Verse:Tdūrzů/Hebrew

The history of Hebrew and Judaism in Verse:Apple PIE is much like in our own world. The consonantal text of the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible is identical to our timeline. However, it preserves phonological distinctions that our Hebrew lost. The language was also revived three times independently, and is not associated with a nation-state.

This page documents the various pronunciations of Hebrew used by the different Jewish communities in Apple PIE.

The relative conservatism of Hebrew in this timeline allowed medieval (hyper-)Arab Jewish scholar ___ to use Hebrew as a vantage point from which to compare other Semitic languages in his ___, the first known work of comparative linguistics in Apple PIE.

Gaelic

Gaelic (or "Galician") Hebrew has been influenced by Ăn Yidiș and Galoyseg, mostly the former. Similar to our Ashkenazi Hebrew, except

• /e ɔ o u/ are pronounced like Judeo-Gaelic ea o u î
• undageshed gimel is pronounced like Judeo-Gaelic gh
• /r/ is an alveolar flap
• affricates are distinguished from stop-fricative sequences, as in Judeo-Gaelic but unlike our Israeli Hebrew: תשומת לב [tsɨmas leəv] 'attention' is pronounced differently than *צומת לב.

Revived Galician Hebrew (revived by some secular L-Galician Jews) prefers Celtic syntax, such as VSO word order and expressions for feelings and modals. It also prefers some coincidentally Gaelic-sounding words, e.g. אַךְ ach 'but' and שָׂשׂ sos 'happy' (sounding like Judeo-Gaelic ach 'but' and sostă 'satisfied') instead of the synonyms אֲבָל avol and שָׂמֵחַ someach. Orthodox Gaelic Jews prefer to speak Judeo-Gaelic and refuse to speak any form of Revived Hebrew, because they view Hebrew as a sacred language.

Comparison

Dror Yikra

Disclaimer: Piyyutim are thick with biblical allusions so they're a bitch to translate. I'm sure I made mistakes.

(Dunash ben Labrat in this timeline was Corded Ware which merged þ and š)

Hyper-Tiberian

dărůr yiqrå lăbhen 3im bath
wăyintśårkhem kămo bhåbhath
nă3im šimkhem wălů yiþbath
þăbhu nu[H]u băyům þabbåth

dăroš nåwi wă2ulåmi
wă2ůth yėša3 3ăśė 3immi
năTa3 śůrėq băthůkh karmi
[Š]ă3ė [š]aw3ath bănė 3ammi

dărokh purå băthůkh bå[ts]rå
wăgham båbhėl 2ăþer gåbhărå
nătho[ts] [ts]åray bă2af 3ebhrå
šăma3 qůli băyům 2eqrå

2ĕlůhim tėn bămidbår har
hădhas šiTTå băroþ tidhhår
wălammazhir wălannizhår
šălůmim tėn kămė nåhår

English (What Inthar got from an Israeli site explaining piyyutim)

[God] will proclaim freedom for man and woman
And guard you [all] as the apple of his eye
Pleasant is your name and will never cease [to be so];
Sit and rest on the Sabbath day.

[God], remember my abode and my hall [Temple],
And show me a sign of salvation.
Plant a choice vine in my vineyard [give us a messiah/king in Jerusalem],
Attend to the cries of my people.

Tread [upon my foes] as on a winepress in Botsra [Edom],
And Babylon which overpoweed [us].
Crush my enemies in your wrath,
Hear my voice when I call.

God, give us a mountain amidst the desert,
Myrtles, acacias, cypresses and [unknown tree species];
To those who admonish [others to keep the Sabbath] and to those who heed
Grant peace like a flowing river.

Hyper-Tiberian Hebrew

Hyper-Tiberian Hebrew was the basis for niqqud, and was pronounced the same as our Tiberian Hebrew, unless stated otherwise.

In-universe Tiberian has the following sound changes from PSem:

• x > Skellan ll
• ś/s þ š > Basque z, Basque s, š (written as shin left dot, shin middle dot, shin right dot)
• z ð > voiced Basque z, voiced Basque s (the latter becomes Tamil zh in some readings)
• ś' þ' s' > /ts, c, c/ (but pharyngealized)
• Ayn and ghayn are still merged.

In-universe Tiberian Hebrew also distinguishes

• cholam from Proto-Semitic *u = o /o/
• cholam from Proto-Semitic *ā and *aw = ů /u/ (/uə/ in some other reading traditions)
• Proto-Semitic *ū = u /ü/ (/u/ in some other reading traditions)

Some accents merge the first two vowels like our TibH and Israeli did, some merge the second two, and others, such as Ăn Yidiș Hebrew, keep all three distinct.

Hyper-Israeli

Like our Israeli Hebrew, but:

• Hyper-Israeli reflects Hyper-TibH o (and qamatz qatan) as /ʌ̹/, Hyper-TibH ů as /u̠/, and Hyper-TibH u as /u̟/. (These vowels resemble Seoul Korean eo, o, and u respectively.)
• PSem *H is reflected as a uvular fricative (merging with lenited kaf) and PSem *x is voiceless sje.
• Non-prevocalic V + ayin sequences are reflected as nasal vowels or nasal vowel offglides.
• Proto-Semitic ð became ž, as in זימר žimer 'he overpowered', as opposed to זימר zimer 'he sang'.

