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Here are two claims I've often heard or read: The Hebrew language originally did not write down vowels. The Greek (and subsequently the Latin) alphabet developed from the Hebrew alphabet....
#5: Nominated for promotion
by
Moshi
·
2021-09-26T08:46:34Z (about 3 years ago)
#4: Nominated for promotion
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Moshi
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2021-07-04T06:15:08Z (over 3 years ago)
#3: Nominated for promotion
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Moshi
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2021-05-26T19:04:47Z (over 3 years ago)
#2: Post edited
by
celtschk
·
2021-05-14T13:32:39Z (over 3 years ago)
Edited title since HTML entities are apparently not supported there
What sound did the letter ℵ encode in ancient Hebrew, and why did it morph into the greek vowel Α?
- What sound did the letter ℵ encode in ancient Hebrew, and why did it morph into the greek vowel Α?
#1: Initial revision
by
celtschk
·
2021-05-14T13:30:17Z (over 3 years ago)
What sound did the letter ℵ encode in ancient Hebrew, and why did it morph into the greek vowel Α?
Here are two claims I've often heard or read: 1. The Hebrew language originally did not write down vowels. 2. The Greek (and subsequently the Latin) alphabet developed from the Hebrew alphabet. In particular, the letter ℵ (aleph) developed into the Greek Α (alpha) and finally the Latin A. Now I noticed some apparent contradiction in this: The Greek Α as well as the Latin A both encode a vowel. So if it evolved from the Hebrew ℵ, it seems that this should also encode the same vowel. But that cannot be if there were no vowels in ancient Hebrew. Therefore I guess that not only the letter, but also the sound associated with that letter changed. Therefore my question: > What sound did the letter ℵ encode in ancient Hebrew, and why did it morph into the greek vowel Α?