Page:Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1910 Kautzsch-Cowley edition).djvu/78

 following guttural as well as of the preceding U-sound. (Elsewhere indeed after in similar cases  is preferred, see above, ; but with  cf. also , , , where the U-sound must necessarily be admitted to have an influence on the  immediately following.) In  (û-ṭohŏr)  it is also influenced by the following O-sound. In , the original form is , where again the ō represents an ŏ. It is only through the influence of a following guttural that we can explain the forms ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;   (Baer’s ed. also in ver. 11);   (ed. Mant., Opitius, &c. ). Finally in most of the examples which have been adduced, the influence of an emphatic sound (,, cf. also  , 7), or of a sibilant is also to be taken into account.

3. The sign of the  serves also as a mere syllable divider. In this case it is disregarded in pronunciation and is called. In the middle of a word it stands under every consonant which closes a syllable; at the end of words on the other hand it is omitted except in final (to distinguish it better from final ), e.g., and in the less frequent case, where a word ends with a mute after another vowelless consonant as in ,  (for ’ant),  fem. hast killed, , , ; but ,.

However, in the examples where a mute closes the syllable, the final comes somewhat nearer to a vocal, especially as in almost all the cases a weakening of a final vowel has taken place, viz. ʾatte from ʾattî (ʾanti),  from  (cf. in this form, the 2nd sing. fem. perf. Qal, even, after a vowel, , , &c., according to the readings of Baer),  yišbe from , &c. The Arabic actually has a short vowel in analogous forms. In borrowed from the Indian, as also in  (qōšṭ) ; and in  (for which we should expect )  the final mute of itself attracts a slight vowel sound.

Rem. The proper distinction between simple Šewâ mobile and quiescens depends on a correct understanding of the formation of syllables. The beginner may observe for the present, that  is always mobile at the beginning of a word (except in, , note); under a consonant with, e.g. gid-dephû; after another, e.g. yiqṭelû (except at the end of the word, see above, ).   is quiescens at the end of a word, also in the ; before another.  

Very closely connected with the vowel points are the reading-signs, which were probably introduced at the same time. Besides the diacritical point over and, a point is placed within a consonant