Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Motivation for Vocalizing the Hebrew Old Testament Text (2)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:17:13 -0500
[PHILIP ENGMANN] - Dear Group, Please can anyone tell me why the consonantal
Hebrew text was vocalized?
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[ ISHINAN] - Dear Philip, in my previous answer I gave you some general
ideas about the motivations for vocalizing the consonantal Hebrew text.
After some thought, I came up with the following reason, which I hope will
directly answer your query.
If the aim was to restore "the correct pronunciation of Biblical Hebrew, and
to protect against scribal errors, as well as to annotate possible variants
and cantillation", it would seem that all of these measures can be viewed as
an eagerness that goes beyond the faithful transmitting of linguistic
traditions.
What it shows, in my opinion, is an unabated ambition at a genuine revival
of the Hebrew language and to preserve it for the future generations.
Scholars at that time must have discovered that the essential role of
developing a GRAMMAR in communicative language teaching was paramount, and
the best answer for a language survival.
The historic task to preserve the sacred literature and to assure to its
correct interpretation and transmission to generations to come, required
first to come up with coherent systems of rules "niqqud" to make sense out
of the all the raw data from the ancient traditions. Once these systems of
rules were put in place, it allowed scholars the ability to indicate in
writing exactly how a word should sound (to vowels, accents, and consonantal
spelling etc.) This momentous invention led to the foundation for
grammatical analysis of Hebrew. One thing led to another, and "dikduk".
was born.
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This bring us to Randall's intriguing remark :
[RANDALL BUTH] - Your general motivations seem in the right direction but
they don't explain an 1100-year gap. Why did it take from 400 BCE to 700 CE
for the vowels and tunes to be recorded?
[ISHINAN] A point well taken. Might it be that this goes hand in hand
with the need, or the lack thereof, of developing a grammar? Perhaps, you
can come up with an equally insightful thought as to why It took from 400
BCE to circa 1000's CE to develop dikduk?
I am genuinely interested in knowing your opinion on this intriguing
matter.
Note: In the above explanation, I made a conscious effort at concentrating
only on the "motives" in order to satisfy Philip's inquiry without any added
distraction.
Best regards to the both of you,
Ishinan Ishibashi
.
Re: [b-hebrew] Motivation for Vocalizing the Hebrew Old Testament Text (2),
Ishinan, 03/29/2010