Riphean Hebrew

Inspired by a hypothetical Vietnamese Hebrew

/ʔ b v g ɣ d ð h w z ħ tʼ j k x l m n s ʕ p f ts kʼ r ʃ t θ/ = [ʔ b v ɣ ɣ d z h v z h t j kʰ x l m n s ʔ p f tɕ⁼ k⁼ ɹ~ʐ ʃ tʰ s] (some Ashkenazim have ð > z)

/i u e o ɛ ɔ a ă ɔ̆ ɛ̆/ = [i u iə uə ɛ ɔ a ə ɔ ɛ]

/ɓɔˈɹux ʔaˈtʰɔ ʔəzuəˈnɔi, ʔɛluəˈhiənu mɛlɛx hɔʔuəˈlɔm, sɛhɛhɛˈjɔnu vək⁼ijəˈmɔnu vəhiɣiˈʔɔnu lazəˈman haˈzɛ/

Corded Ware Hebrew

North American Hebrew was revived independently by Corded Ware-speaking Jews. Revived Hebrew in North America uses more Corded Ware-like grammar, like preferring object affixes to using pronominal forms of the object marker את eþ.

Holy Land speakers, especially the younger generation, receive Corded Ware Hebrew positively and judge its speakers as trustworthy. It is one of the two most popular accents for stylized music.

Vowels as in Sephardi Hebrew (except shva na = all chatafs = [ə]), consonants are more varied depending on the individual Jewish community. Readings similar to this are used all over Western Europe.

The enunciative vowel -ə is used when a word (1) in pausa (2) has ultimate stress and (3) has final C. The past 2fs suffix /-t/ is pronounced /-tə/ when following a consonant: כתבת [kaˈθavtə] 'you (2fs) wrote'.

ברוך אתה ה', א-לוהינו מלך העולם, אשר בחר בנו מכל העמים ונתן לנו את תורתו. ברוך אתה ה', נותן התורה.

/vaˈrux ʔatˈta ʔəðoˈnaj, ʔəlo'henu ˈmelex haʁoˈlamə, ʔəˈʃer vaˈχar ˈvanu mikˈkol haʁaˈmimə, wənaˈθan ˈlanu ʔeθ toraˈθo. vaˈrux ʔaˈta ʔaðoˈnaj, noˈθen hatoˈra./

שהחינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה

/ʃeheχəˈjanu wəkijəˈmanu wəhigiˈʁanu lazəˈman haˈze/

Sample (Genesis 1:1-5)

Typical Western or Central CW reading

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

[vəreˈʃiθ vaˈra ʔəloˈhimə | ʔeθ haʃaˈmajim wəˈʔeθ haˈʔarets]

וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָֽיְתָ֥ה תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃

[wəhaˈʔarets hajəˈθa ˈθohu waˈvohu wəˈχoʃex ʁal pəne θəˈhomə | wəˈɾuax ʔəloˈhim məraˈχefeθ ʁal pəne haˈmajim]

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃

[waˈjomeɾ ʔəloˈhim jəhi ˈʔorə | wajəˈhi ˈʔorə]

וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃

[waˈjar ʔəloˈhim ʔeθ haˈʔoɾ kiˈtovə | wajavˈðel ʔəloˈhim ven haˈʔoɾ ʔuˈven haˈχoʃex]

וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃

[wajiˈkra ʔəloˈhim laˈʔor ˈjom wəlaˈχoʃex ˈkara ˈlajla | wajəˈhi ˈʁerev wajəˈhi ˈvoker jom ʔeˈχaðə]

Qivattu Hebrew is similar to Corded Ware Hebrew except no enunciative vowels

Hodi Hebrew

• /k x g ɣ/ = [k kʰ g gʰ]
• /ts z/ [tʃ dʒʰ]
• /t θ d ð n/ = [t tʰ d dʰ n]
• /p f b v m/ = [p pʰ b bʰ m]
• /j r l w/ = [j r l w]
• /s ʃ h ħ ʔ ʕ/ [s ʃ h h~ħ ʔ ʔ~ʕ]

Plosives without dagesh are aspirated.

• /i e ɛ a QG QQ o u ă ɛ̯ ɔ̯/ = [i e ə ə a o o u ə ə o]

Final /h/ is pronounced with an echo vowel: e.g. למינה /ləmi'naha/ 'according to its kind', אלוה /ə'luhu/ 'God'.

Siészal Hebrew

Basically like Sephardi with vowel length (patach = a, QG = á, segol = ia, tsere = é, QQ = u, cholam = ó, hiriq: i or í, shuruq: ú)

allophonic palatalization before /i(:)/

/r/ is [ʐ~ɻ]

Tibetan Hebrew

/ʔ b v g ɣ d ð h w z ħ tʼ j k x l m n s ʕ p f tsʼ kʼ r ʃ t θ/ = [ʔ p⁼ v k⁼ g t⁼ d h w z h tʰ j kʰ x l m n s ʔ pʰ f ts⁼ kʰ ɹ ɕ tʰ h]

/i e ɛ a ɔ o u ə ă ɛ̯ ɔ̯/ = [i e ə a o y u ə a ə ø]