Subject: [b-hebrew] Re.: Initial Consonant Clusters in Biblical Hebrew
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:29:28 +0300
IMO, dvash, shtayim and the like appeared etymologically from the
smihut reduction (zuf-dvash, something-shtayim). Originally, perhaps,
it had been *zuf-davash. The reduction process could be this: *zuf-
davash (1) - zufd-avash (2) - zufd-'vash (3) - zuf-dvash. The
Masoretes used word-initial dagesh kal to prevent nos.2-3.