Biblical Hebrew Forum

["George Athas" <gathas AT globalfreeway.com.au>]

| I would actually lean towards the phonological argument I mention there. I
| suggest that the original was baaree'shiyt (absolute with article), with
| three long vowels. The Samaritan pronunciation apparently supports this. But
| the rather anomalous qamets two syllables before the stress (a position
| where it is usually replaced by a schwa) became shortened, in the Jewish
| pronunciation tradition of this obviously well known word, to a schwa.
|
| Peter Kirk

But is the definite article reducible. I know that qamets is reducible in 
propretonic
position, but does this also encompass the definite article when it has been 
lengthened to
qamets? Or, put another way, do we reduce vowels first and then add the 
definite article,
or do we add the definite article and then reduce vowels?

Best regards,
GEORGE ATHAS
- Anglican Chaplaincy, UNSW;
- Southern Cross College,
Sydney, Australia
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