010
The ten Hebrew vowel signs we learned in the last lesson (“Adding Vowels,” BR 07:04) took us far along the way to correct pronunciation of words. Here we will learn about some additional pronunciation aids, the dagesh and the shewa, bringing us closer still to reading some Hebrew sentences in the Bible.
Some Hebrew consonants may represent two distinct sounds: The distinction is marked by the presence of a dagesh, a dot in the letter. Bet with a dagesh in it (
A dagesh can also indicate the doubling or lengthening of a consonant.
The shewa (
Further, a compound shewa—a shewa in combination with another vowel sign—is used in place of a vocal shewa with the consonants
µr;a} (aram, meaning “Syria”)
µyhil¿aÔ (elo-him, meaning “God”)
ylijÕ (choly, meaning “sickness”)
The consonants
Syllables and stress, or accent, also play a part in pronunciation in Hebrew. An “open” syllable ends in a vowel, as with
A “closed” syllable ends in a consonant, as with
In pronouncing dib-ber, the last syllable (ber) is emphasized, dib-BER. In most Hebrew words, the last syllable is stressed, though sometimes the next to the last syllable is emphasized. As a help to you, we will use the sign (<) above the stressed syllable. We will not use any sign for words stressed on the last syllable.
In the table below, practice pronouncing some Hebrew expressions that exhibit the features discussed in this lesson. Remember to read the Hebrew from right to left!
Now that we have identified the basic sounds of Hebrew and learned some of the peculiarities of pronunciation, we can go on in our next lesson to read some simple sentences. In preparation, thoroughly review the first three.
If you have difficulty understanding what I have presented, write to me at “Hebrew for Bible Readers,” Bible Review, 3000 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20008.
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mi at-ta?
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“Who [are] you [masculine]?”
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mah att?
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“What [are] you [feminine]?”
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ani ish-sha
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“I [am] a woman.”
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ani ish
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“I [am] a man.”
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ka-rat elo-him berit im A-dam
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“God made a covenant with Adam.”
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ten li nah
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“Please give me water.”
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yich-tov el beni
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“He will write to my son.”
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vay-yar elo-him ki tov
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“And God saw that it [was] good.
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The ten Hebrew vowel signs we learned in the last lesson (“Adding Vowels,” BR 07:04) took us far along the way to correct pronunciation of words. Here we will learn about some additional pronunciation aids, the dagesh and the shewa, bringing us closer still to reading some Hebrew sentences in the Bible. Some Hebrew consonants may represent two distinct sounds: The distinction is marked by the presence of a dagesh, a dot in the letter. Bet with a dagesh in it (B) has the sound of an English b, but without dagesh (b) it sounds like v. Similarly kaf […]
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