Biblical Hebrew Forum

[George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>]

Forwarded on behalf of Don Vance:

One correction to this post. The third class of vowels is U not O. The O vowels are a tonically conditioned variants of the U vowel and are considered U-class. So the original base was qud$ not qod$, for example. To clarify the consonantal cluster phenomenon, Hebrew doesn't like consonants being adjacent WITHIN THE SAME SYLLABLE. The cluster is often broken up, declusterized to use George's term, by the insertion of an anaptyctic vowel, usually a seghol unless one of the consonants of the cluster is a guttural.

Donald R. Vance, Ph.D.

Professor of Biblical Languages and Literature

Oral Roberts University

dvance AT oru.edu

donaldrvance AT mac.com

On Nov 28, 2012, at 1:29 AM, George Athas wrote:

A few responses:

1. Many nouns are derived from verbal roots. But I don't know statistically how many verbs this covers within the biblical corpus. But you're right, Pere, in that many nouns have nothing to do with verbs. It sounds like Karl acknowledged this.
2. Segolate or segholate. But not shegolate. But hey, we all make mitsakes. :P And these days, my autocorrect function often doesn't get things eight. :P
3. Segolate spelling has nothing to do with Qal Qatal verbs. Segolates are derived from original monosyllabic nouns of the form QaTL, QiTL, or QoTL. That is, there was one vowel and the noun originally ended in a consonant cluster. Since Biblical Hebrew doesn't like consonant cluster, the forms developed to divide the consonant cluster, but the stress on the originally vowel after the first consonant was retained. This is why segolates have an early stress (eg. מַלְךְ became מֶ֫לֶךְ). This kind of declusterisation (did I just invent a word?) is also evident in some verb form. For example, Hiphil Jussive יַרְבְּ has developed into יֶ֫רֶב. Not all segolates have two segols. The vowel combination depends on the class of the original vowel (A, I, or O), and whether there are any guttural consonants in the segolate. Thus, אֹרַח is an O-class sego late (the form was originally אָרְחְ — with a short O-class vowel, qames hatuf).

GEORGE ATHAS

Dean of Research,

Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)

Sydney, Australia