Schneider Section 3: Vowel Signs

Section 3Vowel Signs

3.1 Vowel Lettersי ו א ה

Yod and Waw

✦ The half vowels Yod (י) and Waw (ו) as consonants can be made silent after vowels.

✦ Waw (ו) stands for the deep vowels ō and ū.

✦ Yod (י) stands for the light vowels i, ē, and e.

יום yōm

איש ’iš

אלהים ‘’älōhim

עיר `ir

Alef and He✦ The end sounds Alef (א) and He (ה) as

consonants can be cancelled out and appear now to mark the final vowel.

✦ He (ה) stands in the final sound of a word for all long vowels other than i.

✦ If He (ה) at the end of the word should be pronounced as a consonant, then it has a diacritical point (ה) called a Mappíq → § 5.1.

Alef and He

✦ Alef (א) stands in the final sound of a syllable for each long vowel.

פנה Pāne

שנה šānā

משה mōše

יצא yāṣā

3.2 The Tiberian Punctuation

Signs for each of the 7 vowel sounds

Overview of Vowels

i ē ä/e a ā å ō u

ל ל ל ל ל ל ל ל

both long both short long short long both

Chireq Tsere Segol Patach Qamets Qamets Chatuf Cholem Qibbuts

Your words with vowels

בן כל

ארץ לך מאיש יום

עם פנה

ית ב יד

Technical Terms

✦ Mater lectionis – vowel letters (א ה ו י)✦ a consonant quiesces – stands for a vowel

(loses its consonantal quality)✦ plene writing – vowel written together with a

vowel letter (plene: “full”)

Technical Terms

✦ defective writing – vowel written without a vowel letter✦ Words appear written either with or

without the vowel letter.✦ homogeneous vowels –those that can appear

with vowel letters

Placing of Vowel Signs

✦ Vowel signs were placed above or below letters in the text.✦ Remember to pronounce the consonant

first and then the vowel.✦ Only exception is the “furtive patach”

Placing of Vowel Signs

✦ Vowel signs were also placed where a vowel letter already stood. The sign was placed not under the vowel letter but under the preceding letter.✦ One significant combination to note: vowel

sound u with Waw gives Shureq (ו).

סוסי susi Yod is a vowel letter

סוסי susay Yod is a consonant

לילה layla Yod is a consonant; He is a vowel letter

עון ‘awon Waw is a consonant

עוד ‘od Waw is a vowel letter

מלכה malka He is a vowel letter

מלכה malkah He is a consonant

סוסיה susäha He is a consonant; Waw and Yod are vowel letters

יבא yabo Alef is a vowel letter

יבאו yabo’u Alef is a consonant; Waw a vowel letter

Section 4The Schwa-Sign

4.1 Signs for Half-Vowels

Simple Schwa and Composite Schwa

Schwa mobile✦ The Schwa is a double dot under the

consonant (ל).

✦ Same principle of pronunciation as other vowels

✦ Schwa is vowel reduced at its strongest✦ The Schwa can be voiced or silent (see § 4.2)✦ Also called Simple Schwa or Vocal Schwa

Chatef Vowels

✦ Also called Composite Schwas

✦ Combination of vowel sign and Schwa sign

✦ Only occur under gutturals

אני ’anī Chatef-Patach

אלהים ’elōhīm Chatef-Seghol

חלי ḥålī Chatef-Qames

4.2 Signs for Vowellessness

Schwa quiescens (Silent Schwa)

Schwa quiescens✦ Also called Silent Schwa✦ This Schwa sign stands with consonants

within the word that do not have vowels that follow.

✦ Here is the confusion:✦ The same sign can be either silent or vocal.

So there needs to be some way to distinguish them.

4.3 Differentiation of SchwasVocal or Silent Schwa?

The Schwa is vocal ...at the beginning of the word יהי

when it is the second of 2 contiguous Schwas ירמיהו

under a consonant with a Dagesh

על־פניהגדלים

after a long vowel (note the use of the Meteg) שמרון

Some new words

דבר אב

עיר ין עשם שנה

עבד אשה

פש נ כהן

Listen to this...ז י מזמור ק

הללו את–יהוה כל–גויםם׃ שבחוהו כל–האמיכי גבר עלינו חסדוואמת–יהוה לעולם

הללו–יה׃