Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

1. If a native speaker wants to walk around with a tarbush on his  
head he may do it.
2. How come it disappeared? Because it never existed.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Sep 19, 2010, at 8:47 PM, Barry H. wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Isaac Fried" <if AT math.bu.edu>
> To: "AMK Judaica" <amkjudaica AT hotmail.com>
> Cc: "Hebrew List" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2010 8:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Sukkot
>
>
> > In my humble opinion this quaint business of "gemination" is but a  
> > phantom of the imagination. I refuse to believe, not even for a   
> > moment, that the ancient Hebrews doubled in their mouth (and for  
> > what  reason?) a consonant written only once, and even took the  
> > pain to  mark this fantastic (and redundant) doubling by inserting  
> > an inner  dot in the letter.
> > The text is with only one k and should be, methinks, so   
> > transliterated. If it pleases someone to "geminate", then he may  
> > do  it, but he should know that no hebrew speaker does it, and he  
> > may  sound not only funny but also annoying.
>
> If the native speakers of the language want to do it, who are you  
> to argue?
>
> And how do you know that it was a phantom of the imagination?   
> People since the time of the Masoretes thought that the consonants  
> were doubled.  How come you are right, and they are all wrong?
>
> N.E. Barry Hofstetter, semper melius Latine sonat...
> Classics and Bible Instructor, TAA
> http://www.theamericanacademy.net
> (2010 Savatori Excellence in Education Winner)
> V-P of Academic Affairs, TNARS
> bhofstetter AT tnars.net
> http://www.tnars.net
>
> http://my.opera.com/barryhofstetter/blog
> http://mysite.verizon.net/nebarry
>
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