Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Vadim Cherny" <VadimCherny AT mail.ru>]

> JCR: This also seems to be a limitation of my ears as well. Because every 
> time
> I listen to a demonstration of someone who claims to be able to do it I 
> always
> hear the 'he' as the start of the new syllable.

That relates to the point I was making some time ago about schwa and dagesh.
Stressed syllables pull the adjacent consonants, unless the stop is 
introduced. That is what the Masoretes did.
Compare ni.zcAr - ni.'car, but the Masoretic niz.car. Or Av.raham vs. 
A.bram.
Now, when you pronounce waw in YHWH as v, syllable-final guttural hey is no 
problem (I don't suggest that pronunciation, just following your example) if 
you distinctly syllabify the word, yh.vh or even yh.(bh)h. When, however, 
you use soft w-u, such stop is almost lost, and hey disappears.
Since, however, hey does not take schwa, hey was vocalized, and yeh.wa 
became ye.ho.wa.

Vadim Cherny