Re: Hebrew in all its Allophonic Majesty (was: IPA question)

Hello,

[Steg:]
> Here is my attempted IPA chart of Classical-Tiberian Hebrew:
I'll butt in where what I've been taught differs from yours, but where
o! where is the mighty Yitzik? :-) Honestly, I haven't had the time for
Hebrew for over a year now, so mistakes are imminent :-)

> bet: /b/ ; [b]~[v] (or ~[B]?)
[B] ~ [b] ~ [b:]

> gimel: /g/ ; [g]~[G]
[G] ~ [g] ~ [g:]

> dalet: /d/ ; [d]~[D]
[D] ~ [d] ~ [d:]

> vav: /w/ or /v/
[w] only, sometimes written as [u^]

> kaf: /k/ ; [k]~[x]
[x] ~ [k] ~ [k:]

> pei: /p/ ; [p]~[f] (or ~[P]?)
[P] ~ [p] ~ [p:]

> quf: /k'/ or /q/
[q]

> sin: /K/ (lateralized sibilant) or /s/ (depending on period)
I guess no-one really knows

> tav: /t/ ; [t]~[T] (~[s] attested in the Galilee)
[T] ~ [t] ~ [t:]

The geminates are there with a strong dagesh  (i.e. after a short
vowel). As a matter of fact, it appeasr all consonants except the
glottals ([?], [3], [H] and for some reason [r], but not [q]) were
doubled in that position, but in some texts a "dagesh virtualis" is
actually attested in these as well, especially after the article.

> Standard Modern Israeli Hebrew:
>
> pronounces /r/ as a velar approximant
In one variety only (probably Ashkenaz, but I may be wrong here), the
other has an alveolar trill or flap.

> drops [@] whenever possible
AFAIK it's pronounced as /e/, in pre{fixes|positions} especially.

Pavel
--
Pavel Iosad               pavel_iosad@mail.ru

'I am a philologist, and thus a misunderstood man'
                 --JRR Tolkien, _The Notion Club Papers_

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