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  • From: Kevin Riley <klriley100 AT tpg.com.au>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Masoretic transmission of pronuncation
  • Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 09:47:09 +1000

On 16/07/2013 9:24 AM, Will Parsons wrote:
On Mon, 15 Jul 2013 07:47:48 -0400, "Barry H." <nebarry AT verizon.net> wrote:
...
And, of course, the The Masoretic context could be quite different.
Wasn't a deliberate effort made to preserve proper pronunciation? When
did that start? But even today, Sephardic and Ashkenazi often sound
quite different.
Indeed. I don't know whether the Sephardic/Ashkenazic division has
its origins in a time prior the Masoretic work or not, but the fact
that these form two substantial dialect divisions not only is
illustrative of the fact that internal changes to the vocalization
still took place, but also is illustrative of the fact that phonology
gets readjusted to more closely conform to the foreign milieu. (With
respect to the latter, I'm thinking of the elimination of distinct
emphatic articulations for consonants and the replacement of [θ] with
Seph. [t] vs. Ashk. [s].)

I think it is in Saenz-Badillos I first read that the earliest evidence form Europe (Italy, from memory) seems to suggest a Sephardic pronunciation of vowels. I have read the same elsewhere since then, but can't recall where. The difficulty of interpreting written evidence comes when there is no actual change in phonemes, merely in sounds. That is when we have to rely on accidental mistakes, and of course all scribes went to great length to avoid that when it came to writing Scripture. I would say the Sephardic/Ashenazic division pre-dates the work of the Masoretes, and the division between the Sephardi/Ashkenazi and the Mizrahi goes back even further. The Masoretic text of course overlays these divisions to various degrees, as does the Sephardic exile from Spain and there settlement around the Mediterranean. It is a pity we have so little information on the Hebrew of Jews from the Iranian areas and central Asia.

Kevin Riley




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