entirely, in reading and transcribing words (עֵלִי Eli, עֲמָלֵק Amalek), as to pronounce it exactly like g or like a nasal ng. The stronger sound might be approximately transcribed by gh or rg; but since in Hebrew the softer sound was the more common, it is sufficient to represent it by the sign ʿ, as אַרְבַּע ʾarbaʿ, עַד ʿad.
[f] ח is the strongest guttural sound, a deep guttural ch, as heard generally in Swiss German, somewhat as in the German Achat, Macht, Sache, Docht, Zucht (not as in Licht, Knecht), and similar to the Spanish j. Like ע it was, however, pronounced in many words feebly, in others strongly.
[g] As regards ר, its pronunciation as a palatal (with a vibrating uvula) seems to have been the prevailing one. Hence in some respects it is also classed with the gutturals (§ 22 q, r). On the lingual ר, cf. o.
[h] 2. The Hebrew language is unusually rich in sibilants. These have, at any rate in some cases, arisen from dentals which are retained as such in Aramaic and Arabic (see in the Lexicon the letters ז, צ and שׁ).
[i] שׁ and שׂ were originally represented (as is still the case in the unpointed texts) by only one form ש; but that the use of this one form to express two different sounds (at least in Hebrew) was due only to the poverty of the alphabet, is clear from the fact that they are differentiated in Arabic and Ethiopic (cf. Nöldeke in Ztschr. f. wissensch. Theol., 1873, p. 121; Brockelmann, Grundriss, i. 133). In the Masoretic punctuation they were distinguished by means of the diacritical point as שׁ (sh) and שׂ (ś).[1]
[k] The original difference between the sounds שׂ and ס[2] sometimes marks a distinction in meaning, e.g. סָכַר to close, שָׂכַר to hire, סָכַל to be foolish, שָׂכַל to be prudent, to be wise. Syriac always represents both sounds by ס, and in Hebrew also they are sometimes interchanged; as סָכַר for שָׂכַר to hire, Ezr 4; שִׂכְלוּת for סִכְלוּת folly, Ec 1.
[l] ז (transcribed ζ by the LXX) is a soft whizzing s, the French and English z, altogether different from the German z (ts).
[m] 3. ט, ק, and probably צ are pronounced with a strong articulation and with a compression of the larynx. The first two are thus essentially different from ת and ך, which correspond to our t and k and also are often aspirated (see below, n). צ is distinguished from every other s by its peculiar articulation, and in no way corresponds to the German z or ts; we transcribe it by ṣ; cf. G. Hüsing, ‘Zum Lautwerte des צ,’ in OLZ. x. 467 ff.
[n] 3. Six consonants, the weak and middle hard Palatals, Dentals, and Labials
ב ג ד כ פ ת (בְּגַדְכְּפַת)
have a twofold pronunciation, (1) a harder sound, as mutes, like
- ↑ The modern Samaritans, however, in reading their Hebrew Pentateuch pronounce שׂ invariably as שׁ.
- ↑ The original value of ס, and its relation to the original value of שׂ and שׁ, is still undetermined, despite the valuable investigations of P. Haupt, ZDMG. 1880, p. 762 f.; D. H. Müller, ‘Zur Geschichte der semit. Zischlaute,’ in the Verhandlungen des Wiener Orient. Congresses, Vienna, 1888, Semitic section, p. 229 ff.; De Lagarde, ‘Samech,’ in the NGGW. 1891, no. 5, esp. p. 173; Aug. Müller, ZAW. 1891, p. 267 ff.; Nöldeke, ZDMG. 1893, p. 100 f.; E. Glaser, Zwei Wiener Publicationen über Habaschitisch-punische Dialekte in Südarabien, Munich, 1902, pp. 19 ff.—On the phonetic value of צ see G. Hüsing, OLZ. 1907, p. 467 ff.
