Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Ratson Naharadama <yahoo-arch AT heplist.com>]

Isac Fried asked:
> What made them place a dagesh in the T
> of KATON-TIY of Genesis 32:11?

If I understand what you are asking, the reason is because the T is 
geminated. In this case, it is geminated because of an absorbed N.
anti > atti
Compare it to Arabic where N does not get absorbed.
anta = anta;
anti = anti;
antunna = antunna

So, for your word, we would have qat.onettiy

Isaac wrote:
> considering the astounding rate of change
> of present-day Hebrew
> (see the article on the fate of the xirik)
> it is fair to assume that pure "proto-semitic"
> did not last more than 50 years.

You can't really assume that from present day change. Many forces act to 
cause language change, especially when you have a large influx of 
non-native speakers coming into the mix. Some of the most drastic 
changes on a language are caused by an influx of new speakers. Another 
force at work is modern Hebrew's recent "resurrection" with it not quite 
being the same language as was spoken 2500 years ago. Because of the 
different language rules at play in modern compared to biblical, it will 
take some time of change within the modern language as the language 
adjusts to the rules at play (where a sound is in relation to another, 
what kind of sound, and how it is perceived, articulated compared to 
another sound next to it, its importance within the word, and how the 
sound is emphasized will cause a "smoothing out" of sorts that will 
pressure some sounds to change to fit its new environment).

Just as a language can change quite rapidly, it can also change quite 
slowly. It depends on the forces at work from within and from without 
the sphere of speakers.

Isaac hypothesized:
> [...] newly arrived, Karaites [...]

Would also have some hypothesis on where they might have recently 
arrived from?
--
Ratson Naharädama
Denver, Colorado