Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Motivation for Vocalizing the Hebrew Old Testament Text (2)

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Ishinan" <ishinan AT comcast.net>
  • To: "B-Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc: Randall Buth <randallbuth AT gmail.com>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Motivation for Vocalizing the Hebrew Old Testament Text (2)
  • Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:17:13 -0500

[PHILIP ENGMANN] - Dear Group, Please can anyone tell me why the consonantal Hebrew text was vocalized?

----------------------------------------------

[ ISHINAN] - Dear Philip, in my previous answer I gave you some general ideas about the motivations for vocalizing the consonantal Hebrew text. After some thought, I came up with the following reason, which I hope will directly answer your query.

If the aim was to restore "the correct pronunciation of Biblical Hebrew, and to protect against scribal errors, as well as to annotate possible variants and cantillation", it would seem that all of these measures can be viewed as an eagerness that goes beyond the faithful transmitting of linguistic traditions.

What it shows, in my opinion, is an unabated ambition at a genuine revival of the Hebrew language and to preserve it for the future generations. Scholars at that time must have discovered that the essential role of developing a GRAMMAR in communicative language teaching was paramount, and the best answer for a language survival.

The historic task to preserve the sacred literature and to assure to its correct interpretation and transmission to generations to come, required first to come up with coherent systems of rules "niqqud" to make sense out of the all the raw data from the ancient traditions. Once these systems of rules were put in place, it allowed scholars the ability to indicate in writing exactly how a word should sound (to vowels, accents, and consonantal spelling etc.) This momentous invention led to the foundation for grammatical analysis of Hebrew. One thing led to another, and "dikduk". was born.


------------------

This bring us to Randall's intriguing remark :

[RANDALL BUTH] - Your general motivations seem in the right direction but they don't explain an 1100-year gap. Why did it take from 400 BCE to 700 CE for the vowels and tunes to be recorded?

[ISHINAN] A point well taken. Might it be that this goes hand in hand with the need, or the lack thereof, of developing a grammar? Perhaps, you can come up with an equally insightful thought as to why It took from 400 BCE to circa 1000's CE to develop dikduk?

I am genuinely interested in knowing your opinion on this intriguing matter.

Note: In the above explanation, I made a conscious effort at concentrating only on the "motives" in order to satisfy Philip's inquiry without any added distraction.

Best regards to the both of you,

Ishinan Ishibashi


.



  • Re: [b-hebrew] Motivation for Vocalizing the Hebrew Old Testament Text (2), Ishinan, 03/29/2010

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page