Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] root consonant

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: <pporta AT oham.net>
  • To: "Yitzhak Sapir" <yitzhaksapir AT gmail.com>, "hebrew list" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] root consonant
  • Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:00:54 +0200

PP - >> Does anyone know of some word/s appearing in the Bible and
consisting of 4
>> letters of which ONLY the first is root consonant (radical)?


YS - > > Words such as pywt "mouths" and btnw "our daughter" come to
mind.

PP - Yes as regards pywt (last word in Pr 5:4). But in btnw (Gn
34:17) ---
is 't' not a root consonant (bt = daughter)?

YS - > The -t is a feminine marker to which the n of *bn assimilates (*bntu
>
*bittu > *bitt > bat).
It all depends what you call a "root letter," but I think in most
examples, the -t wouldn't be considered a root letter.

PP - Every letter that is a part of the usual base/basic word, namely the
most elemental form of the word, is it not a root letter?
So, in bn, son, both letters, b and n, are root letters.
The same, I think, would be for bt, daughter, wouldn't it? Both letters, b
and t, are root letters.

Now, as regards the -t as feminine marker: do you mean that -t is a feminine marker for every type of Hebrew (ex. today Israeli Hebrew) or only for biblical Hebrew?
Are there no exceptions to this, namely aren't there nouns ending in -t (in their absolute form) that are of masculine gender instead?

Pere Porta
Barcelona (Spain)





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page