Edition 1.3
5 February
2012
History
of the Ancient and Modern Hebrew Language
By
David Steinberg
David.Steinberg@houseofdavid.ca
Home page http://www.houseofdavid.ca/
http://www.adath-shalom.ca/history_of_hebrewtoc.htm
Excursus 3
Some
Key Differences Between Biblical and Israeli Hebrew
o
Table 38 - Some Key
Phonemic Distinctions in EBHP, TH and IH
o
Table 40
- Sound Shifts Between EBHP and IH
o
Table 41 - Some Impacts
of Sound Shifts Between EBHP, TH and IH
o
Table
42 - Verbal Stems (Binyanim) in EBHP TH, and IHConsonants that Were Distinct and Phonemic in the
First Temple Period that Have Merged in Modern Pronunciation
Table 38
Some Key
Phonemic Distinctions in *EBHP, TH and IH
|
Item |
*EBHP (c. 850-550 BCE) |
(present) |
|
|
Location of Stressed Syllable in Words |
not graphically marked in consonantal text |
Tiberian accent sign identifies syllable
stress. |
not graphically marked in unpointed text |
|
Gemination i.e. Consonantal Doubling or Lengthening |
not graphically marked in consonantal text[2] |
phonemic but with very light phonemic load[3] |
non-phonemic and not graphically marked. Germination that
exists (e.g. דיברתי
pronounced [diˈbarrәti]) not related to its function or location in
Biblical Hebrew |
|
non-phonemic and not indicated by vowel
system except for ultra short vowels |
|
Table 39 - Original Typical
Semitic 3 Way Opposition in EBHP and TH Reduced to 2 Way in IH with Loss of Emphatic Consonants |
||||
|
Place of Articulation |
|
|||
|
ד = /d/ [d] (דלל "to be
thin, poor") |
ת = /t/ [t] (תלם "furrow") (תלל "to
mock") |
ט = /ṭ/ [tˁ] (טלם a place name and
possibly also a noun meaning "black" or the like) (טלל "to resonate") |
||
|
and [THCSP
IS-ENG] (present) |
ד = /d/ [d] (דלל "to be thin, poor") |
ת = /t/ [t] identical in pronunciation to (תלם "furrow") (תלל "to mock" identical to טלל "to resonate") |
non-existent |
|
|
ז = /z/ [z] (פרז "to be isolated") |
ס = /s/ [s] (פרס "to split, break bread") שׂ = /ś/ [ɬ] (פרש "to spread out, stretch
over") שׁ = /š/=sh [ʃ] (פרש "to give a clear
decision") |
צ = /ṣ/ [sˁ]. (פרץ "to break through") |
||
|
and [THCSP
IS-ENG] (present) |
ז
= /z/ [z] (פרז "to be isolated") |
ס = /s/ [s] identical in pronunciation to (פרס "to split, break bread" identical in pronunciation to פרש "to spread out, stretch
over") (פרש "to give a clear decision") |
Non-existent. Replaced by |
|
|
ג = /g/ [ɡ] (גבל */gaˈbal/ "he marked a
boundary") |
(כבל "binding") |
ק = /q/ [kˁ] (קבל "receiving") (פרק "to tear away") |
||
|
and [THCSP
IS-ENG] (present) |
ג
= /g/ [ɡ] (גבל [gaˈval] "he marked a
boundary") |
כּ
= /k/ [k] identical in pronunciation to (כבל "binding" identical in pronunciation to קבל "receiving") |
non-existent |
|
Table 40
Sound
Shifts Between EBHP and IH
|
(c. 850-550 BCE) |
(present) |
Hebrew Letter |
|
/’/ [ʔ] |
[Ř] |
א |
|
/h/ [h] |
ה |
|
|
/w/ [w] |
[v] |
ו |
|
/ḥ/ [ħ] |
[x] |
ח |
|
/ṭ/ [tˁ] |
[t] |
ט |
|
/c/ [ʕ] |
[Ř] |
ע |
|
/ġ/ [ɣ] |
[Ř] |
ע |
|
/ṣ/ [sˁ] |
[ ʦ͡] |
צ |
|
/q/ [kˁ] |
[k] |
ק |
|
/ś/ [ɬ] |
[s] |
שׂ |
Table 41
Some Impacts of
Sound Shifts Between EBHP, TH and IH
|
Word |
(c. 850-550 BCE) |
(c. 850 CE) |
(present) |
|
העיר
"to awaken* |
/hiˈciːr/ |
/hẹˈcir/ [hẹːˈʕiːɾ] |
[hɛˈ’iʁ̞] ~ [ʾɛˈ’iʁ̞] ~ [ɛˈ’iʁ̞] |
|
האיר
"to light up" |
/hiˈʾiːr/ [hɪˈʔiːr]?
