Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Kirk" <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
> 
> On 24/10/2005 23:27, Karl Randolph wrote:
> 
> > ...
> >
> > As for Biblical Hebrew pronunciation, about the only thing we can 
> > say with certainty is that the Masoretic points do not preserve 
> > it. ...
> >
> 
> No, we cannot say this with certainty, unless someone provides some 
> actual evidence of change. It is probable that there were some 
> changes, but perhaps only rather small ones (cf. Caragounis' claims 
> that Greek pronunciation has hardly changed for 2500 years!), but 
> nothing can be certain without evidence.
> 
> -- Peter Kirk
> peter AT qaya.org (personal)
> peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
> http://www.qaya.org/

Peter:

We do have evidence of change, or at the very least, 
dialectal differences, which at the very least can cause us 
to question if TH reflects the correct dialect. While I agree 
with Dr. Hoffman that transliterations are tricky, that they 
differ so much from each other and from TH depending on 
time and place, is a clue that pronunciations also changed 
depending on time and place. And that is evidence that 
TH Masoretic points also changed from Biblical Hebrew.

What it doesn't say is how Biblical Hebrew was 
pronounced.

Karl W. Randolph.



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