Page:Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1910 Kautzsch-Cowley edition).djvu/101

 For a distinction must again be drawn between the full lengthening of  into —mostly before  (always under the  of the article, see ), as a rule also before, less frequently before , and least often before —and the modification of  to , mostly before a guttural with. In the other case ( strengthening) the is still omitted, but the strengthening is nevertheless regarded as having taken place, and the preceding vowel therefore remains short. This strengthening occurs most frequently with, usually with , less frequently with , and very seldom with. Examples of (a), , , , (for ); also , , ,  (see more fully on the pointing of the article before  in ).—Of (b) ,  (from minḥûṭ), , , , &c.—In all these cases of virtual strengthening the  is to be regarded at least as implied (hence called , or ).

2. They prefer before them, and sometimes after them (cf. ), a short A-sound, because this vowel is organically the nearest akin to the gutturals. Hence

(a) before a guttural, readily (and always before, ,  closing a syllable) takes the place of another short vowel or of a rhythmically long ē or ō, e.g. , not zèbĕḥ; , not šēmĕʿ. This is more especially so when a was the original vowel of the form, or is otherwise admissible. Thus in the Imperat. and Imperf. Qal of guttural verbs,, (not yišlōḥ); Perf. Piʿel (but in Pausa );  (not yiḥmōd) ;  (not wayyānŏḥ);. In and   is the original vowel.

Rem. In such cases as, , , , the has no consonantal value, and is only retained orthographically (see ).

(b) After a heterogeneous long vowel, i.e. after all except, the hard gutturals (consequently not ), when standing at the end of the word, require the insertion of a rapidly uttered ă between themselves and the vowel. This is placed under the guttural, but sounded before it. It is thus merely an orthographic indication not to neglect the guttural sound in pronunciation, e.g. rûaḥ,, , , , (when consonantal  is