Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 16/10/2005 13:41, Vadim Cherny wrote:

> ...
>
> (A note for Peter: Joel's examples show that as early as the LXX, 
> begedkefet
> were aspirated. In a discussion about schwa some time ago you 
> preferred the
> view, if I recall correctly, that the aspiration is a late phenomenon.)
No, Vadim. My position is that probably the KPT letters (i.e. the 
unvoiced BGDKPT) in Hebrew were aspirated plosives (like most English 
ones, rather than the Russian plosives which are almost unaspirated at 
least in the best Moscow pronunciation), which at some uncertain time 
became fricatives in intervocalic position. Aspiration is not late, 
fricativisation might be.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/