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b-hebrew - [b-hebrew] Re: Clearing up the morphology of Hebrew, CV and CVC

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  • From: Ratson Naharadama <yahoo-arch AT heplist.com>
  • To: "b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Re: Clearing up the morphology of Hebrew, CV and CVC
  • Date: Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:32:19 -0700

Karl Randolph wrote:
> I need evidence from Hebrew itself
> (more accurately in this case,
> direct transliterations from Hebrew
> to other languages).

Direct transliterations? How about the Hexapla's second column? The Septuagint's transliteration of proper nouns?

But we don't even need the transliterations to see "evidence from Hebrew itself" by just looking at how consonants behave in different forms of the words. For example, the consonant 'nun' (N) vanishes from the consonantal text in the place where (in comparison with sister languages) the usage of the word would predict the nun was syllable-final preceding another consonant. Thus, where one would predict consonants to fall into a pattern such as C1-V-N-C2-V, the 'N' "vanishes" and you get C1-V-C2:-V ( = C1-V-C2-C2-V).

Sister languages make use of a mixed CV/CVC system, and the ones where nun assimilates in a CVNCV pattern to CVC:V also shows that Hebrew behaves like them in there syllable structuring. Unless there is some strong reason to think Hebrew was a CV-only languages, then it seems a little... silly... to insist that it was a CV-only language. As far as I have seen, you haven't enumerated any strong reasons why it would be odd and be a CV-only language.
--
Ratson Nahara"dama
Denver, Colorado





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