points is determined more precisely by the vowel sign standing before, above, or within it. Thus—
- י may be combined with Ṣērê, Qameṣ, Segôl (־ִי, ־ֵי, ־ֶי).
- ו with Šûrĕq and Ḥōlĕm (וּ and וֹ).[1]
In Arabic the long a also is regularly expressed by a vowel letter, viz. ʾAlĕph (־ָא), so that in that language three vowel letters correspond to the three vowel classes. In Hebrew א is rarely used as a vowel letter; see § 9 b and § 23 g.
[i] 4. The omission of the vowel letters when writing î, û, ê, ô is called scriptio defectiva in contrast to scriptio plena. קוֹל, קוּם are written plene, קֹלֹת, קֻם defective.
Cf. Bardowitz, Studien zur Gesch. der Orthogr. im Althebr., 1894; Lidzbarski, Ephem., i. 182, 275; Marmorstein, ‘Midrasch der vollen u. defekt. Schreibung,’ in ZAW. 1907, p. 33 ff.
[k] So far as the choice of the full or defective mode of writing is concerned, there are certainly some cases in which only the one or the other is admissible, Thus the full form is necessary at the end of the word, for û, ô, ō, î, ê, ē, as well as for è in חֹזֶה &c. (§ 9 f), also generally with â, ā (cf. however § 9 d), e.g. קָֽטְלוּ, קָטַ֫לְתִּי, יָדִי, מַלְכֵי. (But the Masora requires in Jer 266, 448; Ezr 621; 2 Ch 3213 גּוֹיֵ instead of גּוֹיֵי; Zp 29 גּוֹיִ [perhaps an error due to the following י] for גּוֹיִי; Is 4031 וְקוֹיֵ [followed by י] for וְקוֹיֵי; Jer 3811 בְּלוֹיֵ for בְּלוֹיֵי.) On the other hand the defective writing is common when the letter, which would have to be employed as a vowel letter, immediately precedes as a strong consonant, e.g. גּוֹיִם (nations) for גּוֹיִים, מִצְוֹת (commandments) for מִצְווֹת.
That much is here arbitrary (see § 7 g), follows from the fact that sometimes the same word is written very differently, e.g. הֲקִימוֹתִי Ez 1660: הֲקִמֹתִי and also הֲקִמוֹתִי Jer 234; cf. § 25 b. Only it may be observed,
(a) That the scriptio plena in two successive syllables was generally avoided; cf. e.g. נָבִיא but נְבִאִים; צַדִּיק, but צַדִּקִים; קוֹל, קֹלוֹת; יְהוֹשֻׁעַ; מְצָאֻ֫הוּ.
(b) That in the later Books of the O.T. (and regularly in post-biblical Hebrew) the full form, in the earlier the defective, is more usual.
[m] 5. In the cognate dialects, when a vowel precedes a vowel-letter which is not kindred (heterogeneous), e.g. ־ָו, ־ֵו, ־ִיו, ־ַי, ־ָי, a diphthong (au, ai)[2] is formed if the heterogeneous vowel be a. This is also to be regarded as the Old Hebrew pronunciation, since it
- ↑ After the example of the Jewish grammarians the expression, ‘the vowel letter rests (quiesces) in the vowel-sign,’ has become customary. On the other hand, the vowel letters are also called by the grammarians, matres lectionres or supports (fulcra).
- ↑ Cf. T. C. Foote, The diphthong ai in Hebrew (Johns Hopkins Univ. Circulars, June, 1903, p. 70 ff.).
