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  • From: Vadim Cherny <vadimcherny AT gmail.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Num13:20: dagesh in interrogative hey
  • Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:17:06 +0200

Rashi suggests that hey interrogative produces dagesh before shwa. He cannot be correct on this because in Gen18:17 and 27:38 hey interrogative before shwa causes no dagesh. So he treats them as exceptions.

My hypothesis is this: as can be seen in definite articles, ha- generally produces dagesh. This is due to the secondary stress on ha-. Interrogative clauses are an exception to this rule because the intonation places accent on the final word of interrogative clause, and ha- loses its secondary accent. In Num13:20, hashmenah hi im raza? lacks a stress on the final word typical of questioning clauses due to abnormal use of im.

Vadim Cherny



  • [b-hebrew] Num13:20: dagesh in interrogative hey, Vadim Cherny, 03/15/2010

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