{"id":2394,"date":"2022-12-24T11:28:56","date_gmt":"2022-12-24T09:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thehebrewcafe.com\/main\/?page_id=2394"},"modified":"2023-03-27T04:56:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T01:56:37","slug":"vowels-academic-transcription","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thehebrewcafe.com\/main\/tetragrammaton\/vowels-academic-transcription\/","title":{"rendered":"On Hebrew Vowels and Academic Transcription"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u21e2 Back to Main Tetragrammaton Page<\/a><\/p>\n

\u21e2 PDF File: Academic Transcription<\/a><\/p>\n

There are many ways to represent Hebrew letters in English. The standard academic transcription system used for transliteration on the Hebrew Caf\u00e9\u2019s website is based on the one in C.L. Seow\u2019s A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew<\/em> (Abingdon,1995). Below is a description of the principles of the system, a comparison of some examples, a table that includes each of the letters of Hebrew, and some full examples of words and verses in transcription. Notice that the font that is used on these pages to represent transliteration is Gentium Plus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The purpose of academic transcription is not to indicate pronunciation necessarily. It is to recommend every mark in Hebrew with a single mark in English. The word\u2019s vowels are marked for length, the various letters are distinguished, and the various distinctions among the letters are indicated. It is writing Hebrew marks in English, mark-for-mark. An informal transliteration may be used to indicate how words are spoken. This is a description of a common system of Hebrew transliteration \/ transcription.<\/p>\n

Transliteration will aid in this topic in that it helps to show how \u05d9\u05b8\u05ab\u05d4\u05d5\u05bc<\/span> Ya\u0304\u0301hu\u0302<\/span> and \u05d9\u05b8\u05d4\u05bc<\/span> Ya\u0304h<\/span> are directly related to \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9<\/span> Y\u0259ho\u0302<\/span>. I will use transliteration throughout this presentation.<\/p>\n

Begedk\u00e9fet Letters<\/h3>\n

There is a set of letters in Hebrew that at one point had two sounds. These are generally called begedke\u0301fet<\/em> (\u05d1\u05bc\u05b6\u05d2\u05b6\u05d3\u05b0\u05db\u05bc\u05b6\u05ab\u05e4\u05b6\u05ea<\/span> beg\u0304ed\u0331ke\u0301p\u0304et\u0331<\/span>) or begadkefat<\/em> (\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05d2\u05b7\u05d3\u05b0\u05db\u05bc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b7\u05ea<\/span> b\u0259g\u0304ad\u0331k\u0259p\u0304at\u0331<\/span>) letters. These six letters\u2014bet, gimel, dalet, kaf, peh, and tav\u2014may appear as hard or soft forms. In transcription, the hard forms are a regular letter, while the soft forms are underlined. In the case of \u05d2\u05bc<\/span> g<\/span> and \u05e4\u05bc<\/span> p<\/span>, which descend below the line, they are overlined rather than underlined (g\u0304<\/span> and p\u0304<\/span> just look better than g\u0331<\/span> and p\u0331<\/span>). In modern pronunciation, only bet, kaf, and peh have the two sounds. Observe the following:<\/p>\n

