1. Hebrew Vowels
Chapter 2

2. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew
Vowels (Niqqud) added by the Masoretes ( AD)
Earlier: vowel letters added, matres lectionis (mothers of reading) א and ה = a-class vowels
י for e-class and i-class vowels
ו for o-class and u-class vowels
Short, Long and half-vowels
Ketiv (כְּתִיב) –what is written; Qere (קְרֵי) – what is read

3. Vowels -- a-class a אָ אַ אֲ Long Short Half (reducible)
Qāmeṣ Pataḥ Ḥatēf-pataḥ ā in far a in far ă in attach

4. Vowels -- e-class e אֵ אֶ אֱ
Long Short Half (reducible)
e אֵ אֶ אֱ
Ṣerê Seghôl Ḥatēf-Seghôl ē in they e in set ĕ in empire

5. Vowels -- i-class
Long Short Half (reducible)
i אִ
Ḥîreq i in fit

6. Vowels -- o-class o אֹ אָ אֳ
Long Short Half (reducible)
o אֹ אָ אֳ
Ḥolem Qāmeṣ Ḥatuf Ḥatēf-Qāmeṣ ō in so o in so ŏ in commit

7. Vowels -- u-class u אֻ פְּ ševā’ Long Short Half (reducible)
Qibbûṣ u in rule
פְּ ševā’

8. Vowel Pointing with vowel letters ה, ו, and י
ה אָה אֵה / אֶה אֹה
Qāmeṣ Hê Seghôl / Ṣerê Hê Ḥôlem Hê â in far ê in set / ê in they ô in so

9. Vowel Pointing with vowel letters ה, ו, and י
י אֵי / אֶי אִי
Seghôl Yôd / Ṣere Yôd Ḥireq Yôd ê in set ê in they î in Marine

10. Vowel Pointing with vowel letters ה, ו, and י
ו אוֹ אוּ
Ḥôlem Vav Šûreq ô in so û in rule

11. Vowel List 1. Qāmeṣ ָ “a” as in far ā אָ (Long)
2. Qāmeṣ hê ָה “a” as in far â אָה (Long)
3. Pataḥ ַ “a” as in far a אַ (short)
4. Ḥatēf-pataḥ ֲֲ “a” as in attach xă אֲ (half vowel)

12. Vowel List 5. Ṣerê ֵ “e” as in they ē אֵ (long)
6. Ṣerê Yôd ֵי “e” as in they ê אֵי (vowel let.)
7. Seghôl ֶ “e” as in set e אֶ (short)
8. Seghôl Yôd ֶי “e” as in set ê אֶי (vowel let.)
9. Ḥatēf-Seghôl ֱ “e” as in set xĕ אֱ (half vowel)

13. Vowel List 10. Ḥîreq ִ “i” as in fit i אִ (short)
11. Ḥîreq Yôd ִי “i” as in ski î אִי (vowel let.)
12. Ḥôlem ֹ “o” as in so ō אֹ (long)
13. Ḥôlem Vāv וֹ “o” as in so ô אוֹ (vowel let.))

14. Vowel List 14. Qibbûṣ ֻ “u” as in rule u אֻ (short)
15. Šûreq וּ “u” as in rule û אוּ (vowel let.)
16. Qāmeṣ Ḥatûf ָ “o” as in so o אָ (short)
17. Ḥatēf Qāmeṣ ֳ “o” as in commit xŏ אֳ (half vowel)
18. Ševā’ ְ “e” as in met xe אְ (half vowel)

15. Hevenu Shalom Aleichem
to you peace we bring הֵבֵאנוּ שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם

16. Practice with Vowel Identification
אֶ֫רֶץ אִישׁ אִשָּׁה דָּבָר הָלַךְ
יְהוָה יוֺם יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא מֶ֫לֶךְ
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָֽרֶץ
וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵי תְה֑וֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּֽיִם׃

17. Open and Closed Syllables
1) Open syllable (begins with a consonant and finishes with a vowel, [CV =consonant vowel pattern] שָׁ in שָׁלוֹם )
2) Closed syllable (begins and ends with a consonant [CVC=consonant vowel consonant pattern] לוֹם in שָׁלוֹם ).
Tonic syllable is the syllable that is accented

18. Distinguish Qāmeṣ (a-class) and Qāmeṣ Ḥatûf (o-class)
Qāmeṣ is an a-class long vowel (שָׁלוֹם —šālôm)
In contrast to Qāmeṣ Ḥatûf which is an o-class short vowel (חָכְמָה --ḥokmāh).
The general rule is if it is in a closed unaccented syllable it is a Qāmeṣ Ḥatûf (short o-class).
Meteg (מֶ֫תֶג ) which is a little vertical line to the left of the Qāmeṣ
E.g. בָּֽתִּים [bā] where the בָּֽ meteg indicates a Qāmeṣ is present not a Qāmeṣ Ḥatûf [bo]).

