Post History
ℵ (aleph) is a consonant in Hebrew, not a vowel. Like other consonants, it can carry a vowel.[1] You'll see the vowel markers (nikud) in "pointed" Hebrew, but someone who is fluent in Hebrew does...
Answer
#2: Post edited
by
Monica Cellio
·
2021-05-16T02:37:50Z (over 3 years ago)
ℵ (aleph) is a consonant in Hebrew, not a vowel. Like other consonants, it can *carry* a vowel.[^1] You'll see the vowel markers (*nikud*) in "pointed" Hebrew, but someone who is fluent in Hebrew doesn't need them for comprehension so they're left out of most texts other than children's/learners' texts and (for precision) biblical texts.- Aleph is a consonant, but it's silent. I've seen (but can't currently source) a passage in the talmud (completed around 500CE) that talks about the revelation at Sinai beginning with a silent letter (aleph is the first letter of the first word), so it was silent at least back that far. I can't prove one way or the other whether it was silent in the ancient near east.
- I can't answer the part of the question about the transition into Greek, but I figured I could at least offer half an answer.
- [^1]: There are five gutteral consonants and the rules are different for them. Aleph isn't one of them.
- ℵ (aleph) is a consonant in Hebrew, not a vowel. Like other consonants, it can *carry* a vowel.[^1] You'll see the vowel markers (*nikud*) in "pointed" Hebrew, but someone who is fluent in Hebrew doesn't need them for comprehension so they're left out of most texts other than children's/learners' texts and (for precision) prayer books and print/study copies of biblical texts.[^2]
- Aleph is a consonant, but it's silent. I've seen (but can't currently source) a passage in the talmud (completed around 500CE) that talks about the revelation at Sinai beginning with a silent letter (aleph is the first letter of the first word), so it was silent at least back that far. I can't prove one way or the other whether it was silent in the ancient near east.
- I can't answer the part of the question about the transition into Greek, but I figured I could at least offer half an answer.
- [^1]: There are five gutteral consonants and the rules are different for them. Aleph isn't one of them.
- [^2]: The *torah* scroll that you'll see used in synagogues does not have the vowel markings. I'm referring to print copies that are often accompanied by translations and commentary. Those usually have vowels marked in the Hebrew.
#1: Initial revision
by
Monica Cellio
·
2021-05-14T17:05:15Z (over 3 years ago)
ℵ (aleph) is a consonant in Hebrew, not a vowel. Like other consonants, it can *carry* a vowel.[^1] You'll see the vowel markers (*nikud*) in "pointed" Hebrew, but someone who is fluent in Hebrew doesn't need them for comprehension so they're left out of most texts other than children's/learners' texts and (for precision) biblical texts. Aleph is a consonant, but it's silent. I've seen (but can't currently source) a passage in the talmud (completed around 500CE) that talks about the revelation at Sinai beginning with a silent letter (aleph is the first letter of the first word), so it was silent at least back that far. I can't prove one way or the other whether it was silent in the ancient near east. I can't answer the part of the question about the transition into Greek, but I figured I could at least offer half an answer. [^1]: There are five gutteral consonants and the rules are different for them. Aleph isn't one of them.