בון = vun, בור = vur, and exceptionally (4) uo, as טון = tuon. This latter sound is, however, generally represented by וי.
ױ represents, as we shall see, the greatest variety of sounds, and it is, therefore, not surprising if Michael Adam, in his instructions "wie men teutsch leien[1] un' schriben sol," printed at the end of the Hebrew-German Yosippon, Zurich 1546, says after his rather lengthy exposé: "darum wo einr fint ein waw un' ein jod bei inandr, so muss ers nach seinem vr stand leien,"[2] i.e., these two letters, when they stand together, represent such great a variety of sounds that they defy any rules as to their pronunciation, but the reading of which must be left to the ingenuity of the reader. The sounds which waw and yod render in our MS. are:—(1) û (including the umlaut iu), as אױף = ûf, הױז = hûs, אױש = ûz, דױכט = dûht or diuht, בױזים = bûsem, זֻױלן = siulen; (2) uo in שױל = schuol, גױט guot, טױט tuot, מויט muot; (2) ü in בּיגױנען = begünnen, בױנף = fünf, אױם זױנשט = üm süsnt; (4) o in איפּפר = opfer; (5) ô in שױן = schôn, ערלױזט = erlôst. The latter word could, of course, be read erloest, but the rhymes with trôst (515, 1185) show the proper reading to be erlôst. (6) ö in זױבן = söben, זױבּציק = söbenzik, טֻױכטר = töhter; (7) œ in שױן = schoen, ורױליך = froelich, בּױז = boes; (8) ou(we) in ורױא = frou(we); (9) iu(we) in אױאר = iuer, לױטן = liuten, רױאן = riu(we)n, הױאט = hiut; (10) üe in מױאן = müewen, גֻױט = güet(e), גימֻױאט = gemüet, בױש = füess(e).
י () i in אין = in, ? s = w, T*3 = Ms, W = iw; (2) e in , p3Wfr5cAa^fff, and always in the pref. ge- and , (3) ie in ^W} = niemant (4) e in ^K = 'g. (I) I in 8^3 = 61, 8^1*51, m = rfrl, t v ^T = paradls, (2) et in !" = , p3 = 6; (3) ow, ew in Tni frond (e), tOU^Ti = /?e^.
The only vowel sign that leaves little doubt as to its sound value is the 'ayin (ע), which represents either the short e-
- ↑ Leien or leinen, is a word of very frequent occurence in Hebrew-German, and means 'to read.' The word, probably related with Latin legere, is still used in our days by English Jews in the form of leunen as terminus technicus for reciting publicly the Holy Scriptures.
- ↑ It is certainly erronous to think as does F. Perles (in PBB. 1018, p. 308, no. 102) that yod (י) invariably represents the i-sound. שילטן is, therefore to be read schelten and not schilten.
