Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Yitzhak Sapir" <yitzhaksapir AT gmail.com>]

On 9/7/07, James Christian Read wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I'd like to thank everybody for their answers and offer
> apologies in advance if there is something I have
> missed but what I was really hoping to see was evidence
> based on raw data rather than explanations of theories of
> when the schewa should or should not be pronounced.
>
> e.g.
>
> i)   Do the Massoretes themselves say that some schewas
>      should not be pronounced?
> ii)  Is there any transliterational evidence that backs
>      up theories of when the schewa is silent?

Also, I very much suggest you look up the article I mentioned.
It doesn't appear to be in your current university's catalog, but it
is held by at least three universities in the UK and you should be
able to access it through interlibrary loan:
http://worldcat.org/oclc/1695301&tab=holdings?loc=UK

The article citation is: Leshonenu 12, p. 61-74, and it deals
directly with your question -- what evidence is there for the
pronunciation of the schewa in Medieval literature.

Yitzhak Sapir