§ 17. CHANGEABLE AND UNCHANGEABLE VOWELS, AND THE WEAK LETTERS. I. 1. If a long vowel rests, or originally rested, in one of the weak letters N, 1, or, whether it is ordinarily written with that letter or not, that is, whether it is in the scriptio plena or defectiva (§ 3. 6), it cannot, under any circumstances, be converted into a short vowel, whatever changes the word in which it occurs may undergo; e.g. If, in such cases, the vowel is written .אוֹר רוּחַ רֵיחַ שִׁיר,צאן defectively, it is called impure; thus (for N) has an impure kamets, (for 3) an impure tsere, 7 (for ") an impure chirek. 2. Unchangeable are, likewise, the short vowels in closed and ; 2 toneless syllables; e.g. Epp, 1979, në?i, pap, nabu; 3. Hence also the short vowels in toneless syllables before a dagesh 2 forte (§ 5. 1); e.g. 2, 19, 7x2; and 4. The long vowels which, standing before gutturals, have been formed from short ones, by way of compensation for an omitted dagesh forte (§ 16. 1), as (for 3), DP (for DD); and, therefore, .(פַּתִּים for) פַּחִים also the vowels preceding dagesh forte implicitum, as II. In all other cases, the vowels are changeable under various conditions, of which it may here suffice to specify the following: 1. If a word ending in a closed but long and accentuated syllable is joined to the following word by makkeph, and hence loses the tone, the vowel of that syllable is shortened (§ 11. 4. d, 5), namely, kamets into pathach, tsere ințo segol, and cholem into kamets chatuph (§ 3. 8); e.g. D and he; and ; ph and 2 The same or similar changes take place if, within the same word, a closed syllable with a long vowel loses the tone, as 7 and 77, 75% and 750, and, and ', and '; or if an open, syllable, by some modification of the word, becomes closed, 2 If the vowel is unchangeable (in accordance with I. 1), the makkeph and the, consequent loss of tone have, of course, no effect; ???? 5), .17 .Job xxi) נֵר רְשָׁעִים (5 .Ps. xvi) מְנָת חֶלְקִי,יוֹם־בָּא .e.g 2. If a word which has an open penultima with a changeable kamets or tsere, is so modified that the penultima becomes the second syllable before the accent, both kamets and tsere are altered into sh'va, or if the first letter of the syllable is a guttural, חָסִיד נְצָחִים נֶצַח בְּחוּרִים becomes בָּחוּר .into chateph-pathach; e.g -which has an un סָרִיס But יְקִימֶנּוּ יָקִים עֲנָבִים עֵנָב חֲסִידִיםסָרִיסִים changeable kamets (I. 4), forms 3. Segol is considered shorter than pathach, and chirek shorter than segol ; therefore, pathach shortened may become segol or chirek ; In a similar manner, the sound u is regarded as shorter than the ,מְעוּנִים מָעוֹן כָּלוֹ כָּל־ כֹּל sound o, and hence arise changes like נְסוּנְתִי נָסוֹג מְתוּקָה מָתוֹק But chateph-pathach is looked upon as shorter than chateph-segol, and chateph-pathach preceded by pathach as shorter than chateph-segol וְהַעֲלֵיתָ and הֶעָלִיתָ אֲלֵיכֶם and אֱלֵי .preceded by segol; e.g III. It may be useful here to explain a few changes to which the vowels are liable in connection with the weak letters N, 1, '. 1. If a weak letter is furnished with sh’va, and the preceding vowel is homogeneous to it (§ 3. 4), it may, and often must, rest in the and so ,בִּימֵי becomes (בְּיְמֵי for) בִּיְמֵי .corresponding long vowel, e.g וִיהִי וַיְחִי וַיְהִי ; וִיְהוּדָה becomes (וְיְהוּדָה for) וַיְהוּדָה לִימֵי כִּימֵי וִימֵי בָּארוּמָה becomes בַּאֲרוּמָה comp. 83 4. 6. c; 16. 4); further) וִיחִי הוּרַד into הָוְרָד הֵינִיק weak letter rests in a kindred vowel, e.g. p' is modified into 2. If the preceding vowel is heterogeneous, it is changed into a ; הוֹרֵשׁ into הַוְרֵשׁ הוֹרִישׁ passes into הִוְרִישׁ .3.9 ; homogeneous one אָוֶן from אוֹן לַיִל is derived from לִיל 3. If a weak letter provided with a vowel follows after a consonant which has sh'va mobile, the vowel is frequently removed to that consonant, the weak letter rests in the vowel, and the sh'va is lost;, e.g. וְיִלְלַת בִּיתְרוֹן בְּיִתְרוֹן,קוֹם קְוֹם אֵימָה אֵימָה, מָאתַיִם becomes מְאָתַיִם -and as in such cases the weak letter is not sounded, it is some ; וִילְלַת times omitted, as (1 Sa. i. 17) for ; so especially, as and even before dagesh ,בְּהָאֶבֶן for בָּאֶבֶן לָהאָרֶץ לְהָאָרֶץ for לָאָרֶץ 4. If a weak letter is both preceded and followed by a vowel, it may rest in one of the vowels or in a kindred one; e.g. Dip becomes Dip (comp. § 65. 