Ch4 Hebrew Nouns

Question 1

Hebrew Nouns can take three types of number

Answer 1

singular, plural or dual

Question 2

What are the masculine endings?

Answer 2

-, im, ayim (singular, plural, dual)

Question 3

What are the feminine endings?

Answer 3

ah, oth, ayim (singular, plural, dual)

Question 4

What are the noun rule exceptions?

Answer 4

1. Some feminine nouns are endlingless e.g land, city, stone
2. Some singular nouns of one gender take the plural endings of another e.g Father
3. Some Nouns are always dual in form e.g Heaven, Egypt, Water
4. Some nouns change their stems when pluralised e.g man, woman
5. Sometime the holem waw is defective and the way gets dropped

Question 5

Vowel structures change when a noun goes from two syllables to three syllables. How / When does this happen?

Answer 5

1. No change IF monosyllabic with unchangeable long vowel
2. Propretonic reduction TO reduced shewa
3. Segholate nouns TO Shewa + Pathach
4. Geminate nouns TO Daghesh Forte
5. There are some irregular to learn e.g man, woman, city, father, house, daughter, son and day

Question 6

What are the rules of Propretonic reduction?

Answer 6

1. In an open propretonic syllable the Qamets of Tsere will reduce to a Shewa
2. BUT an initial guttural cannot take a vocal shewa but prefers a Hateph Pathach
3. BUT nouns with a vowel letter - unchangeable long vowel in the first syllable will not experience propretonic reduction