Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

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