Ver. 15.3
March 10, 2010
History of the Ancient and Modern Hebrew Language
David.Steinberg@houseofdavid.ca
Home page http://www.houseofdavid.ca/
Excursus
2
Evolution of
Pronunciation and Stress Patterns
å ɔ (N.b. syllables carrying the primary word stress are in bold)
(Part 2)
Historically, in both the prefix and suffix conjugations (traditional "perfect" and "imperfect"
respectively) of the qal, one of the three primitive Semitic vowels /a/,
/i/, /u/ appear between the second and third root consonant. The attested forms
in BH are:
a. stative verbs (declined adjectives) e.g.כָּבֵד (EBHP /kaˈbid/ i-a class) "he is/was heavy",
כָּבְדוּ (EBHP /kaˈbidū/)
"They are/were heavy",
יִכבַּד (EBHP /yikˈbad/ etc.) "They will be heavy"; קָטׂן (EBHP /qaˈṭun/ [qaˈṭun] or [qaˈṭon] u-a class) "he is/was small",
קָטׂנְתִּי (EBHP /qaˈṭuntī/
[qaˈṭuntī]
or [qaˈṭontī])
"I am/was small", יִקְטַן (EBHP /yiqˈṭan/ etc.) "I will be small";
b. intransitive verbs e.g. לָמַדְתִּי (EBHP
/laˈmad/ a-a class) "I learned", יִלְמַד (EBHP /yilˈmad/ etc.) "I will learn"; and,
c. transitive verbs e.g. לָכַד (EBHP /laˈkad/ a-u class) "he captured" (suffix
conjugation יִלְכּׁד EBHP /yilˈkud/ [yilˈkud] or
[yilˈkod] etc.); נָתַן (EBHP /naˈtan/ a-i class) "he gave" (suffix
conjugation יֵתֵן EBHP /yitˈtin/ [yitˈtin] or [yitˈten] etc.).
In Biblical Hebrew the u-a class is
relict with only a few examples remaining; the a-i class consists of a small number of very common verbs; the a-a class shows clear signs of assimilating into the a-u class. In Mishanic hebrew, the i-a class and the
remnants of the u-a class would be replaced by their already common
biblical adjective forms - e.g. BH כָּבְדוּ would be replaced by MH כבדים היו or היו
כבדים and BH קָטׂנְתִּי would be replaced by MH קטן הייתי or הייתי קטן.
2. Background on Biblical Hebrew Suffix Conjugation (traditional
"perfect")
The suffix conjugation was originally a
declined noun/adjective[1] that enlarged its original signification (e.g. "I am a man",
"I am good") to include the state of having completed intransitive
and transitive actions eventually replacing the old preterite.
Table 28
Common Stative and Similar Qal Verbs[2]
|
Category |
Meaning |
Suffix Conjugation |
Prefix Conjugation (indicative) Charistic vowel a in absence of proof
to the contrary |
Participle (= adjective in stative verbs) |
Infinitive Construct |
|
|
to be good |
טוֺבוּ |
יִיטַב |
טוֺב |
טוֺב |
|
|
to be evil |
רַע |
יֵרַע |
רַע |
|
|
|
to be big, grow (intransitive) |
גָּדֵל\ גָּדַל |
|
גָּדוֺל |
|
|
|
to be small |
קָטֺן |
|
קָטֺן |
|
|
|
to be high |
גָּבַהּ |
|
גָּבֺהַּ |
|
|
|
to be low |
ֺשָפֵל |
|
ֺשָפֵלֺ |
|
|
|
to be strong |
חָזֵק |
|
חָזֵק |
|
|
|
to be weak |
דַּל |
יִדַּל |
|
|
|
|
to be heavy |
כָּבֵד* |
|
כָּבֵד |
|
|
|
to be light |
קַל |
יֵקַל |
קַל |
|
|
|
to be far |
רָחַק |
|
רָחוֹק |
|
|
|
to be close |
קָרֵב\ קָרַב |
|
קָרוֹב |
|
|
|
to approach (defective verb) |
נָגֵֺש* |
יִגַֺּש |
|
|
|
|
to adhere |
דָּבֵק\ דָּבַק |
|
|
|
|
|
to be pure |
טָהֵר |
|
טָהוֹר |
|
|
|
to be impure |
טָמֵא |
|
