Page:Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1910 Kautzsch-Cowley edition).djvu/119

 (a) In many forms of the Imperfect, under the influence of a prefixed  ( see –e), e.g., ; ,. Cf. also on the impf. Niphʿal, and, end, on the impf. Piʿel; on these forms in Pause, when the  does not take effect, see below, p.

(b) For rhythmical reasons (as often in other languages), when a monosyllable, or a word with the tone on the first syllable, follows a word with the tone on the ultima, in order to avoid the concurrence of two tone-syllables. This rhythmical retraction of the tone, however (, as it is called by the Jewish grammarians), is only admissible according to a, above, provided that the penultima, which now receives the tone, is an open syllable (with a long vowel; but see g), whilst the ultima, which loses the tone, must be either an open syllable with a long vowel, e.g., , , , , , , or a closed syllable with a short vowel, e.g.  , ,. The grave suffixes, , , are exceptions, as they never lose the tone. Moreover a fair number of instances occur in which the above conditions are fulfilled, but the tone is not retracted, e.g. esp. with, and before ; cf. Qimḥi,, ed. Rittenberg (Lyck, 1862), p. 4b, line 13 ff.

Although can remain in a closed ultima which has lost the tone, it is perhaps not to be regarded in this case (see ) as a long vowel. At any rate it then always has, in correct editions, a retarding Methog, no doubt in order to prevent its being pronounced as, e.g. ; cf. ,, , , , , and even with a following furtive Pathaḥ , , &c., although there is no question here of two successive tone-syllables. In other cases the shortening into does take place, e.g., , for ;  .—The retraction of the tone even occurs when a half-syllable with a Šewâ mobile precedes the original tone-syllable, e.g.  , and frequently;  ;