[hɛˈʔiːr]? |
/hẹʾir/ [hẹːˈʔiːr] |
|
|
המּלך
"the king" |
/hamˈmalk/ [hɐmˈmɐlk]? [hɐmˈmɐlәk]? |
/hamˈmɛlɛk/ [hɐmˈmɛːlɛx] |
[haˈmɛlɛx] ~ [ʾamɛlɛx] ~ [aˈmɛlɛx] |
|
מלח
"salt" |
/ˈmilḥ/ [ˈmilħ]? [ˈmelәħ]? |
/ˈmɛlaḥ/ [ˈmɛːlɐħ] |
[ˈmɛlax] |
|
אִשָּה
"woman" |
/’išˈšâ/ [’ɪʃˈʃɐː] |
/’išˈšĺ/ [’iʃˈʃɔː] |
[iˈša] |
|
אִישָהּ
"her husband" |
/’ῑˈšâ/ [’iːˈʃɐː] |
/’iˈšĺh/ [’iʃˈʃɔːh] |
|
|
וַיּפּוֹל
"he fell" (in narrative context) |
/wayˈyippul/ [wɐyˈyɪppʊl]? [wɐyˈyɪppo̞l]? |
/way.yipˈpol/ [wɐy.yipˈpoːl] |
[va.iˈpol] ~ [va.yipˈol] ~ [vay.iˈpol] |
|
יכנס niphal |
/yik.kaˈnis/ [yɪk.kɐˈnɪs]? |
/yik.kĺˈnẹs/ [yik.kɔːˈnẹːs] |
[yə.kaˈnɛs] |
|
יכנס piel |
/ya.kanˈnis/ [yɐ.kɐnˈnɪs]? [yɐ.kɐnˈnɛs]? |
/yə.kanˈnẹs/ [yə.kɐnˈnẹːs] |
* see Berman for other examples
Verbal Stems (=Themes=Binyanim)
in EBHP, TH and IH
|
Name and Main Meaning |
Active |
Passive |
Reflexive, Reciprocal etc. |
||||||
|
|
*EBHP (c. 850-550 BCE) |
(c. 850 CE) |
(present) |
*EBHP */EBHP/ *[EBHP] (c. 850-550 BCE) |
TH /TH/+ *[TH] (c. 850 CE) |
(present) |
*EBHP */EBHP/ *[EBHP] (c. 850-550 BCE) |
TH /TH/+ *[TH] (c. 850 CE) |
(present) |
|
/qaˈṭal/ [qɐˈṭɐl] |
/qĺˈṭal/ [qɔːˈṭɐːl] |
[kaˈtal] |
/niqˈṭal/ [nɪqˈṭɐl] |
/niqˈṭal/ [niqˈṭɐːl] |
[nikˈtal] |
[hɪtqɐṭˈṭɪl]? [hɪtqaṭˈṭɛl]? |
/hitqaṭˈṭẹl/ [hitqɐṭˈṭẹːl] |
[hitkaˈtɛl]? [‘itkaˈtɛl] |
|
|
/qiṭˈṭil/ [qɪṭˈṭɪl] or [qɪṭˈṭɛl] |
/qiṭˈṭẹl/ [qiṭˈṭẹːl] |
[kiˈtɛl] |
/quṭˈṭal/ [qʊṭˈṭɐl] |
/quṭˈṭal/ [quṭˈṭɐːl] |
[kuˈtal] |
||||
|
/hiqˈṭīl/ [hɪqˈṭiːl] |
/hiqˈṭil/ [hiqˈṭiːl] |
[hikˈtil] ~ [’ikˈtil] ~ [iiˈtil] |
/huqˈṭal/ [hʊqˈṭɐl]? [hɔqˈṭɐl]? |
/hǫqˈṭal/ [hɔqˈṭɐːl] OR [huqˈṭɐːl] |
[hukˈtal]~ [’ukˈtal] ~ |
||||
Tenses and
Aspects in Israeli Hebrew Hebrew
As compared
to Biblical Hebrew (see Tenses or Aspects in Biblical Hebrew) Israeli Hebrew uses the same basic verb forms
(קָטַל קוֹטֵל יִקְטוֹל) but their meaning is past-present-future[7] not, as in Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew whether they are
complete or not.
The fundamental concept is whether an
act is past present or future at the time being described not at the
time of the narrator. For the past the form שמר (šaˈmar) is used; for the present and immediate
future the active participle (שומר) is used; for the future and modal the form ישמור (yišˈmor) is used often with the prefix ׂשֶ. Verbs of state have largely been replaced, in Mishnaic and
Israeli Hebrew, by adjectives.
