) to, but ~k,ñylea] to you, lkoa/ to eat, but -lk'a] (akh&oçl, toneless on account of MaqqeÒph). Cf. § 27 w. The 1st pers sing. imperf. PiÇeÒl regularly has ¤] Likewise ¤] is naturally found under a in cases where the HÍatÌeph arises from a weakening of an original (e.g. yrIa] lion, ground-form 'ary), and ¤\ if there be a weakening of an original u (e.g.ynIa\ a fleet, ynI[\ affiction, cf. § 93 q, z).

p

(b) In the middle of a word after a long vowel, a HÍatÌeph-PathahÌ takes the place of a simple SèewaÖ mobile, e g. hn"a]m†e hl'[]h† (see § 63 p ); but if a short vowel precedes, the choice of the HÍatÌeph is generally regulated by it, e.g. Perf. Hiph. dymi[/h†, (see above, i), Infin.dymi[]h†;. (regular form lyjiq.h;); Perf. Hoph. dm;[\h†' (regular form lj;q.h'); but cf. Wdx]v†i Jb 6:22 (§ 64 a ).

q

5. The r, which in sound approximates to the gutturals (§ 6 g ), shares with the gutturals proper their first, and to a certain extent their second, peculiarity, viz.

(a) The exclusion of the strengthening, instead of which the preceding vowel is almost always lengthened, e.g. %r;Be he has blessed for birrakh, %reB' to bless for barreÒkh.

r

(b) The preference for as a preceding vowel, e.g. ar>Y:w: and he saw (from ha,r>yI); rs;Y"òw: both for rs'Y"òw: and he turned back, and for rs,Y"òw: and he caused to turn back.

s

The exceptions to a are tRm'moçrraçth Pr 14:10; tR;k'khoçrraçth and %Rev' sëoçrreÒkh, Ez 16:4 (cf. Pr 3:8); yviaoRv, Ct 5:2; Hm'[iR>h; 1 S 1:6; ~t,yaiR>h; 1 S 10:24, 17:25, 2 K 6:32; exceptions to b are WxpuydIR>hi Ju 20:43 (cf. § 20 h); @dR>mi 1 S 23:28, 2 S 18:16; also on account of qyxd (§ 20 c), Pr 15:1, 20:22, 2 Ch 26:10; and on account of yta qyxrm (§ 20 f) 1 S 15:6, Jer 39:12, Hb 3:13, y Ps 52:5, Pr 11:21, Jb 39:9, Ezr 9:6. A kind of virtual strengthening (after mi for !mi) is found in ^z<g>r'm†i Is 14:3. In Samaritan and Arabic this strengthening has been retained throughout, and the LXX write e.g. Sa,rvr`a for hr'f'.

Footnotes:

1[2] Cf. terra and the French terre, the German Rolle and the French roÖle; German drollig and French droÖle. The omission of the strengthening shows a deterioration of the language. Arabic still admits of the strengthening of gutturals in all cases.

2[1] Prätorius, Ueber den rückweich. Accent im Hebr., Halle, 1897, p. 17, &c., remarks that PathahÌ furtivum has not arisen merely under the influence of the guttural, but is due to a duplication of the accented syllable, so that e.g. byviy"àdWcy" would also be pronounced yasiÖibh, yasÌuÖudh although the short intermediate vowel was not so noticeable as before a guttural.