Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Paul J. Bodin" <pjbodin AT sirius.com>]

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On Wed, 28 Apr 1999 12:54:15 -0500, Gregory and Carol Yeager wrote:

> As for the Waw, I always wondered what it was about waw that makes it a
> matres lectionis for both U and O.  My mouth sort of forms the same
> shape for both, but that doesn't help me with a consonantal idea.  Was
> it a liquid consonant?

Waw is not a liquid consonant; my understanding, subject to correction
by those more expert, is that waw represents a diphthong.  Diphthongs
function in many languages as consonants.  English "w", for example, is
a diphthong and often functions as a consonant.

                                   ------
 Paul J. Bodin <pjbodin AT sirius.com>       http://www.sirius.com/~pjbodin
              For PGP public key finger pjbodin AT sirius.com
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