\u05d1\u05bc<\/span> represents the sound of the b<\/em> in boy<\/em>. It is transliterated as b<\/span>.
\n    \u05d1<\/span> represents the sound of the v<\/em> in visual<\/em>. It is transliterated as b\u0331<\/span>.
\n\u05d2\u05bc<\/span> represents the sound of the g<\/em> in go<\/em>. It is transliterated as g<\/span>.
\n    \u05d2<\/span> represents the sound of the g<\/em> in go<\/em>. It is transliterated as g\u0304<\/span>.
\n        The soft form used to represent a separate sound (like Arabic \u063a<\/span>).
\n\u05d3\u05bc<\/span> represents the sound of the d<\/em> in dump<\/em>. It is transliterated as d<\/span>.
\n    \u05d3<\/span> represents the sound of the d<\/em> in dump<\/em>. It is transliterated as d\u0331<\/span>.
\n        The soft used to represent a separate sound (like th<\/em> in then<\/em>).
\n\u05db\u05bc<\/span> represents the sound of the k<\/em> in keep<\/em>. It is transliterated as k<\/span>.
\n    \u05db<\/span> represents the sound of the ch<\/em> in Bach<\/em> in German. It is transliterated as k\u0331<\/span>.
\n        The soft form represents a sound not normally used in English. Listen here.<\/a>
\n\u05e4\u05bc<\/span> represents the sound of the p<\/em> in put<\/em>. It is transliterated as p<\/span>.
\n    \u05e4<\/span> represents the sound of the f<\/em> in foot<\/em>. It is transliterated as p\u0304<\/span>.
\n\u05ea\u05bc<\/span> represents the sound of the t<\/em> in take<\/em>. It is transliterated as t<\/span>.
\n    \u05ea<\/span> represents the sound of the t<\/em> in take<\/em>. It is transliterated as t\u0331<\/span>.
\n        The soft form used to represent a separate sound (like th<\/em> in thank<\/em>).<\/p>\n

So, to summarize, the soft forms are marked with an underline (or overline), and the hard forms are unmarked. In Hebrew, the hard forms are marked with dagesh<\/em> (the dot in the middle of the letter), whereas the soft forms are unmarked (or may appear with raphe<\/em> [\u05d1\u05bf \u05d2\u05bf \u05d3\u05bf \u05db\u05bf \u05e4\u05bf \u05ea\u05bf<\/span>] in biblical manuscripts). Only three of these are currently pronounced with double sounds (these are \u05d1<\/span> [like b<\/em> or v<\/em>], \u05db<\/span> [like k<\/em> or ch<\/em>], and \u05e4<\/span> [like p<\/em> or f<\/em>]). In the others, whether it has dagesh<\/em> or not, the letter is pronounced the same (for pronunciation, \u05d2\u05bc<\/span>\u200e = \u05d2<\/span> [like g<\/em>], \u05d3\u05bc<\/span>\u200e = \u05d3<\/span> [like d<\/em>], and \u05ea\u05bc<\/span>\u200e = \u05ea<\/span> [like t<\/em>]).<\/p>\n

Vowel Lengths<\/h3>\n

Vowel lengths are marked such that a short vowel has no indication (a<\/span>), a long vowel has macron (a\u0304<\/span>), a reduced vowel is chevron (a\u0306<\/span>), and an historic long vowel or one that is the result of diphthongization has a carrot (a\u0302<\/span>). Thus, mo\u0302\u02bfe\u0304d\u0331<\/span> represents the Hebrew word \u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05e2\u05b5\u05d3<\/span> and Bo\u0304\u0301\u02bfaz<\/span> is the name \u05d1\u05bc\u05b9\u05ab\u05e2\u05b7\u05d6<\/span>, the hero of the book of Ruth. In the end, it doesn\u2019t matter if a vowel is long or short in terms of how to pronounce it. All a<\/em> vowels (whether a\u0304<\/span>, a<\/span>, or a\u0306<\/span>) are pronounced like the a<\/em> in English father<\/em>. Vowel lengths are important only for knowing what is going on grammatically. For this reason, most Israelis, who read Hebrew without vowels, cannot distinguish between the various vowel points and recognize only that they represent a<\/em> (or whatever other vowel) when they see them. They don\u2019t distinguish between vowel lengths. To understand what is happening with the vocalic changes in the Tetragrammaton, however, it is important to understand that the vowels have lengths and that these things undergo shifts based on a syllable\u2019s position within a word. In the following, the letter \u05d1\u05bc<\/span> should be ignored. Only the marking (the vowel or nikkud<\/em>) attached to it has significance.<\/p>\n