19. Dagesh Lene and Dagesh Forte
A dagesh lene occurs in the begad kefat (בגדכפת  בּגּדּכּפּתּ) letters
A dagesh forte is used in letters as a doubling dot for letters other than the begad kefat letters.
If, however, the begad kefat letter is preceded by a vowel then the dagesh in the begad kefat letter is a dagesh forte or doubling dagesh
E.g.דִּבֵּר בֵּ follows a ḥîreq vowel (in דִּ ) so the dagesh in בֵּ is a dagesh fore; transliterated dib|bēr).

20. Two Marks
Mappîq (literally “causing to go out”) So תָּמַהּ is transliterated with an “ah” (tāmah) whereas without the mappiq it is “â” as in חָכְמָה (ḥokmâ).
Maqqēf (literally “binder” )as in מִן־מֶלֶךְ meaning “from a king”).

21. Silent and Vocal Ševā’
Silent ševā’s (not pronounced or transliterated) and
Vocal ševā’s (pronounced like the “e” in “met,” transliterated “e”).
Rule: If the consonant to the right has a short vowel the ševā’ is silent (acts as a closed syllable [CVC] closer). If the vowel is long the ševā’ is vocal.
If, for example in לַיְלָה (night), the initial pataḥ is short so the syllable is divided to the left of the silent ševā’ לַיְלָהלַיְ׀לָה

22. Silent and Vocal Ševā’
If there are two ševā’s in a row inside a word the first is always silent and the second always vocal ( יִשְׁמְרוּ  יִשְׁ׀מְ׀רוּ they guarded or kept).
If there is a ševā’ at the end of a word it is always silent שְׁמַרְתְּ
While gutturals ( א ה ח ע ר) cannot take simple ševā’s, they do take composite ševā’s ( אֲ אֱ אֳ ) and seem to prefer pataḥ as their vowel of choice.

23. Defective Writing of Vowels
The vowel letters (י ה ו ) are accompanied by a vowel as seen in the vowel chart (וֹ וּ ִי ֵי ) but rather frequently the vowel letter is dropped. This is called defective writing.
לִי (full)  לִ (defective)
לוֹ (full)  לֹ (defective)
לוּ (full)  לֻ (defective)

24. Gutturals and Furtive (stealthy Pataḥ)
A pataḥ furtive is a hurried non-full pataḥ vowel may be placed on the guttural ע or ח that end a word.
While the pataḥ furtive comes under the guttural it is transliterated before the consonant and superscripted like a Ḥatēf-pataḥ
רוּחַ (transliterated rûaḥ, = wind, spirit)

25. Quiescent letters: א and ה
Both of these when they start a syllable are taken as consonants. However, when א has no vowel it becomes quiescent (silent) and is not considered a consonant.
When ה ends a word having no vowel after it, it becomes quiescent.
הָאָרֶץ הָ׀אָ׀רֶץ – note the consonantal ה and א
לַיְלָה  לַיְ׀לָה – note the final quiescentה
בְּרֵאשִׁית  בְּ׀רֵא׀שִׁית – note the א quiescent

26. 2.N. Speak and write Hebrew:
שָׁלוֹם בּוֹקֶר טוֹב Hello, good morning good morning Hello
שָׁלוֹם עֶרֶב טוֹב Hello, good evening good evening Hello
שָׁלוֹם לַיְלָה טוֹב Hello, good night good night Hello
מַזָל טוֹב Good luck ּ= congratulations! good fortune

27. אֶ֫רֶץ land, earth, ground 2,504 אִישׁ man, human 2,185
Chapter 2 Vocabulary
אֶ֫רֶץ land, earth, ground 2,504
אִישׁ man, human ,185
אִשָּׁה woman, wife
דָּבָר word, matter, thing 1,442
הָלַךְ to go, walk ,547

28. יְהוָה Yahweh, Jehovah, LORD 6,828 יוֺם day, daylight, time 2,300
Chapter 2 Vocabulary
יְהוָה Yahweh, Jehovah, LORD 6,828
יוֺם day, daylight, time 2,300
יִשְׂרָאֵל Israel ,506
לֹא no, not ,185
מֶ֫לֶךְ king, ruler, prince 2,528