This subject is discussed in detail in Glinert 1989.
It is interesting to note that in
Israeli Hebrew, there is wide use of the normal infinitive as a general
imperative, no doubt under the influence of European languages (eg.
German). This recreates a major use of the infinitive absolute in
Biblical Hebrew well described by Haiim Rabin (A Textbook of Israeli Hebrew
p. 315) as "...used in commands that are addressed to nobody in
particular, but are valid for everybody; its use is in such cases comparable to
that of the imperative. Significantly, an example will be found in the
Decalogue."
[1] See Gibson 1965 pp. 36-37.
[2] Joϋon-Muraoka
1991 §27db “Where an identical consonant
was originally doubled at the end of a word, it is simplified: so לֵב but לִבִּי, חׄק but חֻקִּי.
[3] Blau
1976 p. 16 and See Joϋon-Muraoka
1991 §18aa.
[4] a. From Blau
1976 pp. 34-37
The Tiberian vocalization system, as far as full vowels are
concerned, denotes vowel quality, rather than quantity. As a matter of
principle, every vowel sign may denote both historically long and short vowels….
Therefore, whenever transcriptions mark length, they rest on the historical
reconstruction of a linguistic stage preceding that of the Tiberian
vocalization, rather than on traditional, vocalization….
Since vowel marks were developed only after the consonants
and matres lectionis of the Bible text had become stabilized … even the
occurrence of a vowel letter after a vowel mark cannot be regarded as a certain
indication of the vowel being long: it maybe due to plene spelling….
Accordingly, there is, in principle, no difference whether or not a vowel sign
is followed by a vowel letter; even qibbuṣ (ֻ) and šuruq
(וּ) are essentially identical…. Their respective use depends only
whether or not the consonantal text exhibited vowel letters.
9.3. From the historical point of view, it is generally
assumed that the vowel system of Proto-Semitic consisted of three (naturally)
long and three short vowels, viz. ā, ī, ū; a, i, u.
9.3.1. Proto-Semitic ā was generally preserved
in unstressed syllables … whereas in stressed syllables it shifted to ō
….
9.3.2. Proto-Semitic ī, as a rule, is continued
by Hebrew ī ….
9.3.3. Proto-Semitic a is, as a rule, preserved in
Hebrew in closed unstressed syllables….
9.3.4. Proto-Semitic i in an unstressed closed
syllable is often preserved…. In stressed closed syllables i shifted to a,
the so-called Philippi's
law. At the tune of his shift nouns in status absolutus still
preserved the case vowels, whereas in status constructus they had
already dropped them (the weak stress of nouns in status constructus
still enabled the action of Philippi's law)….
9.3.5. Proto-Semitic u in an unstressed closed
syllable is, as a rule, reflected by ǫ (as קדשו (qǫdšō) “his holiness”), when preceding a double consonant by u (as כלם (kullām) “all of them”),….
b. From Blau 1976 pp. 11-12
3.5 Defining the phonological system of the vowels is
rather intricate. As to the full vowels, ָ , ַ , ֵ , ִ , ֹ ,
and ֻ (וּ) have doubtlessly to be considered
phonemes, and presumably ֶ as well. The opposition ə:
zero (i.e., šwa mobile : šwa quiescens …) is phonemic as well … and
perhaps also the ḥaţafs ֲ , ֱ , ֳ , though their functional load is very light….
3.6. Syllabic structure and the full vowels contained in
the syllables are interdependent. Therefore, it is important for the beginner
to differentiate between the different types of syllables and between the main categories
of full vowels occurring in them….
3.6.1. A syllable terminating in a vowel is called an open
syllable; that ending in a consonant a closed one….
3.6.2. For the beginner, it is convenient to distinguish
between the following three classes of vowels:
Long vowels: ָ (qameṣ gadol …), ֶי , ֵי , ִי , וֹ , וּ .
Short vowels: ַ , ֶ , ִ , ָ (qameṣ ḥaţuf
), ֻ .
Vowels which are indifferent as to length, either long
or short: ֵ , ֹ .
3.6.3. An open syllable usually has a long vowel, a closed
unstressed one … a short vowel. Closed
stressed syllables, as a rule, contain long
vowels….
[5] With voiced consonants the
vocal chords are vibrated, which can be felt in the throat. All vowels are
voiced.
[6] With voiceless or unvoiced
consonants the vocal chords are not vibrated, so there is no vibration in the
throat.
[7] See sect 24.1, 24.9,
24.9, 24.10, 41.4 in Lipinski 1997.