Phonology and Morphology of Biblical Hebrew: An Introduction.

• Author: Pat-El, Na'ama
• Position: Book review

Phonology and Morphology of Biblical Hebrew: An Introduction, By JOSHUA BLAU. Linguistic Studies in Ancient West Semitic, vol. 2. Winona Lake, Ind.: EISENBRAUNS, 2010. Pp. xiv + 369. $59.50.

Joshua Blau's book on the phonology and morphology of Biblical Hebrew (BH) has been used by students at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem for decades. For most, it was their first encounter with sophisticated linguistic terminology, with historical linguistics and reconstruction. The book, which has shaped the early education of so many, is now available in English, revised and updated. Obviously, a review cannot possibly touch on every aspect in a grammar this size which covers so much ground; I will, therefore, confine this review to describing the content of the book and discussing select points, as well as its overall merit.

The book is intended for advanced students of Hebrew, who are already familiar with the basic grammar of the language but seek a deeper understanding of its linguistic development. The book has five chapters; chapters three and four contain the core of the book. The introduction briefly covers a variety of linguistic topics and terminology, with occasional references to later sections of the book.There is also a brief discussion of the dialects of BH, including post-Biblical Hebrew. This section is useful in introducing the reader to linguistic terminology and methodology, such as internal reconstruction, suppletion, etc., through the prism of Hebrew. The second chapter, Phonetics, reviews the consonants and vowels, their place of articulation, as well as other relevant issues, such as syllabification and stress.

The third chapter, Phonology, deals with a number of phonological issues, such as the discrepancy between the writing system and the Hebrew consonantal pool, BGDKPT, vowels, semi-vowels (called here semi-consonants), various phonological changes (elision, sound shifts, etc.), vocalization, and more. This is a long and rich chapter, covering topics not normally covered by other grammars, like traditions of pronunciation. The chapter deals with synchronic issues and adds diachronic explanations to place these phonological phenomena in the context of West or Northwest Semitic.

The fourth chapter, Morphology, is the longest of the book arid covers the formation of pronouns, verbs, and nouns, with some notes on other elements. The chapter opens with the pronominal system.Blau discusses each independent and suffixed pronoun...