a consonant, as יָד, כּוֹכָב (vulgar Arab. yăd, kaukăb). In a closed syllable, however, it can only stand when this has the tone, דָּבָ֫ר, עוֹלָ֫ם; whereas in an open syllable it is especially frequent before the tone, e.g. דָּבָ֫ר, זָקֵ֫ן, לָכֶ֫ם. Where the tone is moved forward or weakened (as happens most commonly in what is called the construct state of nouns, cf. § 89 a) the original short ă (Pathaḥ) is retained in a closed syllable, while in an open syllable it becomes Šewa (§ 27 i): חָכָם, constr. state חֲכָם (ḥakhăm); דָּבָר, דְּבַר (debhăr); קָטַל, קְטָלָם. For examples of the retention, in the secondary tone-syllable, of ā lengthened from ă, see § 93 xx.
[d] In some terminations of the verb (תָּ in the 2nd sing. masc. perf., ןָ in the 2nd pl. fem. of the imperat., as well as in the 3rd and 2nd pl. fem. of the imperf.), in אַתָּ thou (masc.) and in the suffixes ךָ and הָ, the final ā can stand even without a vowel letter. A ה is, however, in these cases (except with הָ) frequently added as a vowel letter.
On ־ָ for ŏ see below, f.
[e] 2. Pathaḥ, or short ă, stands in Hebrew almost exclusively in a closed syllable with or without the tone (קָטַ֫ל, קְטַלְתֶּ֫ם). In places where it now appears to stand in an open syllable the syllable was originally closed, and a helping vowel (ă, ĭ) has been inserted after the second radical merely to make the pronunciation easier, e.g. נַ֫חַל (ground-form naḥl), בַּ֫יִת (Arab. bait), see § 28 d, and with regard to two cases of a different kind, § 25 g, h. Otherwise ă in an open syllable has almost without exception passed into ā (־ָ), see above, c.
On the very frequent attenuation of ă to ĭ, cf. below, h. On the rare, and only apparent union of Pathaḥ with א (־ַא), see § 23 d, end. On ă as a helping-vowel, § 22 f (Pathaḥ furtivum), and § 28 e.
[f] 3. Segôl (ĕ, è [ǟ]) by origin belongs sometimes to the second, but most frequently to the first vowel class (§ 27 o, p, u). It belongs to the first class when it is a modification of a (as the Germ. Bad, pl. Bäder; Eng. man, pl. men), either in a toneless syllable, e.g. יֶדְכֶם (for yadkhèm), or with the tone, e.g. אֶ֫רֶץ from ʾarṣ, קֶ֫רֶן Arab. qărn, קֶ֫מַח Arab. qămḥ. This Segôl is often retained even in the strongest tone-syllable, at the end of a sentence or of an important clause (in pause), as מֶ֑לֶךְ, צֶֽדֶק (mǟ́lä̆kh, sǟ́dä̆q). As a rule, however, in such cases the Pathaḥ which underlies the Segôl is lengthened into Qameṣ, e.g. קָ֑מַח, קָֽרֶן. A Segôl apparently lengthened from Šewa, but in reality traceable to an original ă, stands in pausal forms, as פֶּֽרִי (ground-form păry), יֶֽהִי (yăhy), &c. On the cases where a י (originally consonantal) follows this Segôl, see § 75 f, and § 91 k.
