Biblical Hebrew Forum

[ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben Crick)]

On Thu 17 Sep 98 , peter_kirk AT sil.org wrote:
> Why don't we get rid of the digraphs completely by using X for heth 
> and C for tsade? Also I would suggest using J for teth, which will 
> always be a problem but at least it looks like a T with a hook on it. 
> With these changes we avoid having to worry about keeping upper and 
> lower case separate. We can also then more easily use doubled letters 
> for dagesh forte which is much more intuitive than dots for dagesh 
> (and is hardly a very complex rule for beginners to learn).

 Those of us who are on b-greek as well as b-hebrew are already using
 C for Chi and X for Ksi; although some insist on reversing this.  8-(

 I would prefer C for Cheth and 5 for Tsadhe. C for Tsade would be a bit
 confusing. But I like J for Teth: a reasonable "lookalike".

 The use of lower case for vowel pointing, but not vowel letters HYW, is
 based on the idea of the "sacred text" being CONSONANTS ONLY. If you can
 get it to mean something else merely by changing the pointing, then bully
 for you!  But the sacred consonants are inviolable.
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
 <ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
 http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm