Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Robert Holmstedt" <rdholmst AT students.wisc.edu>]

----------
>From: Henry Churchyard <churchh AT usa.net>
>To: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
>Subject: Re: constructs and vowel length
>Date: Thu, Oct 28, 1999, 1:11 AM
>

>> Subject: Re: constructs and vowel length
>> From: "Robert Holmstedt" <rdholmst AT students.wisc.edu>
>> Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 12:25:53 -0500
>
>> /a/ seems to act differently in the present of the bilabial /m/ (if
>> Jouon-Muraoka par. 88Bg is correct), e.g. kaf, par, har, but `a:m
>> 'people' and ya:m 'sea' (both with qamets, presumably the Masoretic
>> low central vowel which represents the historical short /a/ and
>> sometimes the historical short /u/)
>
> But `am in its "resting state" (unsuffixed un-prefixed absolute
> non-pausal form) normally has pathah..

Actually, if you check Evan-Shoshan and compare examples with a Masoretic
text, you will find numerous cases of non-pausal, indefinite 'people' with a
qamets.  'Pause' does not work as a consistent test on these nouns.


>Note that qames. represents
> a _lengthened_ historical short /a/ and an _unlengthened_ historical
> short /u/ (not before a geminate consonant).

Of course.


> --
> Henry Churchyard   churchh AT usa.net   http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/


Robert


--
Robert D. Holmstedt
Ph.D. Candidate
Hebrew & Semitic Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison