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  • From: David Hamuel <davidhamuel AT sbcglobal.net>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Meteg and Shva Na/Nah
  • Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2008 11:15:26 -0800 (PST)

@Yitzhak:

> the Masoretes noted that the ga(ya is pronounced consistently *whether it
> is written or not". Quoting from Geoffrey Khan's...
"The reader pronounces the ga(ya whether it is written or not written" -
Sefer Ta'ame haMiqra
"in some books, the ga(ya is written whereas in others it is not written but
rather the knowledge of the reader is relied upon." - Mahberet haTijan.

These quotes — in their original text: Hidayat al-Kari and its extended
family e.g. Tijan etc. etc. — have a very specific context, and when taken
out of it could lead to wrong assumptions.

Kahn, page 59: 'The reader pronounces the ga'ya whether it is written or not
written' (Seper Ta'ame ha-Miqra, p. Eiii, with reference to a ga'ya on a word
with zarqa."
For some reason you didn't post the part about the zarka.

As far as the second quote: the discussion (original text) is about the
clear distinction between gayat hova (must) and gayat reshut (not a must).

> If we look at the word w$m( "and hear!", we find something interesting.

verse? chapter? book?

> They are not pronounced one way or another based on whether the Masorete or
> vocalizer chose to put a meteg or not, or to denote a schewa with hatef or
> not, which Masoretes did inconsistently.

One important aspect of the sample from Lev. and other words is the use of
hataf sheva which was meant to help the reader with some pronunciation
problems. The "inconsistently" of this hataf sheva was due to the fact that
Masora stated very clearly that was up to the scribes to use it or not; see
Dikdukei haTeamim (Dotan edition, part b, section 19, page 252).
BTW, what is a better way to see this inconsistency vs. consistency that came
under the same hand of Shemuel ben Ya'aqov: the MSS L & Lm.

> This suggests that the pausal form of the word was with meteg, the
> non-pausal without. Here there is a consistent difference. Now, the Lev.
> example was not on a pausal accent,

Before diving in to the pausal form world, I'm not sure that I understand
what exactly are the rules and the exceptions: pausal form -- there's a
gaya; non-pausal form -- no gaya; and why is the sample from Lev. an
exception to the rules?

BTW, we are informed by the work of Ibn Janach that the word korban
(sacrifice), for example, was pronounced in 3 different ways.

> because I have quite a few articles on hand that point out on the basis of
> Diqduqe Hateamim, the schewa must be quiescent in such cases.

I'm all ears.


Best,

David Hamuel




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