1). EXERCISE X. Practise to read fluently the following chapter of the Bible (the first of the Book of Ruth). 1. The first in '!!! (ver. 1) ought to have a dagesh forte; why has it been omitted ? ibid.) ? and) בִּימֵי What kind of dagesh is in the first letter of .2 - ? ibid.) a metheg) הַשְׁפְטִים why has it been employed ? -3. Why has ibid.) to) וּשְׁנֵי ibid.) ?-5. Ought not) וְאִשְׁתּוֹ and מִבֵּית What dagesh have .4 בָנָיו in ב and why is it not put ? -6. Why has the ? ו have a metheg under (ver. 2) no dagesh? —7. Why has the first in "y? (ibid.) a metheg? how IT שְׁנֵי is the double ; pronounced? and why? - 8. Why does the vowel in (ibid.) require a metheg?—9. Is the sh’va under in ji (ibid.) mobile or quiescent? and why?-10. Is the second in n kamets or kamets chatuph? and why ?-II. Describe the double dagesh in NW (ibid.)? — -ver. 4), and state the reason of your pronun) עָרְפָּה Pronounce the word .12 ? (.ibid) וַיִּשְׁבוּ ciation of either .-13. What kind of sh'va is under the d in ver. 5) short or) וַיָּמֶתוּ Is the shurek in .15 give the reason.—14. Ought not (ibid.) to have a metheg under the '? and why has it been omitted? IT in hyp (ver. 6) to be proin " (from the fields)? — long? and why?—16. Why has D (ibid.) no accent? why no dagesh in the IT two words n and m (verse 7) by makkeph ?-22. To what class of dagesh does the dot in the first letter of p belong? and how is this word pronounced?—23. Why has then in 1 (ibid.) no metheg ? — 24. Describe the nature of the dots in the last two letters of P (ver. 8).-25. Why may two tone-syllables follow each other in the words poppy (ibid.) ? — 26. Of what description is either dagesh in ?! (ver. 9)?-27. Why has the second syllable in i (ver. 11) a metheg ?-28. Why has the first "? (in ver. 12) a dagesh in the ɔ?—29. Was it necessary to join the two words (ver. 12) by makkeph ?―30. Why has the ♬ in D a dagesh ?—31. Why has the first? (in ver. 13) a metheg? and why the second '?? — 32. Explain the dots in the two letters of 3 (ver. 14).—33. What kinds of sh’va and of dagesh has the word " (ver. 16)?—34. Why has the of n' (in ver. 19) in both instances dagesh? and why the in ?-35. What kind of dagesh has the in(ver. 20)?-36. Why has (ver. 21) the tone on the penultimate, whereas it is regularly accentuated on the last syllable?—37. State the words in this chapter which have kamets chatuph, and give the reasons. 38. Name the words in which any of the aspirates (1, 1, 7, 1, 5, n) has dagesh forte. 39. Which are the distinctive, and which the conjunctive accents in the first three verses ? structure of the same verses with regard to their accents. 40. Analyse the The selections at the end of this Part of the Grammar may be used as additional reading exercises, and the learner should not advance to the following division before he is able to read with ease and fluency. II. THE WORDS AND THEIR INFLECTION. GENERAL SURVEY. In this division the PRONOUNS Occupy the first place, not only because they belong to the oldest and simplest elements of the language, but because they form the chief foundation for the inflection of both nouns and verbs. They are followed by the Noun and ADJECTIVE, and then only the VERB is introduced, because, primitively, the expression of objects accessible to the senses, precedes the description of actions, which involves a certain degree of abstraction. As the ARTICLE is indispensable for defining the noun, and the Hebrew NUMERALS are properly nouns, both are naturally treated in connection with the substantives. Lastly follow the PARTICLES, or the parts of speech incapable of inflection, in this order :-first, the |