Long Vowels:<\/strong> kamats<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8<\/span> a\u0304<\/span>, tser\u00e9<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b5<\/span> e\u0304<\/span>, chirik<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b4<\/span> i\u0304<\/span>, cholam<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b9<\/span> o\u0304<\/span>, kubuts<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05bb<\/span> u\u0304<\/span>
\nShort Vowels:<\/strong> patach<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b7<\/span> a<\/span>, segol<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b6<\/span> e<\/span>, chirik<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b4<\/span> i<\/span>, kamats katan<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05c7<\/span> o<\/span>, kubuts<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05bb<\/span> u<\/span>
\nReduced Vowels:<\/strong> chataf patach<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b2<\/span> a\u0306<\/span>, chataf segol<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b1<\/span> e\u0306<\/span>, chataf kamats<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b3<\/span> o\u0306<\/span>, shva<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0<\/span> \u0259<\/span>
\nHistoric Long Vowels:<\/strong> kamats heh<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4<\/span> a\u0302<\/span>, tsere\u0301 yod<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b5\u05d9<\/span> e\u0302<\/span>, chirik yod<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9<\/span> i\u0302<\/span>, cholam vav<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9<\/span> o\u0302<\/span>, shuruk<\/em> \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc<\/span> u\u0302<\/span><\/p>\n

Notes on Syllables and Vowel Lengths<\/h3>\n

You may notice above that the same symbol (\u05d1\u05bc\u05b8<\/span>) is used for kamats<\/em> (a\u0304<\/span>) and for kamats katan<\/em> (o<\/span>). Similarly, both chirik<\/em> (\u05d1\u05bc\u05b4<\/span>) and kubuts<\/em> (\u05d1\u05bc\u05bb<\/span>) can be either long (i\u0304<\/span> \/ u\u0304<\/span>) or short (i<\/span> \/ u<\/span>). This may cause some confusion. Why would the same symbol be used for long and short vowels, and how can you tell the difference?<\/p>\n

Hebrew syllables can be either open or closed. All syllables (with the exception of the prefixed conjunction \u05d5\u05bc<\/span>) must begin with a consonant. An open syllable<\/strong> ends in a vowel (Cv), whereas a closed syllable<\/strong> ends in a consonant (CvC). Here are some examples of how words are divided into the syllables:<\/p>\n

\u05d3\u05bc\u05b8\u05d1\u05b8\u05e8<\/span> da\u0304b\u0331a\u0304r<\/span> \u201cword, thing\u201d is two syllables: \u05d3\u05bc\u05b8|<\/span>\u05d1\u05b8\u05e8<\/span> da\u0304-b\u0331a\u0304r<\/span>. The first syllable is open (ending in a vowel), and the second is closed (ending in a consonant). Word stress is unmarked, but it is on the final syllable (\u05d3\u05bc\u05b8|<\/span>\u05d1\u05b8\u05ab\u05e8<\/span> da\u0304-b\u0331a\u0304\u0301r<\/span>) as it is in the large majority of Hebrew words. On this site, I mark word stress with \u05d1\u05ab<\/span> (the oleh accent) unless it falls on the final syllable.<\/p>\n

\u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd<\/span> s\u030ca\u0304lo\u0302m<\/span> \u201cpeace, wellbeing\u201d is two syllables: \u05e9\u05c1\u05b8|<\/span>\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd<\/span> s\u030ca\u0304-lo\u0302m<\/span>. The first syllable ends in a vowel and is open; the second ends in a consonant and is closed. It is stressed on the final syllable (\u05e9\u05c1\u05b8|<\/span>\u05dc\u05ab\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd<\/span> s\u030ca\u0304-lo\u0302\u0301m<\/span>).<\/p>\n

\u05de\u05b6\u05ab\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0<\/span> me\u0301lek\u0331<\/span> \u201cking\u201d is two syllables: \u05de\u05b6\u05ab|<\/span>\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0<\/span> me\u0301-lek\u0331<\/span>. The first syllable ends in a vowel and is open and stressed; the second ends in a consonant and is closed and unstressed. The shva<\/em> within the final kaf<\/em> is silent and not counted as a vowel.<\/p>\n

\u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05e4\u05bc\u05b8\u05d7\u05b8\u05d4<\/span> mis\u030cpa\u0304h\u0323a\u0302<\/span> \u201cfamily\u201d is three syllables: \u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0|<\/span>\u05e4\u05bc\u05b8|<\/span>\u05d7\u05b8\u05d4<\/span> mis\u030c-pa\u0304-h\u0323a\u0302\u0301<\/span>. The first syllable ends in a consonant and is closed and unstressed; the second ends in a vowel and is open and unstressed; the third ends in a vowel (the heh here is not a consonant) and is open and stressed.<\/p>\n

