Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ken Penner" <ken.penner AT acadiau.ca>]

Hi Charles,

"Radical" means "pertaining to the root." 
So radical Alef is an Alef that is one of the three consonants of the Hebrew 
root. In the word אמלא )ML) "I will fill," the first Alef is not radical, but 
the final Alef is.

Ken

Ken M. Penner, Ph.D. (McMaster)
Dead Sea Scrolls scholars' list owner, 
http://mailman.mcmaster.ca/mailman/listinfo/g-megillot
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org 
> [mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Charles Grebe
> Sent: February 7, 2008 12:39 PM
> To: B-Hebrew
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] K)RW with alef as mater lectionis?
> 
> Hi Ken,
> 
> Could you give me a quick definition of radical letters? 
> Also, how are these related to "servile" letters? 
> 
> I found a discussion of this in A grammar of the Hebrew 
> language By Samuel Lee on Google books, but it's still not 
> clear to me what makes a letter radical.
> http://books.google.com/books?id=JCsa-9Z2j3QC&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11
> &dq=hebrew
> +servile+letter&source=web&ots=AOw3Nl-iAj&sig=RKOBvAdyQDCziN-Q
W4M9G70xZo
> Y#PPA11,M1
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Charles Grebe
> Director of Distance Learning
> Briercrest College and Seminary
> www.briercrest.ca
> 
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > Qimron says in the DSS Alef is used as a to indicate a medial vowel 
> > letter only when it is radical. But he notes (_The Hebrew 
> of the Dead 
> > Sea Scrolls_, p.22n18) that in biblical texts "non-radical 
> alef does 
> > sometimes represent these sounds
> > -- See Kutscher, _Isaiah_, pp. 160-162; Qimron, _Leshonenu_
> > 39 (1975), pp;. 133-146."
> > 
> > Ken