Re: dialects of Hebrew? & Lemba

On Mar 18, 2005, at 4:36 AM, Damian Yerrick wrote:
> "Steg Belsky" <draqonfayir@...> wrote:
>> Some theorize, however, that Classical
>> Tiberian Hebrew also had a uvular R, due to its inclusion in the
>> category of _gutterals_.  However, unlike the pharyngeal consonants,
>> /r/ doesn't 'drag vowels with it' to be /a/, which is why i'm more of
>> a
>> fan of the theory that /r/ was originally a dental/alveolar flap/tap
>> or
>> trill.  The main quality of 'guttural' consonants in Hebrew is their
>> resistance to being geminates, which in the case of a flap/tap or
>> trilled front R also makes sense.
> That is, unless (as in Spanish) a geminated flap/tap is realized
> as a trill.
> Damian
Right, which is how i pronounce the very few geminated |R|s found in
the Tanakh (Jewish Bible).


-Stephen (Steg)
  "your whistling sounds like scary alien bees!"
      ~ why not to attempt tuvan throat singing in public