\u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05e4\u05bc\u05b7\u05ab\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea<\/span> mis\u030cpa\u0301h\u0323at\u0331<\/span> \u201cfamily of\u201d is three syllables: \u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0|<\/span>\u05e4\u05bc\u05b7\u05ab|<\/span>\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea<\/span> mis\u030c-pa\u0301-h\u0323at\u0331<\/span>. The first syllable ends in a consonant and is closed and unstressed; the second ends in a vowel and is open and stressed; the third ends in a consonant and is closed and unstressed.<\/p>\n

\u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05bc\u05b8\u05d7<\/span> malla\u0304h\u0323<\/span> \u201csailor\u201d is two syllables: \u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0|<\/span>\u05dc\u05b8\u05d7<\/span> mal-la\u0304h\u0323<\/span>. The first syllable ends in a consonant and is closed and unstressed; the second ends in a consonant and is closed and stressed. The dagesh<\/em> in the lamed<\/em> indicates doubling of the consonant, so that one lamed<\/em> closes the first syllable and the second opens the next.<\/p>\n

Word Stress<\/h3>\n

Most words in Hebrew take their stress on the last syllable of the word (called the “ultima”). For example, \u05e9\u05c1\u05bb\u05dc\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05df<\/span> s\u030culh\u0323a\u0304\u0301n<\/span> “table,” \u05de\u05b0\u05d2\u05b4\u05dc\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4<\/span> m\u0259g\u0304illa\u0302\u0301<\/span> “scroll,” \u05d3\u05bc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd<\/span> d\u0259b\u0331a\u0304ri\u0302\u0301m<\/span> “words,” \u05d4\u05b8\u05dc\u05b7\u05da\u05b0<\/span> ha\u0304la\u0301k\u0331<\/span> “he went,” etc. When a word\u2019s stress falls on the ultima, it is not marked (s\u030culh\u0323a\u0304n<\/span>, m\u0259g\u0304illa\u0302<\/span>, d\u0259b\u0331a\u0304ri\u0302m<\/span>, ha\u0304lak\u0331<\/span>).<\/p>\n

Most exceptions to this rule constitute a class of nouns, adjectives, and participles that through historical development wound up terminating in a consonant cluster that became uncomfortable for Hebrew speakers. For example, we see both \u05d9\u05b9\u05dc\u05b7\u05d3\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b0<\/span> yo\u0304lad\u0331t<\/span> and \u05d9\u05b9\u05dc\u05b6\u05ab\u05d3\u05b6\u05ea<\/span> yo\u0304le\u0301d\u0331et\u0331<\/span> in the Hebrew Bible (compare Gen. 16:11<\/a> with 17:19<\/a>). These are the same word, but the latter represents the later tendency in the language to break up consonant clusters by inserting a segol<\/em> between the consonants. The original vowel is normally adjusted to make the same sound, and we have the pattern of e\u0301-e<\/span>, in which the word stress falls on the pentultimate syllable (the one before the ultima).<\/p>\n

Sibilants<\/h3>\n

asdf<\/p>\n

\u21e2 Back to Main Tetragrammaton Page<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u21e2 Back to Main Tetragrammaton Page \u21e2 PDF File: Academic Transcription There are many ways to represent Hebrew letters in English. The standard academic transcription system used for transliteration on the Hebrew Caf\u00e9\u2019s website is based on the one in C.L. Seow\u2019s A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew (Abingdon,1995). Below is a description of the principles of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":343,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"","bgseo_robots_follow":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2394","page","type-page","status-publish"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehebrewcafe.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehebrewcafe.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehebrewcafe.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehebrewcafe.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehebrewcafe.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2394"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehebrewcafe.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2668,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehebrewcafe.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2394\/revisions\/2668"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehebrewcafe.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehebrewcafe.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}