012
As we noted in our first lesson (“Starting with Aleph,” BR 07:03), the Hebrew alphabet originally had no symbols for vowels. It was a form of shorthand, with signs only for consonants. In order to eliminate ambiguity in pronunciation, a secondary system of vowel notation was developed. The final form of the vowel notation system was perfected in the tenth century C.E. by scribes living in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. They are known as the Masoretes, from the Hebrew word for “to hand over” (for more on the Masoretes, see Harvey Minkoff on the Aleppo Codex).
In this lesson we will learn the Masoretic system of vowel notation, which is still used today. But before we do, we need to note one other thing about Hebrew writing as the Masoretes understood it: The consonants were sacred and could not be altered. So the system of vowel signs had to fit into, but not alter, the sacred letters. Hence, the vowel signs appear as small marks below, within and above the consonants.
Hebrew has ten vowel signs, divided into short and long vowels. They are shown in the chart below.
|
|
Name
|
Description of vowel
|
Vowel Sign
|
Example
|
Pronunciation in English
|
Meaning
|
|
Short Vowels
|
patach
|
short dash below consonant
|
‘
|
tB’
|
bot (as in bot tom)
|
daughter
|
|
|
seghol
|
triangle of three dots below consonant
|
,
|
÷B,
|
ben
|
son
|
|
|
chirik katan
|
one dot below consonants
|
i
|
÷mi
|
min (sounds like mean)
|
from
|
|
|
kubbuts
|
diagonal of three dots below consonant
|
u
|
rvu
|
shur
|
wall
|
|
|
kamats katan
|
a small “T” below consonant
|
;
|
gD;
|
dag (sounds like a dog)
|
fish
|
|
Long Vowels
|
kamats
|
a small “T” below consonant 1 |
;
|
lK;
|
kol (sounds like coal)
|
the whole of
|
|
|
tsereh
|
two horizontal dots below consonant
|
e
|
sne
|
nes (rhymes with mace)
|
banner
|
|
|
|
two horizontal dots below constant followed by yod2
|
y E
|
÷yBe
|
beyn (rhymes with pain)
|
between
|
|
|
chirik gadol
|
one dot below consonant followed by yod
|
y i
|
÷yDi
|
diyn (sounds like dean)
|
lawsuit
|
|
|
cholam
|
dot above vov
|
/
|
r/D
|
dor (rhymes with core)
|
generation
|
|
|
|
without vov a dot over left-hand corner of consonant
|
i
|
aol
|
lo (sounds like booze)
|
no
|
|
|
shuruk
|
dot in the middle of vov 3 |
W
|
zWB
|
buz (sounds like booze)
|
contempt, scorn
|
To see how the vowel system works, practice pronouncing simple one-syllable words. Each word is followed by pronunciation hints in English and the English meaning of the word.
In our next lesson, we will learn about the dagesh (a dot in the middle of certain letters) and the shewa (two vertical dots under a letter). They too are important for the pronunciation of words.
As we noted in our first lesson (“Starting with Aleph,” BR 07:03), the Hebrew alphabet originally had no symbols for vowels. It was a form of shorthand, with signs only for consonants. In order to eliminate ambiguity in pronunciation, a secondary system of vowel notation was developed. The final form of the vowel notation system was perfected in the tenth century C.E. by scribes living in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. They are known as the Masoretes, from the Hebrew word for “to hand over” (for more on the Masoretes, see Harvey Minkoff on the Aleppo Codex). In […]
