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Chapter 6. Notes on Modern Hebrew phonology and orthography

  • Stav Klein
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Usage-Based Studies in Modern Hebrew
This chapter is in the book Usage-Based Studies in Modern Hebrew

Abstract

This brief survey chapter starts by characterizing the phonemic inventory of consonants and vowels in Modern Hebrew (MH). It then notes departures from earlier stages of the language, such as the full or partial merger of historical “emphatic” stops with plain stops, the loss of pharyngeal and glottal phonemes (“gutturals’), degemination, and the loss of active phonological rules, such as vowel lengthening and reduction, which together account for the much reduced inventory of both consonants and vowels in all present-day usage, including “Mizrahi” and more generally used pronunciations. Selected phonotactic features of MH phonology – syllable structure, CV alternations, consonant clusters, stress, and word length – are touched on. A final section deals with the essentially conservative Hebrew orthography, as compared with the dynamics of its phonology.

Abstract

This brief survey chapter starts by characterizing the phonemic inventory of consonants and vowels in Modern Hebrew (MH). It then notes departures from earlier stages of the language, such as the full or partial merger of historical “emphatic” stops with plain stops, the loss of pharyngeal and glottal phonemes (“gutturals’), degemination, and the loss of active phonological rules, such as vowel lengthening and reduction, which together account for the much reduced inventory of both consonants and vowels in all present-day usage, including “Mizrahi” and more generally used pronunciations. Selected phonotactic features of MH phonology – syllable structure, CV alternations, consonant clusters, stress, and word length – are touched on. A final section deals with the essentially conservative Hebrew orthography, as compared with the dynamics of its phonology.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of authors vii
  4. Acknowledgements ix
  5. Transcription and Coding. Transcription, transliteration, Hebrew-specific coding xi
  6. Introduction 1
  7. Part I. General background
  8. Chapter 1. Setting Modern Hebrew in space, time, and culture 19
  9. Chapter 2. Historical overview of Modern Hebrew 27
  10. Chapter 3. Genetic affiliation 41
  11. Chapter 4. Sociolinguistics of Modern Hebrew 51
  12. Chapter 5. Prescriptive activity in Modern Hebrew 97
  13. Chapter 6. Notes on Modern Hebrew phonology and orthography 131
  14. Part II. Morpho-lexicon
  15. Chapter 7. Inflection 147
  16. Chapter 8. Derivation 203
  17. Chapter 9. Parts of speech categories in the lexicon of Modern Hebrew 265
  18. Chapter 10. Voice distinctions 331
  19. Chapter 11. Nominalizations 375
  20. Part III. Syntax
  21. Chapter 12. Agreement alternations in Modern Hebrew 421
  22. Chapter 13. Transitivity and valence 465
  23. Chapter 14. Genitive ( smixut ) constructions in Modern Hebrew 507
  24. Chapter 15. Impersonal and pseudo-impersonal constructions 539
  25. Chapter 16. Negation in Modern Hebrew 583
  26. Chapter 17. List constructions 623
  27. Chapter 18. A usage-based typology of Modern Hebrew syntax 659
  28. Index 677
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.210.07kle

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of authors vii
  4. Acknowledgements ix
  5. Transcription and Coding. Transcription, transliteration, Hebrew-specific coding xi
  6. Introduction 1
  7. Part I. General background
  8. Chapter 1. Setting Modern Hebrew in space, time, and culture 19
  9. Chapter 2. Historical overview of Modern Hebrew 27
  10. Chapter 3. Genetic affiliation 41
  11. Chapter 4. Sociolinguistics of Modern Hebrew 51
  12. Chapter 5. Prescriptive activity in Modern Hebrew 97
  13. Chapter 6. Notes on Modern Hebrew phonology and orthography 131
  14. Part II. Morpho-lexicon
  15. Chapter 7. Inflection 147
  16. Chapter 8. Derivation 203
  17. Chapter 9. Parts of speech categories in the lexicon of Modern Hebrew 265
  18. Chapter 10. Voice distinctions 331
  19. Chapter 11. Nominalizations 375
  20. Part III. Syntax
  21. Chapter 12. Agreement alternations in Modern Hebrew 421
  22. Chapter 13. Transitivity and valence 465
  23. Chapter 14. Genitive ( smixut ) constructions in Modern Hebrew 507
  24. Chapter 15. Impersonal and pseudo-impersonal constructions 539
  25. Chapter 16. Negation in Modern Hebrew 583
  26. Chapter 17. List constructions 623
  27. Chapter 18. A usage-based typology of Modern Hebrew syntax 659
  28. Index 677
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