Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Dagesh - a different sound or aspiration?

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Petr Tomasek <tomasek AT etf.cuni.cz>
  • To: Vadim Cherny <him AT vadimcherny.org>
  • Cc: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Dagesh - a different sound or aspiration?
  • Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:33:25 +0200

On Sat, Aug 22, 2009 at 02:48:20PM +0300, Vadim Cherny wrote:
> What is the consensus opinion of the original functioning of begedkefet
> pairs:
>
> 1. A difference in aspiration b/bh, or
> 2. Completely different sounds b/v ?

Well, b/v are not "completely different" sounds neither. :)

What is clear, is that letters of bega"d kefa"t with and without dagesh
do not present two different phonemes but rather are alophones
(in masoretic biblical hebrew). The reason why they are at all marked
is likely due to the fact, that hebrew was not the mother tongue of the
masoretes, in which a phonemic distinction existed between b/v (or whatever
fonetic value they had).

BTW, I'd recommend reading the following article:

Richard L. Goerwitz. "Is Tiberian Səgôl a Phoneme?" in: Proceedings of the
Twelfth International Congress of the International Organization for
Masoretic Studies. E. J. Revell (ed.). Cambrigde University: Scholars Press
1995. pp. 155-170.

P.T.

--
Petr Tomasek <http://www.etf.cuni.cz/~tomasek>
Jabber: butrus AT jabbim.cz
SIP: butrus AT ekiga.net




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page