טָמֵא |
|
|
|
to be full |
מָלֵא |
|
מָלֵא |
|
|
|
to love |
אָהַב/אָהֵב |
יֶאֱהַב |
|
|
|
|
to desire |
חָפֵץ |
יַחְפֹּץ |
|
|
|
|
to hate |
שׇֺנֵא |
|
|
|
|
|
to fear |
יׇרֵא |
יִירׇא |
|
|
|
|
to dread* |
יָגֹר |
יָגוּר [גור] |
|
|
|
|
to tremble |
חָרַד |
יֶחֱרַד |
|
|
|
|
to fear, tremble |
פָּחַד |
|
|
|
|
|
to forget |
ֺשָכֵח */ ֺשָכַח |
|
|
|
|
Physical States |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
to wear (clothes) |
לָבַֺש/ לָבֵֺש |
|
|
|
|
|
to be sated |
שָׂבֵעַ / שָׂבַע |
|
שָׇֺׂבֵעַ |
|
|
|
to be hungry |
רָעֵב |
|
רָעֵב |
|
|
|
to be thirsty |
צָמֵא |
|
צָמֵא |
|
|
|
to sleep |
יׇֺשֵן* |
יִיֺשַן |
|
|
|
|
to lie down, to be lying down |
ֺשָכַב |
|
|
ֺשְכַב |
|
|
to become childless |
ֺשָכֺל |
|
|
|
|
|
to be able to |
יָכֺל |
יוּכַל |
|
|
|
|
to learn |
לָמַד |
|
|
|
|
|
to die |
מֵת |
יׇמוּת |
|
|
|
|
to ask |
ֺשָאַל |
|
|
|
|
|
to inhabit |
ֺֺשָכַן (pausal ) ֺ שָׇכֵן |
יִֺשְכֺן |
|
|
|
|
|
ֺשָמַע (pausal ֺשָמֵעַ) |
|
|
|
Table 29
History of
Stress and Pronunciation of the Hebrew Verb
Suffix Conjugation (traditional
"perfect")[3]
(The main example is in qal – the other verbal themes
(piel, niphal etc. see footnotes) are analogous[4])
Nb. form in [square brackets] is a reconstructed pronunciation of the preceding /phonemic/ form where likely alternatives exist
|
Verb
Class |
|
*PH (c. 1200 BCE) |
(c. 400-300 BCE) |
(c. 850-550 BCE) |
(c. 400 CE) |
(c. 850 CE) |
(present) |
|
I – 1st
(c.s.) = "I wrote" |
/ˈkatabku/ > /ˈkatabtu/+> /kaˈtabtĩ/ |
כתבתי |
/kaˈtabti(ː)/ [kaˈtabtiˑ] |
/kaˈtabtiː/ > /kaːˈtabtiː/ |
כָּתַבְתִּי /kåˈtabti/ [kɔːˈθaːvtiː] |
[kaˈtavti] |
|
|
I – 1st
(c.s.) =
"I am/was sated" |
/ˈśabicku/ > /ˈśabictu / > /śaˈbactĩ/ |
שבעתי |
/śaˈbacti(ː)/ [śaˈbactiˑ] |
/śaˈbactiː/ > /śaːˈbactiː/ |
שָׂבַעְתִּי /śåˈbacti/ [sɔːˈvaːctiː] |
[saˈvati] |
|
|
I – 1st
(c.s.) = "I am/was small" |
/ˈqaṭunku/ > /ˈqaṭuntu/ > /qaˈṭunt(ː)/[7] |
קטנתי |
/qaˈṭunti(ː)/ [qaˈṭuntiˑ] / [qaˈṭontiˑ] |
/qaˈṭuntiː/ > /qaːˈṭontiː/ |
קָטׂנְתִּי /qåˈṭonti/ [qɔːˈṭoːntiː] |
[kaˈtonti] |
|
|
You – 2nd
(m.s.) |
/ˈkatabta/+> /kaˈtabtã/ |
כתבת |
/kaˈtabta(ː)/[8] [kaˈtabtaˑ] |
/kaˈtabtaː/ |
כָּתַבְתָּ /kåˈtabtå/ [kɔːˈθaːvtɔː] |
[kaˈtavta] |
|
|
You – 2nd
(f.s.) "you
(ms) are/were fat" |
/ˈšamintã/ > /šaˈmintã/ > |
שמנת |
/šaˈmanta(ː)/ [šaˈmantaˑ] |
/šaˈmanta(ː)/ > /šaːˈmantaː/ |
ׁשָמַנְתָּ /šåˈmantå/ [šɔːˈmaːntɔː] |
[šaˈmanta] |
|
|
You – 2nd
(f.s.) |
כתבת |
/kaˈtabti(ː)/ > /kaˈtabt/ |
/kaːˈtabt/ > /kaːˈtabt/ |
כָּתַבְתְּ /kåˈtabt/ [kɔːˈθavt] |
[kaˈtavt] |
||
|
He - 3rd
(m.s.) "he wrote" |
/ˈkataba/+ > /kaˈtaba/
> /kaˈtab/[11] "he wrote" |
כתב |
/kaˈtab/ |
/kaːˈtab/ > /kaːˈtaːb/ |
כָּתַב /kåːˈtaːb/ [kɔːˈθaːv] |
[kaˈtav] |
|
|
He - 3rd
(m.s.) "he was heavy" |
/ˈkabida/ > /kaˈbida/ > /kaˈbid/[12] |
כבד |
/kaˈbid/ [kaˈbid] or [kaˈbẹd] |
/kaˈbid/ > /kaːˈbẹd/
|
כָּבֵד /kåˈbẹd/ [kɔːˈvẹːð] |
[kaˈvɛd] |
|
|
He - 3rd
(m.s.) "he is/was
small" |
/ˈqaṭuna/ > /qaˈṭuna/
> /qaˈṭun/[13] |
קטן |
/qaˈṭun/ [qaˈṭun] or [qaˈṭon] |
/qaˈṭun/ > /qaːˈṭon/ |
קָטׂן /qåˈṭon/ [qɔːˈṭoːn] |
[kaˈton] |
|
|
She - 3rd
(f.s.) "she
wrote" |